Want a website that loads in a blink, scales effortlessly, and stays secure under pressure? Leverage the Jamstack architecture in your modern web development. Jamstack delivers speed, scalability and security by blending in critical elements like pre-rendered static pages, dynamic JavaScript, and API-driven functionality.
Read on to know more about the wonders of this modern web architecture and get practical tips to revolutionize your web game with an ultra-uber website.
What Is Jamstack Architecture?
Jamstack is a tech stack that combines JavaScript, APIs, and Markup. While old-school monolithic stacks render pages on the server, Jamstack pre-builds static HTML at deploy time, serves it using a Content Delivery Network (CDN), all the while ensuring the dynamicity of the web features using client-side JavaScript and APIs. The result–websites load lightning-fast, are secure by default, and a joy to develop.
For a top web development company, the Jamstach architecture aligns well with modern agile frameworks and methodologies like DevOps, microservices, and containerization.
Guide to Building Fast Websites with Jamstack
Today, over 40% of new websites integrate Jamstack within their web development ecosystem. They are commonly used to build everything from blogs to e-commerce giants. Let’s explore the steps involved.
Step 1: Pick Your Jamstack Toolkit
Your Jamstack stack primarily consists of four pillars, which include the static site generators (SSGs), headless CMS, APIs/serverless functions, and hosting. .
Static Site Generators (SSGs)
SSGs turn your website content and templates into static HTML. So, choose based on your tech stack and project needs. Commonly ued tools include:
- Next.js: React-based and perfect for hybrid apps, it supports static generation and server-side rendering.
- Gatsby: Also React-based, underlined with a GraphQL data layer and rich plugins for content-heavy sites.
- Hugo: Built on Go, it is insanely fast for large sites with thousands of pages.
- Nuxt.js: Vue.js-powered, great for static or server-rendered Vue apps.
- Eleventy: Lightweight and flexible, supports multiple template languages for simple projects.
Headless CMS
A headless CMS decouples content from presentation, serving it via APIs. Popular headless CMS tools include:
- Contentful: Robust REST and GraphQL APIs, ideal for multilingual sites.
- Sanity.io: Real-time APIs and a customizable studio for collaborative workflows.
- Strapi: Open-source, self-hosted, with full control over REST/GraphQL APIs.
- Prismic: Slice-based content modeling for reusable components.
- DatoCMS: GraphQL-first with powerful image optimization APIs.
APIs and Serverless Functions
Dynamic features like forms or authentication rely on APIs, often powered by serverless functions. Common Platforms for managing servers and scaling automatically with usage include:
- AWS Lambda
- Netlify Functions
- Vercel Serverless
Hosting Platforms
Jamstack sites thrive on static hosting with CDN delivery. Hosting platforms popular with web development companies include:
- Netlify: Seamless Git-based deployments, serverless functions, and automatic HTTPS.
- Vercel: Optimized for Next.js, with edge caching and serverless APIs.
- Cloudflare Pages: Lightning-fast delivery via a global edge network.
- AWS Amplify: Full-stack hosting with easy backend integration.
Step 2: Build Your Jamstack Site
Let’s walk through building a Jamstack blog with Next.js, Contentful, and Netlify, complete with sample code to bring it to life.
####Initialize Your Project
npx create-next-app@latest jamstack-blog
cd jamstack-blog
npm run dev
This sets up a local development environment with hot reloading.
Connect to a Headless CMS (Contentful Example)
Install the Contentful SDK:
npm install contentful
Add your Contentful credentials to a .env.local file:
CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID=your_space_id
CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_access_token
Fetch blog posts at build time in pages/index.js:
import { createClient } from 'contentful';
const client = createClient({
space: process.env.CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID,
accessToken: process.env.CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN,
});
export async function getStaticProps() {
const entries = await client.getEntries({ content_type: 'blogPost' });
return {
props: { posts: entries.items },
revalidate: 60, // Regenerate every 60 seconds
};
}
export default function Home({ posts }) {
return (
<div className="container mx-auto p-4">
<h1 className="text-3xl font-bold">Blog</h1>
<ul className="mt-4">
{posts.map(({ sys, fields }) => (
<li key={sys.id} className="mb-2">
<a href={`/post/${sys.id}`} className="text-blue-600 hover:underline">
{fields.title}
</a>
</li>
))}
</ul>
</div>
);
}
This uses Next.js’s Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) to keep content fresh without full rebuilds.
