Call it whatever you want: the Jamstack, decoupled front-end architecture, the composable web. It’s still just HTML, CSS and Javascript – and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
Sure, the marketing terms may vary, but the underlying tech and the value proposition remains — as true today as it was in the mid-nineties. Pre-rendered, static HTML deployed to a CDN is more performant, more scalable, and more secure than your monolithic application will ever be. Full stop.
Digital transformation is not just a buzzword. It’s a critical strategy for business success. Today, understanding and leveraging the right technology frameworks is paramount. A static-first approach, with its roots firmly planted in the foundational elements of the web, represents more than just a return to basics; it's a forward-thinking approach to building web applications that are secure, fast, and scalable.
Decoupled or composable web architecture is a modern web development approach that encourages greater scale by separating the front-end and backend components of a website. The simplest example of this separation is to prerender the front-end as a bunch of HTML files whenever content changes. As there’s no longer a dependency on a database or application servers to render the site, clients can benefit from more flexible hosting options and significantly greater scale.
By serving pre-rendered static HTML from a CDN, websites load faster and are more resilient to traffic spikes, providing a superior user experience. This approach not only reduces server load but also significantly diminishes the attack surface, offering a level of security that traditional monolithic architectures struggle to match.
While industry professionals wring their hands over naming conventions and endless framework wars, Ample is over here building rock solid, globally distributed online experiences for our clients every single day. In our toolbox, we have a number of modern front-end frameworks which we use to build online experiences that are stable and crazy fast.
Take NextJS for example… This React meta-framework has come to dominate the SPA ecosystem through Vercel’s continued innovation and service offerings. According to a recent survey from Netlify released at the end of last year, NextJS comprised nearly 46% of all usage in 2023. And while there are more and more competitors in this space everyday, Vercel has managed to keep NextJS on top with aggressive product releases that tout such features as incremental static regeneration, the app router, server components and more.
Coming up fast on the heels of NextJS is a micro-frontend framework called AstroJS which we are turning to more-and-more everyday. One of the coolest parts about Astro is its unique architectural design, anchored around a concept called “islands” which enables engineers to incrementally adopt and explore new UI integrations. By allowing different parts of a web page to independently leverage different component architectures (e.g. React, Vue, etc.), we can create highly dynamic, content-rich experiences that are optimized for performance and scalability. This aligns perfectly with the headless CMS and modern composable architecture, ensuring that our projects are not only technically advanced but also strategically positioned to leverage the best of what the web has to offer.
The other thing we really like about Astro is the static-first, content-centric approach we’ve been evangelizing for years. By default, Astro generates static HTML that can be deployed to nearly any server or cloud-based host. When coupled with creative CI tooling via products like Github Actions, we can emulate the first-class developer experience of Netlify or Vercel, at a fraction of the cost. This helps us reduce the risk of vendor lock-in and encourages more innovation and more opportunity for our clients.
This static-first methodology is predicated on the separation of the front end from the back end, allowing for:
It's not just about the tools we use; it's about creating a sustainable, efficient digital ecosystem that can adapt and thrive in the face of technological evolution.
So whether you call it Jamstack or the composable web or a static-first approach to building more performant, more scalable front-ends, Ample’s engineering teams have you covered. Our commitment at Ample extends beyond merely following trends. We are dedicated to harnessing the best tools and practices to build robust, state-of-the-art digital experiences.
As we navigate the complexities of modern web development, we remain steadfast in our belief that the principles underlying the Jamstack are more relevant than ever. It's not just about the technology, it's about building a foundation for digital success that is robust, flexible, and enduring. At Ample, we're not just building websites; we're crafting digital experiences that stand the test of time, ensuring our clients are always one step ahead in the digital arms race.
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