Why static sites win on the edge
No database round-trips, no runtime — just pre-rendered HTML served as close to the reader as possible.
Eva Křížová
1 min read
When a user opens a dynamic page, the server typically reaches into a database, assembles HTML, and only then replies. On a static site that work is already done at build time — all that is left for the request is to ship a finished file.
What you save
- The database round-trip — gone; the content is already in the HTML.
- Runtime time — no PHP/Node process on the critical path.
- Distance — the file sits in a CDN POP a few dozen kilometres from the reader.
Measurable impact
| Metric | Dynamic | Static on CDN |
|---|---|---|
| TTFB | ~280 ms | ~25 ms |
| LCP (median) | 2.4 s | 0.9 s |
| Cost per request | non-trivial | ~zero |
The fastest database query is the one that never has to run.
And the dynamic bits?
Comments, search and forms are handled progressively — the static shell ships first and interactivity hydrates from a small chunk of client-side JavaScript. The article body, though, stays pre-rendered and instantly readable.
How that content is produced in the first place is covered in Building a headless CMS on Hugo.
