Host a Static Website

Q: What is a static website?

A static website consists of a set of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that serve website content. Simple static websites have no dynamic functionality, and are best used for personal or marketing sites. Modern static websites (or single page web apps) built with JavaScript frameworks such as React and Angular, allow developers to build rich app experiences on the web that were traditionally only possible with server-side languages such as PHP and ASP.NET. Hosting a static website does not require web servers and can use content delivery networks to store content (HTML, CSS and JavaScript files), making it easy to scale with increased user traffic.

Q: How are modern static websites different from server-rendered websites?

Web apps are distinguished based on where the code is run. Modern static websites, often referred to as single page apps (SPAs), perform the UI (user interface) logic in a web browser. Single page web apps communicate with backend cloud resources, such as databases, through web APIs. SPAs or static web apps are often chosen for their client-side functionality as they are able feature-rich user interfaces with complicated logic, and still work even when networking issues exist. Server-rendered web apps execute the logic on the server-side and render the HTML to users’ browser. Server-rendered web apps are most often used when the client-side requirements are simple and the backend logic is complex.

Q: What is web site hosting?

The infrastructure environment used to enable end users to request, receive, and interact with your website is commonly referred to as “hosting.” AWS Amplify is a fully managed hosting service that creates and maintains the hosting environment for your site. AWS Amplify provides a seamless developer experience and automatic workflow for hosting websites and leverages Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudFront for storage and global content delivery.

Q: Why should I use a static website hosting environment?

Static website hosting is the lowest cost and lowest maintenance option (for example, there are no servers to maintain) and it provides high levels of reliability and scale.

Q: How much will it cost to host my website?

The total cost of hosting your personal website on AWS will vary depending on your usage. Typically, it will cost $1-3/month if you are outside the AWS Free Tier limits. If you are eligible for AWS Free Tier and within the limits, hosting your personal website will cost around $0.50/month. To see a breakdown of the services used and their associated costs, see pricing for AWS Amplify and Amazon Route 53.

Q: How much effort will it take to maintain my website on AWS?

Static websites don’t require you to maintain servers, and no ongoing maintenance is required for the two services you’ll use to host your website: AWS Amplify and Amazon Route 53. The time you spend editing and deploying new content will depend on how frequently you change your website.

Q: I don’t have a website, how should I build it?

Most individuals use text editors or website design software to build their websites. If you don’t have the skills or you’d rather not develop the site, you can hire an agency to build your site.

Q: Can I customize my website once it is hosted on AWS?

Yes. Once you website is up and running, there are multiple ways you can add additional AWS services and functionality to your site. For example, you can add authentication to your website enabling users to log into your website with AWS Amplify and evolve it into a static web application with cloud functionality.