Comparisons
Comparisons are where static site advice is weakest elsewhere: feature tables copied from project homepages, benchmarks on a hello-world site, conclusions that were decided before the test. The comparisons here are run on the same real content for every option — the same 2,000-page documentation corpus for the docs frameworks, the same 10,000 pages for Astro against Eleventy — on the same machine, with the method written down so it can be reproduced.
Many end without a single winner, because the honest answer depends on the site: Hugo builds fastest, Astro ships the least JavaScript, Docusaurus has versioning built in. What each comparison gives you is the criteria that decide it for your case, and the measured numbers to decide with.
Astro vs Eleventy for Documentation Sites
- Astro vs Eleventy Build Times at 10,000 PagesAstro and Eleventy benchmarked on the same docs corpus from 1,000 to 10,000 pages: cold, warm and one-page-edit builds, memory, and where each scales badly.
- Astro vs Eleventy for Large Docs (1000+ Pages)A decision guide for documentation sites of 1000+ pages — comparing Astro and Eleventy on build scaling, search, MDX/components, and authoring ergonomics with measured numbers.
- Content Collections vs the Eleventy Data CascadeTwo ways to model documentation content: a typed schema that fails the build, or a layered cascade that resolves at render. What each buys, and how to get validation in both.
- Dev Server Performance: Astro vs EleventyMeasure cold start, hot reload and memory for Astro and Eleventy dev servers on a 1,300-page docs site, and the settings that keep writers’ previews fast.
- Markdown Pipelines: remark vs markdown-itCompare the remark and rehype pipeline in Astro with markdown-it in Eleventy: plugin models, speed, custom syntax, heading anchors and link rewriting.
- Shortcodes vs Components for Docs AuthorsEleventy shortcodes and Astro components compared from the writer's chair: syntax, error messages, reuse, JavaScript cost and how to keep the vocabulary small.
Docs Frameworks: Docusaurus, Starlight and VitePress
- Comparing Docs Framework Build TimesBenchmark Docusaurus, Starlight and VitePress on the same 2,000-page docs corpus: cold and warm builds, memory, output size and what drives each number.
- Docusaurus vs Starlight for Product DocumentationA head-to-head port of a 640-page SaaS docs site to Docusaurus and Starlight: build time, JavaScript shipped, field INP, authoring friction and upgrade cost.
- MDX vs Markdoc for Docs ContentChoose between MDX and Markdoc for documentation components: authoring errors, validation, build speed and safety for contributor-heavy docs repos.
- VitePress vs Starlight for Vue and Astro TeamsVitePress and Starlight compared on the same 500-page docs set: build time, page weight, search, i18n, customisation and which team each one suits.
Internationalization for Static Sites
- Subdirectories vs Subdomains for Translated Static SitesCompare subdirectories, subdomains and country domains for a translated static site on build setup, hosting, caching, SEO and cost, with measured numbers.
Jekyll Plugin Ecosystem
- Eleventy vs Jekyll for Markdown-Heavy BlogsFor thousands of Markdown files, compare Eleventy and Jekyll on parser config, data cascade, incremental-build reliability, and real build numbers from a 5,000-post corpus.
Next.js Static Export for Content Sites
- Next.js Static Export vs Astro for MarketingA measured head-to-head of Next.js static export and Astro for marketing sites — JavaScript shipped, LCP and INP, developer experience, and build speed on the same pages.
- Next.js Static Export vs Gatsby for Existing React SitesFor a React team on Gatsby, compare staying with Gatsby against moving to Next.js static export: build time, page weight, ecosystem health and migration effort.
Search for Static Sites
- Pagefind vs Algolia DocSearchBuild-time Pagefind against hosted Algolia DocSearch on one 2,000-page docs site: relevance, latency, freshness, analytics, privacy and total cost.
- Pagefind vs Lunr for Small Documentation SitesPagefind and Lunr compared on a 150-page docs site: index size, first-query time, relevance, setup effort and maintenance, with the crossover point measured.
SSG Framework Selection Matrix
- Gatsby vs Astro for Content Sites in 2026Gatsby and Astro compared for content sites today: build time, JavaScript shipped, Core Web Vitals, ecosystem health and the cost of moving.
