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When creating a website, the first questions that are often asked by website developers is to choose between of a Static Website or a Content Management System (CMS) Website. Static websites is the basic form of website where there isn’t a custom coding, databases, and it is the easiest to create. Basically, a static website is a site with contents that cannot be altered without the developer editing its codes. A CMS website or also known as a dynamic website is a site that is able to show different contents from the same source code making it more dynamic and sophisticated. In another words, a dynamic website is a site that contains informations that changes depending on the audience, time, time zone, the audience’s native language, and other factors. Here are our unbiased views and comparisons between the two websites and educating the audiences on which is a better option in designing a website.

What is a static website?

A static website is the simplest website that’s embedded with HTML codes with no customized coding and dynamic features. Having a static website does not require the user to use server-side scripting, only client-side scripting such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, etc. A simple small-scale company website only two to three pages of information without any bells and whistles can be classified as a static website. They are easy and low cost to develop and host without maintenance cost and additional skills except HTML. Each page is an individual file composed in HTML without interactivity features except hyperlinks and images. In short, static websites are generally just websites that remains the same unless the source code is changed.

What is a Content Management System (CMS) website?

A CMS website is also known as a dynamic website that contains pages that are characterized by changing contents that would be more operational, something the viewers are able to interact with, than just reading it. Designing a CMS website would need more than client-side scripting, it’ll need a server-side scripting language like ASP, PHP, JavaScript, JSP, ColdFusion, etc. When the viewer accesses a CMS website, the codes are separated and divided on the web server and the final HTML page is shown on the client’s web browser. To simplify, a CMS website is a combination of a server-side scripting and a client-side scripting specifically an e-commerce site and social media site.

Difference between Static Website and Dynamic Website (CMS)

1. Coding of a Static and CMS Website.

A static website is made up of a fixed number of pages and format which is displayed to the viewer. In order to build a Static website, there isn’t a need for a special software however all that is required is knowledge on HTML and CSS and can be easily built on a simple text editor software like notepad. A static website is a collection of texts, images, and multimedia elements that has marked up contents created from HTML and CSS. A CMS website generates contents to the users based on their preference which is purely composed by a server-side programming skill. Coding for CMS website is also more costly as there is a need to create webhosting, databases or servers.

2. Content in Static and CMS Website

A Static website has contents delivered to the users without having the need to be modified or processed because the website shows the same page to each viewers as there is a same HTML file to each viewers. Therefore, the developer of the site must have knowledge on HTML coding in order to change or update the page. In a CMS website, the contents are ready made to serve the viewers based on the requests of the clients and also make changes occasionally. Hence, the contents of a CMS website is subject to changes which is convenient for non-expert person to make changes and updates to the content of the website as the contents are differently catered to different viewers.

3. Flexibility in of Static and CMS Website

A Static website is differently designed and created for each page and contents in order to match the layout for each their respective page. Thus, the web designer is at ease to add in special effects on different pages which can be more flexible and adaptable based on the preference of the users. In contrast to the Static website, the CMS website is more limited in terms of flexibility as the entire development of creating a unique mix of a dynamic content and an interactive feature requires a demand for a high-end web server and content management system for each page.

Summary of Static vs CMS Website

A CMS website offers a wide range of advantages when it comes to a dynamic content, interactive features and multimedia elements because of its convenience and the efficiency which highly reduces the cost for maintaining the website in the long run. Furthermore, it also allows the website designer to include in future plug-ins and add-ons. Nevertheless, a Static website is comparably faster in terms of building as they are simple without the extra bells and whistles. Also the static website has more flexibility because of the pages being customized individually which eases the task for the website designer to be creative on different pages making them special. The CMS website is more always chic and refined and also more interactive.

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