Hosting websites can sometimes feel limiting, particularly when thinking about scalability, performance, and ease of deployment.

Cloudflare Pages is designed to address these issues, providing a powerful platform for deploying any static site with efficiency and ease.

This post introduces you to Cloudflare Pages as a flexible, powerful tool for hosting any static website, encouraging a broader adoption of this technology for diverse web projects.

What is Cloudflare Pages?

Cloudflare Pages is a JAMstack platform for frontend developers to collaborate and deploy websites.

It connects directly to your git repository, automatically builds your site, and deploys it across the Cloudflare network.

The platform supports all static site generators and even simple HTML, CSS, and JavaScript sites, making it an inclusive solution for all developers.

Cloudflare Pages, a serverless platform for web development.

Static Site Generators? What? 馃槷

Static Site Generators (SSGs) are tools used to create websites by generating static HTML pages from source files.

Unlike traditional content management systems (CMS) that build pages dynamically from a database at runtime, SSGs pre-build every page during development or deployment.

This process results in a set of static files, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, ready to be served directly from a web server or a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Here are a few key benefits of using static site generators:

  • Speed: Static sites are incredibly fast because they consist of simple files served directly to the user without any server-side processing.
  • Security: With no database or dynamic software running on the server, static sites are less vulnerable to common web attacks.
  • Version Control: Static site content can be managed in version control systems like Git, providing a robust environment for tracking changes and collaborating.
  • Hosting Flexibility: Static sites can be hosted on any web server or services specifically designed for static hosting, such as GitHub Pages or Cloudflare Pages, often at lower costs or even for free.

Popular static site generators include: Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, and Next.js, each supporting various features and templating engines tailored to different development needs and preferences.

Key Features of Cloudflare Pages

  • Global Distribution: Utilize Cloudflare’s global network to serve your site closer to users, decreasing load times and improving your site’s performance.
  • Continuous Deployment: Each git push initiates a new build and deployment, ensuring that your latest changes are always live.
  • Built-in Security: Enjoy the benefits of SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and other security features built into the Cloudflare ecosystem.
  • Collaborative Deploy Previews: Share preview links with your team for each commit, making it easier to review changes before they go live.

Getting Started with Cloudflare Pages

Before starting with Cloudflare Pages, you can get more details at:

Cloudflare Pages is a serverless platform that allows you to deploy JAMstack sites with ease.

Cloudflare Pages provides us with THREE Deployment Methods…

Create-cloudflare CLI 馃憞

Upload the websites content (static HTML pages) from source files.

This is my favourite method!

C3 (create-cloudflare CLI): Use C3 (create-cloudflare CLI) to set up and deploy new applications using framework-specific setup guides to ensure each new application follows Cloudflare and any third-party best practices for deployment.

  • Pros:
    • Framework-specific setup guides ensure adherence to best practices for deployment.
    • Simplified setup process, especially for developers familiar with CLI tools.
    • Provides a structured approach for deploying new applications, enhancing consistency across projects.
  • Cons:
    • Requires familiarity with CLI tools, which may be a barrier for some developers.
    • Limited customization compared to other methods.
    • Dependency on specific frameworks supported by C3.
Direct Upload

Direct Upload: Upload your prebuilt assets to Pages and deploy them via the Wrangler CLI or the Cloudflare dashboard.

  • Pros:
    • Flexibility to upload prebuilt assets, allowing for customization and advanced configurations.
    • Can be suitable for projects with specific deployment requirements or those not supported by C3.
    • Offers control over the deployment process, ideal for experienced developers seeking fine-grained control.
  • Cons:
    • Requires manual management of assets and deployment, which can be time-consuming for larger projects.
    • May require additional setup and configuration, especially for complex deployments.
    • Limited guidance compared to C3, potentially leading to deviations from best practices.
GIT Integration like a PRO 馃槑

Git Integration: Connect your Git provider to Pages for seamless deployment.

  • Pros:
    • Streamlines the deployment process by automatically deploying changes pushed to the connected Git repository.
    • Enables continuous deployment (CD) workflows, reducing manual intervention and accelerating deployment cycles.
    • Integration with Git providers offers version control and collaboration features, enhancing team productivity.
  • Cons:
    • Dependency on external Git providers, which may limit flexibility for organizations with specific hosting requirements.
    • Requires initial setup and configuration to connect the Git repository to Cloudflare Pages.
    • Limited control over deployment process compared to other methods, potentially leading to unexpected behavior or conflicts.

