Static Website Development and Dynamic Website Development

The difference between a static website and a dynamic website lies in the interactivity offered to the user. A website is said to be static if its content does not change when a user interacts with it. It is displayed on the user’s browser as it is fetched from the server.  It presents same content to all its users. On the other hand a dynamic website responds to the interaction of a user by presenting the content requested by a user. The content of a dynamic website changes with the context of input provided by a user. Dynamic WebPages include code scripts in addition to HTML to allow the user to fill in or select the options and submit it. The content management systems like WordPress, Joomla are the perfect examples of dynamic websites. Static Website Development is different in may way from Dynamic Website Development.

Static Website Development

To create a static website or page most commonly a collection of HTML files that may or may not be linked using hyperlinks. Tools like MS FrontPage and Dreamweaver are used to create and manage static website projects. Nowadays static site generators are used that offer a variety of templates to chose from so that even a novice can create impressive WebPages by simply placing the content in different sections of the template.

Just like a dynamic website a static website’s pages are as HTML files are organized in the file system. When a page is requested by the user the web server transfers the file over HTTP. The bottom-line is that the static website is of unchanging nature.

In the current age of web based business and online services offered by organizations static websites may look out of place and out of need, but they do have certain advantages.

Advantages

• Since no interaction is possible and it lacks in scripts so the static websites are better in security.
• Static websites are presented in the form they are available in the web server so they take lesser time to download and appear on a requesting browser. This results in better performance in terms of speed and resources.
• Appearance of static websites can be enhanced by using CSS but since these sites do not depend on databases or scripts, they can be economical. The development can be done with simple HTML without the need of other backend tools or application servers.

Disadvantages

• Static websites lack functionality if the user wants to interact with them.

Dynamic Website Development

Dynamic website development requires the HTML code supported by client-side scripting or server-side scripting to provide the interaction missing in the static website. A dynamic webpage can be created by using both type of scripting. Dynamic website development is done with the help of tools, platforms and programming languages like PHP, JSP, and ASP.NET.  Many frameworks like Ruby on Rails, Django, or Flex are also used by the web app developers.

Unlike static website development, dynamic website development is a skill that needs skills of a programmer and experience of working with a database management system. A novice cannot create dynamic website by using some templates offered by HTML based tools. He has to be comfortable with programming in PHP, JavaScript or any other scripting language used in web application development.

Dynamic web pages are created by implementing the logic through coding scripts so that different users are able to get different content through same source code. The common examples are the feedback forms, online shopping sites, and online reservation portals or even search engines for that matter. There are advantages and disadvantages of dynamic website

Advantages

• Dynamic websites are flexible, interactive and user specific. They present content as per the OS, user, devices or input given by a user.
• Dynamic websites present different content to different users.
• They offer more functionality to a specific website. Web applications made the business easier and global for different companies across the globe.

Disadvantages

• Dynamic website development needs coding and database implementation. It can introduce higher financial implications for the owner since it requires the efforts at the end of the developers.
• The web server needs for a dynamic website are more specific. So the issues of space and bandwidth for server are important factors. Security is another important factor.
• The complex functionalities of web applications can affect the performance of a dynamic website in negative manner.

Comparison of Static Website Development and Dynamic Website Development