CDN Caching Rules for SSGs
- Cloudflare vs CloudFront Cache Hit Ratios for Static SitesCloudflare and CloudFront measured serving the same static site: cache hit ratio, origin requests, TTFB by region and cost, plus the settings that moved each.
CSS and JavaScript Asset Optimization
- SVG Icon Sprites vs Inline IconsReplace icon fonts on a static site with inline SVG or an external sprite, compare bytes, requests and paint timing, and build the sprite at build time.
Font Loading Strategies for Static Sites
- Self-Hosted Fonts vs Google Fonts for Static SitesSelf-hosted fonts and Google Fonts measured on the same static site: connections, LCP, CLS, caching, privacy and maintenance, and when each wins.
- Variable Fonts vs Static WeightsDecide between one variable font file and several static weights on a static site: bytes per weight count, subsetting, axis ranges, rendering and caching.
- font-display: optional vs swapfont-display swap always shows your web font but can shift layout; optional never shifts but may skip the font. How to choose per font on a static site.
JavaScript Hydration & Partial Rendering
- Astro Islands vs Full Hydration PerformanceMeasured comparison of Astro islands against full SPA hydration — JavaScript bytes, Total Blocking Time, and INP numbers, plus which directive to reach for.
- Preact vs React Islands Bundle SizeMeasure React against Preact for Astro islands: runtime size, hydration time, compatibility gaps with preact/compat, and when switching is worth the effort.
Performance Budgets and Lighthouse CI
- Comparing Lab and Field Data with CrUXPull Chrome UX Report data for your origin and key URLs, line it up against Lighthouse lab numbers per template, and use the gap to set better budgets.
- Lighthouse CI vs WebPageTest for Regression GatesLighthouse CI and WebPageTest compared as pull request performance gates on a static site: variance, regressions caught, false alarms, speed and cost.
Resource Hints and Navigation Speed
- Preconnect vs DNS-Prefetch on Static SitesWhen to use preconnect, when dns-prefetch is enough, and when neither helps — measured on a static blog with an image CDN, analytics and embedded video.
Third-Party Script Performance on Static Sites
- Privacy-Friendly Analytics Compared by Page WeightPlausible, Fathom, Umami, Cloudflare Web Analytics and GA4 measured on one static site: script size, main-thread time, requests, cookies and what each reports.
Content Workflows for Documentation Teams
- Git-Based CMS Options for Static Sites ComparedDecap, TinaCMS, Sveltia, CloudCannon and Keystatic compared on one static site: editor experience, preview, Git workflow, setup effort, cost and lock-in.
Incremental Builds and Build Caching for SSGs
- Incremental Rebuild Times Across Astro, Eleventy and HugoAstro, Eleventy and Hugo measured on the same 5,000-page site for full, cached and single-page rebuilds, in CI and the dev server, with what each skips.
Netlify vs Vercel Deployment Strategies
- Static Site Bandwidth Pricing: Netlify, Vercel, CloudflareModel monthly hosting cost for a static site on Netlify, Vercel and Cloudflare at four traffic levels, with the levers that cut bandwidth by half or more.
- Vercel ISR vs Static Generation for SSGsISR rebuilds pages on demand; static generation builds everything upfront. Astro, Eleventy, Hugo, and Jekyll have no ISR — they rebuild and purge at the CDN.
Rollbacks and Deploy Safety for Static Sites
- Atomic Deploys vs Incremental UploadsWhy syncing files into a live bucket serves broken pages, how atomic publishing works, and how to build atomicity yourself on S3, object storage or a VM origin.
Self-Hosting Static Sites on S3, Nginx and Caddy
- Nginx vs Caddy for Serving Static SitesNginx and Caddy compared serving the same static site: throughput, latency, memory, TLS automation, config size, compression and the mistakes each one invites.
Serverless Functions for Static Sites
- Netlify Functions vs Cloudflare WorkersThe same three functions on Netlify and Cloudflare, measured: cold starts, global latency, limits, local development, storage and cost for a static site.