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Glossary

Bundling

Static site generators often use bundling to combine multiple files into a single file. This usually includes HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files. Bundling may also convert assets like images and fonts into data URLs and add them to the bundle. Reducing the overall number of individual files that need to be downloaded by the browser means fewer requests and, therefore, can result in faster page load times.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed network of servers that work together to deliver website content and other digital assets to users. CDNs are designed to improve performance, reliability, and scalability by reducing latency and optimizing data transfer.

Kinsta’s CDN consists of numerous edge servers strategically located in various geographic locations close to end users. At Kinsta, we use Cloudflare’s content delivery network (CDN), with 260+ locations for Static Site Hosting.

Dynamic content

Dynamic content is generated or updated in real-time based on user interactions, database queries, or other external data sources. Unlike static content, which remains the same for all users and requests, dynamic content can vary based on specific conditions or user-specific information. Using dynamic content, websites, and applications can adapt to user needs, deliver personalized experiences, and provide real-time updates.

Dynamic content is typically generated through server-side languages (like PHP, Ruby, Python, or server-side JavaScript) or through client-side scripting with JavaScript, which interacts with server APIs or retrieves data asynchronously.

Intelligent routing

Intelligent routing, also known as smart routing or dynamic routing, optimizes the delivery of content from an edge server within a CDN to a user based on various factors such as:

  • User location
  • Network conditions
  • Server load and capacity
  • Content availability

Intelligent routing algorithms employ machine learning techniques and real-time data analysis to make real-time decisions on routing content requests to the most optimal edge server within a CDN to deliver content efficiently.

Minification

Static site generators often use minification to reduce the size of your site’s HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters, spaces, line breaks, and comments. This results in smaller files requiring less bandwidth, improving the website’s performance, and reducing download times.

Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

An SSR application is a type of web application architecture where the server processes the request, executes the required logic, generates the HTML content, and sends it back to the client’s browser along with any associated CSS or JavaScript.

Static content

Static content remains the same for all users and requests. It is pre-defined and doesn’t change based on user interactions or external data sources. Static content is typically stored as files and served as-is to the user without any modifications.

Static content is often stored on a web server or a Content Delivery Network (CDN) and can be easily cached by browsers or proxy servers. Since static content doesn’t change frequently, it can be efficiently delivered to users, reducing server load and improving website performance.

The Edge

The Edge is a network infrastructure that places content geographically closer to the end users.  It extends the capabilities of the cloud by placing computing resources and services closer to the end users or devices at the network’s edge. For more detailed information, see our Edge documentation.

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