What is JAMstack?

JAMstack

Modern web development architecture based on client-side JavaScript, reusable APIs, and prebuilt Markup.

JavaScript

Any dynamic programming during the request/response cycle is handled by JavaScript, running entirely on the client. This could be any frontend framework like Vue.js, React, Angular, etc. or even vanilla JavaScript.

APIs

All server-side processes or database actions are abstracted into reusable APIs, accessed over HTTP with JavaScript. These can be custom-built or leverage third-party services.

Markup

Templated markup should be prebuilt at build time, usually using a site generator for content sites, or a build tool for web apps.

Why JAMstack?

Benefits

Faster performance : Serve pre-built markup and assets over a CDN
More secure : No need to worry about server or database vulnerabilities
Less expensive : Hosting of static files are cheap or even free
Scalability : No more worries about traffic

How to JAMstack

JavaScript Frameworks

Static Site Generators

Headless CMSes

Third-party APIs

What’s not JAMstack

Any project that relies on a tight coupling between client and server.

A site built with a server-side CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, or Squarespace.
A monolithic server-run web app that relies on Ruby, Node, or another backend language.
A single page app that uses isomorphic rendering to build views on the server at runtime.