For years and years the term "static website" was mildly confusing to me. I finally realized it. Static websites *have no backend*[^1]. They are simple [[HTML CSS and JavaScript]] that is sent to and operates within the browser. Where they are hosted from makes *no difference*. A [[Static Site Generator]] is just a tool to turn a folder of [[Markdown]] documents & resources into a website.[^2] Static websites can still use APIs, at which point you get a [[JAMstack]]. That's how [[Aaron's Puzzles]] operates. See [[Aaron's Puzzles Site Architecture]]. **** # More ## Source - self [^1]: technically this is wrong. The site was served from *somewhere*, but this is the mental shortcut that finally got me to realize what "static website" means [^2]: again this is technically not quite right, you can have your own little applets in static site generators too. I have done this as a proof of concept for myself in the past... but this is "good enough" to get the point across.