JAM Stack - Pros and Cons

Sometimes evolution comes full circle, and this is certainly the case for websites. The first ever websites were simple HTML files uploaded to servers and served statically. There was no JavaScript, and hardly any interactions of any sort. Over the 40 years since the internet became generally available the web evolved, and programming languages like PHP were introduced with the express purpose of making simple and interactive web pages. This led to WordPress, Drupal, and countless other content management systems which dominate the internet to this day.

Eventually these CMS platforms became so simple to use that technical ability was almost irrelevant, and anyone could spin up a website in an afternoon. However, without the technical knowledge of the fundamentals of website development, many of these websites are poorly optimised, hosted on insecure shared hosting, and prone to being hacked. For a long time, this was seen as a necessary evil to facilitate the ease of management that CMS’s provide.

The shift towards security and performance.

Now that the marketplace has been flooded with low quality websites, search engines and users alike are looking for websites that portray professionalism and trustworthiness. For this reason businesses are moving away from slow CMS’s that are easily hacked to more performant static websites that are integrated with “headless” content management systems. This setup means that websites load within a fraction of a second, oftentimes less than one tenth of a second (100ms), and are far more secure thanks to SaaS platforms that manage CMS security. This shift in platforming, and the resulting “stack” of technologies has been named, the “JAM Stack”.

What is JAM Stack?

JAM stands for JavaScript, API’s and Markup. Client side interactions are managed by Javascript that is written directly into the frontend code, this JavaScript interacts with your business systems like HubSpot, Stripe, and MailChimp via APIs. The markup, or HTML, is pre-rendered and served whole, reducing the need for server computation and increasing pagespeed performance.

How to Build a JAM Stack Website

The first step to building a JAM stack website is to select your headless CMS and a JavaScript framework. The Sydney Tech Support team can help you make a selection that works for your use case, but we often find that a hosted CMS like ghost.org or strapi.io fits the needs of the vast majority of website managers.

The JavaScript framework selection is often informed by the skills of the development team, with some preferring the framework built by Facebook (Meta), React.js. While others prefer frameworks like vue.js, Ne

What are the pros of a JAM Stack Website

• Faster loading times, often <100ms.
• Single page application performance (SPA) allows for navigation within a website without the need to reload the page.
• Users report a more seamless experience, due to the website functionality being coded directly into the site, as opposed to a CMS plugin which often feels like an afterthought.
• SEO benefits are built directly into the page, with schema.org built directly into the page components.
• Headless CMS’s are fully customisable to the requirements of the website administrator and content manager.
• Website redesigns no longer require full site rebuild, as components can be simply redesigned in the existing codebase.
• External data sources can be used to build pages in bulk, e.g. product pages, hotel rooms, property listings, etc.

What are the Cons of a JAM Stack Website

• Changes to content require a longer deploy process, with the site needing to be statically built before changes go live.
• Custom development is almost always required for API integrations to your existing systems.
• A higher technical barrier means that more experienced developers are required to build and maintain your website.

What Should I Use to Build My Website?

There is never a one-size-fits-all solution to website development, and JAM Stack websites are just another tool in the tool belt of modern website developers. If your business needs a website that is on the cutting edge of performance, is extremely resistant to hacking, and sends all the right ranking signals to Google and other search engines, a JAM Stack website might be the right choice for you. The expert website development team at Sydney Tech Support offer a free 45 minute website requirements consultation, which helps businesses identify their goals, define key functionality, and plan a website that supports growth, lead generation, and long-term online success.