The Rising Complexity of JAMstack Sites and How to Manage Them

Integrating user-generated content or dynamic data into static websites significantly increases build complexity, potentially mirroring the challenges of monolithic CMS platforms. This article explores how to enrich static sites with dynamic content without relying on numerous third-party services.

Static site generators (SSGs) are favored over traditional CMSs like WordPress due to their lightweight nature, high configurability, speed, ease of use, and broad deployment options. Static websites replace databases and server-side code with APIs and build processes, a model known as JAMstack (JavaScript, APIs, Markup). While initially appealing for its control and efficiency, JAMstack projects often encounter a complexity surge as features are added. This is partly due to markdown's limitations in representing data relationships, requiring extensive preprocessing for anything beyond simple tags or categories. The authoring experience of managing these relationships in markdown is also less than ideal.

User-generated content further complicates static sites. Features like comments, ratings, and likes necessitate third-party services, each demanding account management and potentially impacting page performance. While generic platforms like Google Forms or AirTable offer alternatives, this approach fragments content management and introduces compromises.

This complexity isn't unique to JAMstack, but adding rich features to markdown-driven sites proves significantly harder than anticipated. The solution isn't to abandon static sites or rely solely on third-party services. A personalized content management layer and unified API offer a superior alternative.

The key is creating a custom API. While headless CMSs exist, many impose content structure assumptions. KeystoneJS 5 stands out as a flexible option, composed of independent components allowing for a tailored mini-CMS and API.

This approach, termed "JAMstack Plus," combines the benefits of CMSs and SSGs. Two projects illustrate this concept: Supermaya (an Eleventy starter kit for adding rich features without complex build processes) and Keystone JAMstack Plus (a blog enrichment platform).

Supermaya includes standard blog features (posts, pages, pagination, tags, RSS feed, service worker, lazy loading, critical CSS) and accessible markup. It integrates preprocessing steps directly into Eleventy, eliminating the need for separate tools like Grunt, Gulp, or Webpack. Optional integration with Keystone JAMstack Plus simplifies adding user-generated content. Both can be deployed together, connecting Keystone (on Heroku) to Supermaya (on Netlify). Rich features are progressively enhanced, ensuring functionality even with API issues.

Keystone JAMstack Plus adds features like comments, claps, reading lists, and logins. It's designed as a headless CMS for user-generated content, expecting page and post management from the SSG. Its GraphQL API can be connected to any front-end.

The author advocates for owning your data. Using third-party services means they control your data and user information. While sometimes a necessary compromise, the complexity of multiple APIs often outweighs the benefits. A small, configurable service offers better control, user experience, and scalability.

True JAMstack should focus on lean, configurable static front-ends connected to manageable APIs for dynamic content. This approach avoids shifting complexity to the front-end build process or compromising user and developer experience.

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