What is the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Website

The main difference between static and dynamic website is that a static website is a basic website with fixed content while the dynamic websites are advanced websites that provide different content according to client requests.

Every organization maintains websites. It helps them to communicate with their customers. The process of designing and creating a website is called web development. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the three basic languages used in web development. Websites can either be static and dynamic. Static websites are basic websites with no custom coding and databases while dynamic websites display different content and they are more sophisticated and interactive.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is a Static Website
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is a Dynamic Website
     – Definition, Functionality
3. What is the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Website
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Dynamic Website, Static Website

Difference Between Static and Dynamic Website - Comparison Summary

What is a Static Website

A static website is a website that has fixed content usually written in HTML. It is a basic kind of website and does not have custom coding and dynamic features.  It only requires client-side languages such as HTML and CSS to build the website. HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It consists of tags to build the structure of the website. CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheet. It is used to make the website more presentable with background colors, font colors, font styles, etc. Static websites are more suitable for small-scale business organizations as they are easier to develop and do not require much programming skills. Every page is unique and saved as a separate file with features such as hyperlinks and images.

What is a Dynamic Website

A dynamic website is a website whose content changes according to the user’s request. It is not just to read. Instead, it provides more user interaction and functionalities. These websites use client-side languages such as HTML and CSS as well as server-side scripting languages such as ASP.NET, PHP, Java Server Pages (JSP), and Python to develop the pages.

What is the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Website

Dynamic websites create content at runtime. When the client requests for a web website, the server process that request and provides a web page as the response. Dynamic websites also interact with the backend database. Dynamic websites that access information from a database are also called database-driven websites. E-commerce websites and social media networking sites are two examples of dynamic websites.

What is the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Website

Definition

A static website is a website whose web pages are coded in HTML and the content of each page is fixed and does not change unless it is edited and republished. A dynamic website is a website whose web pages are generated in real time. This is the basic difference between static and dynamic website.

Development

Also, static websites are developed using client-side technologies such as HTML and CSS. Dynamic Websites are developed using client-side technologies such as HTML, CSS as well as server-side scripting languages like PHP, Python, and ASP.NET. 

Page Content

The content of a static website remains unchanged unless it is changed from the source code, but the content of a dynamic website changes according to the client requests. This is a major difference between static and dynamic website.

Complexity

Furthermore, the static websites are simple and easier to program while, the dynamic websites are more complex and difficult to program.

User Interaction

One important difference between static and dynamic website is that the dynamic websites allow more user interaction than static websites.

Database

Moreover, static websites do not access databases while dynamic websites access information from a database.

Cost

Another difference between static and dynamic website is their cost. Static websites are cheaper to host whereas dynamic websites are costly to host.

Updates

Although static websites are difficult to update, dynamic websites are easier to update. This is also an important difference between static and dynamic website.

Maintenance

Also, it is easier to maintain dynamic websites than static websites.

Usage

Static websites can be used for small-scale websites that do not require continuous changes. Dynamic websites are suitable for large-scale e-commerce and social media websites.

Conclusion

Websites can be static or dynamic. The difference between static and dynamic website is that a static website is a basic website with fixed content while dynamic websites are advanced websites that provide different content according to the client requests. In brief, dynamic webpages are functional websites that are easier to update. It improves more user collaboration. On the other hand, static websites are easier to create and suitable for small websites that do not require many updates.

Reference:

1. “Dynamic website” Computer Hope, 4 Oct. 2017, Available here.
“Static Website.” P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition, Available here.
“Dynamic Website.” P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1622825” (CC0) via Pixabay

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

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