Gatsby is an open-source static website generator (SSG) that is based on the frontend development framework React and makes use of Webpack and GraphQL technology. It can be used to build static sites that are progressive web apps, follow the latest web standards and optimized for speed and security. In layman’s terms, it makes sure a bunch of programs play nice together so your website works right.
Gatsby websites run on Jamstack architecture, which uses JavaScript, APIs and HTML markup and doesn’t need to pull from a database or server-side programming language. This enables sites to be hosted by an object storage service or content delivery network (CDN), which means quicker load times, easier hosting and easier development.
Built for performance: Gatsby sites are built with performance at top of mind. By pre-rendering pages and reducing the need for servers to generate pages, the end user experience is considerably improved.
Open source ecosystem: Gatsby has an extensive plugin ecosystem, powerful integrations and excellent documentation. Its extensive open source community has already created more than 2,000 plugins and a massive presence on GitHub.
Can easily transfer data: By design, the platform easily integrates third-party platforms, allowing developers to quickly load data from any source. This makes for a better user experience and flexibility during the development process.
Gatsby renders pages and routes with minimal problems: Using just React, a route would have to be built for components. With Gatsby, though, having a component in a pages folder generates the page automatically, removing the need for a router or switch.
Integrates with popular headless CMSes: A headless CMS decouples the content repository from the presentation layer, allowing content to be deployed across any frontend, separate from the backend. They’re better used for sites with multiple digital touchpoints, like modern ecommerce sites. Gatsby works well with most headless platforms.
