Matt and Matt Over WordPress and JAMstack

The Clash of Web Development Paradigms: JAMstack vs. WordPress

The Controversy Surrounding JAMstack and WordPress

Unveiling the Power of JAMstack

Advantages and Disadvantages of JAMstack

The Dominance of WordPress

A Comparative Analysis

The Controversy Surrounding JAMstack and WordPress

In the digital realm, the clash of opinions between celebrities, politicians, or sports figures can instantly become global news. However, when the debate revolves around web development technologies, such as JAMstack and WordPress, it often goes unnoticed by the masses. Despite its lack of mainstream attention, this ongoing discussion holds significant relevance within the developer’s ecosystem. Even when WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg shared his views on JAMstack in an email to Richard MacManus, it failed to garner the attention it deserved.

“JAMstack is a regression for the vast majority of the people adopting it; the usability and functionalities are actually lower. Even rebuilding sites in JAMstack harkens back to the Movable Type days, where the bigger your site gets, the slower it is to rebuild or update templates.” – Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Co-Founder

This critique from Matt Mullenweg triggered an inevitable backlash. Eder-Pressman, Stackbit’s co-founder and CEO, was one of the first to respond:

“The achievements of WordPress in terms of market share and how it democratized early web publishing are amazing. When it comes to architecture, I think it was best in class for the early 2000s, but it’s time to move forward. We already see cohorts of websites where Jamstack adoption crosses 20% – it’s no longer a question of if the Jamstack becomes the predominant architecture for the web but a question of when. The cliche is a cliche but it also rings true – First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you (we are here), then you win.”

Eder-Pressman concurred with Matt Mullenweg on JAMstack’s usability and functionality limitations but emphasized its architecture’s resilience.

Another prominent figure in this debate is Mathias Biilmann, CEO of Netlify, who coined the term ‘JAMstack’:

“There’s often a moment right around the time when an old technology is about to be displaced by the next thing, where the main leader in the field goes out and makes a strong argument that absolutely nothing is happening. A moment that ends up looking like a turning point where the new was undeniably present enough to be worth being in denial about.”

Before delving into this debate, let’s first explore the core attributes of JAMstack and WordPress.

Unveiling the Power of JAMstack

JAMstack, an acronym for JavaScript, APIs, and Markdown, offers an open-source playground for web developers. The use of JavaScript is central to JAMstack, primarily on the browser side. Markdown content, a specialized text format, simplifies the process of creating rich text for JAMstack websites.

JAMstack connects these elements to empower web developers in crafting exceptional websites:

• JavaScript for building reactive web pages.
• APIs for data sources and user interaction.
• Markdown for content creation.

Developers have the flexibility to manually employ these components or utilize a static site generator. The latter method involves pulling content from Markdown files and other data sources via APIs, after which the static site generator generates HTML pages for the website based on the retrieved content. These pages may or may not include JavaScript and other styles.

Advantages and Disadvantages of JAMstack

The User Experience of JAMstack and What Happens at the Backend:

Static site generators create pre-generated HTML pages that offer SEO benefits. JavaScript code can be embedded in these pages as needed. JAMstack websites load pre-generated HTML pages quickly, followed by the execution of embedded JavaScript code. This swift loading and high reactivity enhance the website’s performance, an essential factor for search engine rankings. Various static site generators, such as Gatsby, Next.js, Gridsome, Hugo, Jekyll, and Scully, contribute to this reactivity.

Major Benefits of JAMstack:

JAMstack offers numerous advantages, including speed, security, and an efficient development workflow. Moreover, it eliminates the need to manage a backend server or database. Since system administrators generate web pages, security against code injection is robust.

However, despite these advantages, the technology faces criticism, especially from WordPress’s co-founder and CEO, Matt Mullenweg.

Disadvantages of JAMstack:

JAMstack is most suitable for small websites that do not require frequent template rebuilding, unlike WordPress. As the site’s size increases, the maintenance and rebuilding of static pages become more challenging, negating the initial speed advantage.

The Dominance of WordPress

WordPress, along with other content management systems like Magento, Joomla, Drupal, and Shopify, specializes in creating dynamic websites. These platforms fetch complete PHP pages, which are more substantial than static HTML pages.

WordPress’s user-friendly interface allows non-developers to create, edit, and publish content effortlessly. Additionally, it supports various plugins to enhance functionality. However, this convenience comes at a cost. WordPress retrieves pages from a database, consuming substantial resources and making it a more resource-intensive option compared to JAMstack.

In contrast, static site generators used in JAMstack load pre-generated HTML pages instantly. Articles are created, transformed into HTML pages, and placed on a server directory. When a visitor accesses the page, it directly retrieves the pre-generated content without establishing a new connection each time. This approach significantly reduces the time required, particularly for managing interrelated pages.

A Comparative Analysis

The static site generator approach excels in creating static pages quickly with minimal server resources, making it efficient for websites with numerous interconnected pages. In contrast, WordPress’s dynamic approach is more suitable for content that frequently changes, such as news feeds and shopping cart pages. WordPress also boasts a vast community and an extensive collection of apps and plugins, simplifying complex functionalities.

While JAMstack offers benefits in terms of speed, security, and development workflow, it faces limitations with larger websites and dynamic content. WordPress, on the other hand, remains a user-friendly and versatile choice, particularly for those without extensive technical knowledge.

In conclusion, the debate between JAMstack and WordPress continues, with each technology possessing its strengths and weaknesses. The choice between the two depends on specific project requirements, technical expertise, and the goals of web developers and content creators.