The case for static blogs: faster, safer, and easier to maintain

Most blogging platforms today feel heavy. They need a database, lots of plugins, and regular updates.

I feel that most blogging platforms have following issues -

• Pages load slowly.
• Are complicated to setup
• You have to update plugins and themes regularly.
• One bad update can break the site.

There’s an easier way: static blogs.

What is a static blog?

A static blog is built from simple files. There’s no database or complicated backend.

• You write posts in markdown.
• A static site generator (like 11ty) converts those files into plain HTML, CSS, and JS.
• You host the files on any static host (Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, GitHub Pages, etc.), and it just works.

Because it’s only static files, static blogs are:

• Faster – no database calls, no backend work.
• Safer – no login forms or databases to hack.
• Easier to maintain – no plugins or updates to worry about.

GitHub as a CMS

When using a static blog, you don’t need a big admin dashboard. GitHub itself becomes the CMS:

• Write posts as markdown files and push them to a repo.
• GitHub keeps version history.
• Your hosting platform (like Cloudflare Pages or Netlify) rebuilds the site automatically or you can use Github Actions if deploying on Github itself.
• No passwords, no plugin updates, and no broken sites. Just plain files you fully control.

An example: WebNami

One static blogging platform that follows this approach is WebNami.

• Built on top of 11ty for fast static generation.
• SEO features are included: sitemaps, meta tags, RSS feed, robots.txt, and SEO checks during build time.
• Posts are written in Markdown and version controlled in GitHub.
• A clean default design that loads in under a second (blazingly fast)
• Self-hosted and open-source, so you own everything.

WebNami provides SEO checks at build time

Scores 100 on all core web vitals

This setup removes the usual complexity:

• No CMS dashboard (GitHub is your CMS).
• No plugins or themes to update.
• No database to manage.
• No plugins for SEO checks and audits - all provided out of the box

Should you try a static blog?

If your needs are simple (just publishing posts, pages, and tags), static blogs can save you time and headaches.

They aren’t for everyone – if you need advanced features like user accounts or dynamic dashboards, you might still need something like WordPress or Ghost.

But if you want a blog that’s fast, safe, and low maintenance, a static blog is worth trying.