alt Hacker NewsIf you want interactivity, we agree, you have to either run a server, or you have to use a 3rd party.
It's easier for a server to render markdown than it is for an SSG site to do server stuff.
Your suggestion for comments is to run a server/use a third party, and do SSG. My suggestion is to just run a server. One is clearly easier as it has fewer steps.
The idea that you can run a decent personal website without compromising on interactivity, and without running a server or using 3rd parties is a myth. As soon as you accept that you have to run a server, SSG becomes an unnecessary extra step.
I still I mostly disagree here.
With the SSG you’re just managing your static markdown for your site’s content, then you’re dropping in a tiny extra piece for comments.
The comment self-hosting is a simple docker container with minimal configuration, an out of the box just works type of service.
Building a personal website that is hosted along with the interactivity integrated is more like managing an entire application, which is exactly what Jeff described with his pain using Drupal. He didn’t actually need all the interactivity that a full blown hosted site offers.
For example, if I run a PHP, Django, or NodeJS based website, now I’ve got to periodically update my whole site’s codebase to keep up with supported/safe versions of PHP, Python, or Node/npm packages.
With the SSG plus comment system you’re pretty much just pulling latest docker image for the comment system and everything else is just static.
I think you’d also have to agree that outsourcing comments to a 3rd party service is potentially a simpler/cheaper exercise than outsourcing the entire site. I see that some of the Hugo supported commenting systems seem to have a free tier with no ads that should support Jeff’s traffic.
Another interactive example is Netlify’s forms system, which is included in their free product.