Why Static Websites Improve Security (and Why I Use Them)

June 10, 2020

When people think about website security, they often focus on firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, or expensive tools. But sometimes, the most effective security comes from simplifying the problem entirely.

That’s one of the reasons I built this site using a static website architecture.

What is a Static Website?

A static website generates fixed HTML files ahead of time ("pre-rendered") and serves them directly to users. Tools like Jekyll, Hugo, or Eleventy take source content (Markdown, templates, assets) and produce simple HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that can be hosted on almost any server or CDN.

In contrast, most modern websites use dynamic platforms like WordPress or Drupal, which rely on:

  • Application servers
  • Databases
  • Backend languages (PHP, Node, etc.)
  • Constant server-side processing

Why Does This Matter for Security?

Dynamic websites introduce many layers of complexity — and with complexity comes attack surface.

Here’s how static websites reduce risk:

  1. No Live Server-Side Code There’s no backend application for attackers to exploit. No PHP bugs, no vulnerable plugins, no exposed API endpoints — just flat files.

  2. No Database Eliminates risks of:
    • SQL injection
    • Database leaks
    • Credential theft

  3. Minimal Attack Surface Static files served via trusted CDNs are extremely hardened against most common web attacks.

  4. Simplified Patching There’s no running application to patch on production servers. Updates are applied during the build process, making version control and auditability much easier.

  5. Resilience to Zero-Day Exploits Dynamic platforms are frequent targets for zero-day vulnerabilities. Static sites simply expose far less software.

Where Static Websites Make Sense

Static websites aren’t a fit for every scenario — but for many cases, they dramatically reduce security complexity while lowering cost:

  • Personal blogs
  • Documentation portals
  • Public policy or compliance disclosures
  • Lightweight marketing or informational sites

A Simpler Security Model

Static architectures embody a core principle of good security: minimize what you expose.

They won’t replace all use cases — but where they fit, they offer a highly resilient foundation.

These are exactly the kinds of tradeoffs I enjoy exploring in modern security architecture — balancing simplicity, cost, and risk reduction.