While Jamstack vs WordPress analogy is an interesting topic, it is certainly not a head-to-head comparison. WordPress is a monolithic platform that uses a LAMP server (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl or Python) to run websites. On the other hand, Jamstack is a collection of services for creating faster and more secure blogs and apps. It is an acronym for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup. It generates websites statically and deploys them through an edge network, hence, no webserver is needed. The two have a similar purpose, which begs the question: Which is the better alternative?
WordPress (WP)
If you are a web content creator with numerous blogs to edit and don’t want to get into the details of web development and coding, WordPress might be your go-to CMS (content management system). But the monolithic architecture of WP comes with a fair share of complications.
Pros
• An open-source software that’s sharable
• Thousands of free and paid plugins
• Easy to navigate the backend without deep knowledge of web management
Cons
• Vulnerable to hackers
• Scaling is hard and expensive for large sites
• Low speed
• Customization can be a problem for less experienced users
With WP, you make most of the changes on the dashboard. The editing function allows you to change text, and add images and videos. Moreover, you can always use plugins to fix a problem or seek crucial information from the existing WordPress community. An optimized site can be very fast but not everyone is well versed with WP optimization. Some of the best ways to speed up WP sites include the use of optimized images, better hosting, lightweight theme, CDN, and so on.
Jamstack
Jamstack uses a headless CMS to create static and database-free websites. Fully-fledged with JavaScript, it offers in-context editing, thereby appealing to both content editors and web developers. Rather than producing web pages upon server requests, it is pre-rendered and only requires CDN (content distribution network) to serve static files. Such a design architecture facilitates a scalable, fast, and secure developer experience. Consequently, static sites and apps perform better than their WP counterparts.
Pros
• Resilient in terms of scalability and security
• Modern
• Fast
• Optimizes webpages for Google ranking
• Decoupled CMS
Cons
• Not for everyone as it requires coding expertise
• Hard to navigate for new users
• Takes time to update numerous apps
Nevertheless, headless CMS is not suitable for big and dynamic sites with a lot of user interaction. But the capabilities are gradually improving. If you don’t know much about JavaScript, you need to hire a developer to get your site running smoothly. Even with technical know-how, developing a static website takes more time.
SEO
Speed is fundamental to both user experience and search engine optimization. Since 2016, Google has taken site speed as a ranking factor. While it’s easier to enhance the functions of a WordPress site by adding plugins, too many of them will slow it down. Sluggish pages reduce user retention, lower your SEO ranking, and ultimately hamper your marketing goals.
In the case of static websites, pages load fast thanks to HTML that has been generated in advance. Plus, there are no database queries thus serving your content instantly from a universal CDN. In essence, Jamstack simplifies URLs and the overall web structure. You can make your URLs whichever way you want to reflect the location of your files. A static blog generator enables you to fine-tune a web page to a taxonomy that matches your content management requirements. But a dynamic WP platform with full CMS relies on complicated server-bound URL rewrites to render your content.
Workflow Deployment
Putting everything in a centralized location is the cornerstone of Jamstack web development. Your written text, site code, CSS and JS, configuration files are in one place and secured by robust version control. As such, making a change could be as simple as pushing a repository to GitHub. If you are a seasoned developer, you’ll appreciate Git-centric workflow more as it lets you use languages and tools you love rather than confining you to the LAMP stack. Whether you want to set up a branch for parallel setting, create a new branch with the latest features, or rollback, everything on a headless CMS is flexible. While WP allows you to design a blog site without programming skills, it limits the type of technologies you can apply.
Security
Static sites are virtually impossible to hack. By separating front-end web projects from back-end content, the end-user can only access the front-end. Since the back-end remains in APIs that are allocated to various servers, an attacker will need to run codes, and this is like punching water. This format is DDoS proof. Moreover, pre-rendered HTML enhances scalability, so no worries about traffic and bandwidth as your site grows. If you have a WP-based site, you must update it regularly or get a secure version, which requires technical skills to design. Otherwise, it will remain an easy target for hackers. There’s always something for cybercriminals to steal, e.g., database and vulnerable WP plugins.
Price
WordPress costs can quickly add up due to its poor ability to scale. The more features you add, the more you pay. The initial investment for a Jamstack site is relatively high, but it becomes economical in the long run as it takes less time to deploy new functions. It doesn’t matter if you serve countless web requests per month; it is cheaper to host static files than run PHP on a server 24/7. Remember that greater traffic means more expenses. Even with numerous serverless functions and APIs, you only pay for the active functionalities. You don’t need to buy RAM now and then. Don’t forget that the security issues associated with WP can be costly. You could suffer significant downtime and loss of revenue if someone hacks your WP site, not to mention the amount of money you need to fix the hack. Luckily, static web development eliminates third-party risks and common threats.
Performance
Performance is a core principle of Jamstack. Though multiple large images can slow down a site, it is possible to develop a speedy front-end with the right techniques. Some of the hardest parts of web creation are scaling and serving files from a universal CDN. But these aspects come by default in a serverless platform so the developer can focus on designing a high-performance frontend. When visitors land on a WP site, they have to wait for the server to deliver files. Not so many people are patient and you could lose traffic every day because of slow server-rendering. Again, it may not be possible to update your WP privacy policy and front page daily. Outdated programming languages like PHP and unmaintained third-party plugins make your blog even slower. Generally, you need more effort to optimize the performance of a WP blog.
In Summary
Taking the headless CMS route is more advantageous given that you can store and manage all your web content separately from the frontend. It makes it easier to utilize materials across different apps and blog sites. Furthermore, hosting is not an issue because it is delivered as SaaS, making it more secure. WP site is considered less flexible and difficult to maintain, thus not ideal for marketing and online business.
