Understanding Next.js Static Site Generation (SSG)

Next.js has become the go-to framework for building modern web applications. One of its most powerful features is Static Site Generation (SSG).

What is Static Site Generation?

Static Site Generation pre-renders pages at build time. This means:

• HTML is generated when you build your app
• The same HTML is served to each user
• Pages can be cached by CDNs for maximum performance

When to Use SSG?

SSG is perfect when:

• Your data can be pre-rendered ahead of a user's request
• You want the best possible performance
• You don't need user-specific or real-time data

Great examples include:

• Marketing pages
• Blog posts
• Documentation
• Product listings (that don't change frequently)

Getting Started with SSG

Basic Static Page

// app/page.tsx
export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Hello, World!</h1>;
}

This page is automatically static - no configuration needed!

Dynamic Routes with SSG

// app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
export async function generateStaticParams() {
  const posts = await getPosts();
  return posts.map((post) => ({
    slug: post.slug,
  }));
}

export default function BlogPost({ params }) {
  return <div>Post: {params.slug}</div>;
}

SSG vs SSR vs ISR

| Feature | SSG | SSR | ISR | |---------|-----|-----|-----| | Build time | ✓ | - | ✓ | | Request time | - | ✓ | - | | CDN caching | Perfect | Good | Great | | Real-time data | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ (stale) |

Best Practices

1. Use SSG by default - It's the fastest option
2. Add ISR for dynamic content - Get the best of both worlds
3. Leverage revalidate - Keep content fresh without full rebuilds

export const revalidate = 3600; // Revalidate every hour

Conclusion

Static Site Generation is a powerful tool in your Next.js toolkit. Use it whenever you can for the best performance and user experience.

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Happy coding! Check out the Next.js documentation for more.