Add Interactivity with React
Static pages are great, but JavaScript adds the magic. Here’s a “Like” button component:
import React, { useState } from 'react';
export default function LikeButton() {
const [likes, setLikes] = useState(0);
return (
<button
onClick={() => setLikes(likes + 1)}
className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded hover:bg-blue-600"
>
Likes: {likes}
</button>
);
}
This hydrates the client, adding interactivity without slowing the initial load.
Handle Forms with Serverless Functions (Netlify)
Create a serverless function at netlify/functions/contact.js:
exports.handler = async (event) => {
const { email, message } = JSON.parse(event.body);
if (!email || !message) {
return { statusCode: 400, body: 'Email and message are required.' };
}
// Add logic for email sending or database storage
return {
statusCode: 200,
body: JSON.stringify({ status: 'Message sent!' }),
};
};
Connect it to a form in components/ContactForm.js:
import React, { useState } from 'react';
export default function ContactForm() {
const [status, setStatus] = useState('');
async function handleSubmit(e) {
e.preventDefault();
const res = await fetch('/.netlify/functions/contact', {
method: 'POST',
body: JSON.stringify({
email: e.target.email.value,
message: e.target.message.value,
}),
});
const result = await res.json();
setStatus(result.status);
}
return (
<div className="max-w-md mx-auto mt-8">
<form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="space-y-4">
<input
name="email"
type="email"
placeholder="Your Email"
className="w-full p-2 border rounded"
required
/>
<textarea
name="message"
placeholder="Your Message"
className="w-full p-2 border rounded"
required
/>
<button
type="submit"
className="px-4 py-2 bg-green-500 text-white rounded hover:bg-green-600"
>
Send
</button>
{status && <p className="text-center">{status}</p>}
</form>
</div>
);
}
This keeps your site static while handling dynamic inputs securely.
Optimize Images
Use Next.js’s Image component for automatic optimization:
import Image from 'next/image';
export default function Hero() {
return (
<Image
src="/images/hero.webp"
alt="Hero Image"
width={1200}
height={600}
priority
className="w-full h-auto"
/>
);
}
This ensures fast-loading images in modern formats like WebP.
Deploy Your Site
- Push your code to a GitHub repository.
- Connect it to Netlify or Vercel via their dashboard.
- Set build command (npm run build) and environment variables.
- Enable automatic rebuilds via CMS webhooks for instant content updates.
- Configure HTTPS and CDN caching for blazing-fast delivery.
Step 3: Level Up with Advanced Jamstack Techniques
Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)
Keep content fresh without full rebuilds:
export async function getStaticProps() {
const data = await fetchAPI(); // Replace with your API call
return {
props: { data },
revalidate: 120, // Regenerate every 2 minutes
};
}
Lazy Loading Components
Reduce initial load times with dynamic imports:
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';
const Comments = dynamic(() => import('../components/Comments'), { ssr: false });
export default function Post() {
return (
<div>
<h1 className="text-2xl font-bold">Post</h1>
<Comments />
</div>
);
}
Cache Control
Optimize asset delivery with a Netlify _headers file:
/_next/static/*
Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable
This caches static files for a year, as their filenames change with each build.
Step 4: Secure Your Jamstack Site
- Serve everything over HTTPS.
- Store API keys in environment variables, never in code.
- Sanitize user inputs in serverless functions to block injection attacks.
- Use authentication (e.g., Auth0) for secure API access.
- Keep dependencies updated with tools like Dependabot.
Step 5: Monitor and Optimize
- Run Google Lighthouse audits for speed, SEO, and accessibility.
- Track errors with Sentry or LogRocket.
- Use Google Analytics or Plausible for user insights.
- Monitor serverless function performance via your hosting platform.
Step 6: Troubleshoot Common Jamstack Challenges
- Slow Builds: Use incremental builds, optimize assets, and trim plugins.
- API Rate Limits: Cache responses or use serverless functions to minimize calls.
- Dynamic Content: Combine ISR with client-side fetching for fresh data.
- SEO: Ensure static generation and proper metadata (e.g., tags) for search engines.
The Bottom Line
Jamstack architecture is a popular approach that a custom web development company uses to build websites that are blazing fast, infinitely scalable, and secure by design. By picking the right tools and following the steps mentioned above, you’ll create web experiences that wow users and simplify development.