
   Static websites vs. Dynamic websites

A website is "static" if:
   1.) The HTTP server sends to an HTTP client an exact copy
       of any file that the client requested.
and
   2.) No file on the website is changed by the HTTP server.


A website is "dynamic" if:
   1.) The HTTP server may send to an HTTP client a modified
       version of some file that the client requested.
or
   2.) Some file on the website may be changed by the HTTP
       server (for example, a database).


Static websites are much easier and cheaper to set up than dynamic websites.
It is very easy to set up a free, static web site (for example, GitHub Pages).
It is not easy to set up a free dynamic website (I do not know of any free,
dynamic website hosts).


Here is another way to think about "static" vs. "dynamic".

Every thing you see in a web page is either:

1.) A static resource served to your browser by the web server.

2.) A dynamic resource, computed by code running on the web server,
    and then served to your browser by the web server.

3.) A dynamic resource, computed by JavaScript code running in your
    browser, and then displayed by your browser.

Two ideas that are closely related to "static" and "dynamic" web pages
are "client-side rendering" and "server-side rendering.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_web_page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_web_page
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/CSR
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/SSR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_hosting_service


Do not confuse "Dynamic HTML" (and AJAX) with "dynamic website".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_HTML
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_(programming)