Cloudflare Pages Git Integration

Here is how to use the Cloudflare Pages with Git Integration deployment method, like a PRO:

  1. Link Your Repository:

    • Sign up for Cloudflare Pages and connect your GitHub, GitLab account to access your repository directly from the Cloudflare dashboard.

  2. Configure Your Build Settings:

    • Set up the build commands and publish directory based on your static site generator or the structure of your plain HTML site.

  3. Deploy Your Site:

    • Once configured, Cloudflare automatically builds and deploys your site whenever you push new commits to the linked repository branch.

Make the setup once and just focus on the content of your repository.

This is my favourite way of deploying static sites with Cloudflare Pages.

Cloudflare Pages Hosting with Wrangler

You can always use as well:

Upload method File limit File size
Wrangler 20,000 files 25 MiB
Drag and drop 1,000 files 25 MiB

With Wrangler CLI, we have first to authenticate in the Cloudflare account:

Authenticating to Cloudflare Wrangler CLI to use Cloudflare Pages 

npx wrangler pages project create #this will install the wrangler CLI package

#npm run build

#https://developers.cloudflare.com/pages/configuration/build-configuration/#framework-presets
npx wrangler pages deploy dist # normally will be dist, but whatever <BUILD_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY>

You will get your project uploaded with a free subdomain based on pages.dev

Use Wrangler to obtain a list of all available projects for Direct Upload:

npx wrangler pages project list
npx wrangler pages deployment list

npx wrangler pages project delete your_project_name

The Cloudflare Pages with Wrangler CLI is similar to the Firebase Hosting

Enhancing Your Static Site with Cloudflare Pages

While static by nature, your site can still be dynamic in behavior by leveraging client-side JavaScript and third-party APIs. Moreover, integrating with services like Cloudflare Workers allows you to add serverless functions to handle more complex tasks without a traditional server setup.

Conclusion

Cloudflare Pages offers more than just static site hosting; it provides a dynamic development environment where global scale, performance, and security are given. It鈥檚 an excellent choice for anyone looking to deploy a fast, reliable, and secure static site with minimal fuss and maximum support.

Whether you鈥檙e a developer, content creator, or business owner, Cloudflare Pages empowers you to bring your static site to life with cutting-edge technology that scales as you grow.

FAQ

How to handle dynamic content on a static site with Cloudflare Pages?

While Cloudflare Pages hosts static content, you can incorporate dynamic elements through:

  • JavaScript and APIs: Enhance interactivity by fetching data in real-time using APIs.
  • Cloudflare Workers: Implement serverless functions to run backend code without managing servers, ideal for handling forms, auth, and more.
Can Cloudflare Pages work with e-commerce platforms?
Yes! For static e-commerce sites, Cloudflare Pages can integrate seamlessly with headless commerce solutions like Shopify or BigCommerce via their APIs. This setup allows you to manage and display products dynamically while maintaining the performance benefits of a static site.
Think you’ve seen it all? 馃槏 See the feature of all these F/OSS static site generators

  • Jekyll:Jekyll is a mature static site generator written in Ruby. It’s widely used for its simplicity and compatibility with GitHub Pages.

    • Pros:
      • Easy to set up and use, especially for basic sites and blogs.
      • Integrates seamlessly with GitHub Pages for free hosting.
      • Follows a convention-over-configuration approach, reducing configuration overhead.
    • Cons:
      • Limited built-in features compared to other generators.
      • Templating can feel restrictive for complex layouts.
      • Slower build times for larger sites.

  • Hugo: Hugo SSG is renowned for its speed and efficiency, built with Go. It’s favored for its scalability and extensive templating capabilities.

    • Pros:
      • Incredibly fast build times, making it suitable for large-scale projects.
      • Rich templating system allows for extensive customization.
      • Large community and ecosystem of themes and plugins.
    • Cons:
      • Steeper learning curve for beginners due to its extensive feature set.
      • Less intuitive configuration compared to simpler generators like Jekyll.
      • Limited support for dynamic content generation compared to other generators.
Where Can I find F/OSS templates for SSG’s 馃檹
  • The JamStack Site
  • The StaticHunt Pages Official Site
  • The builtatlightspeed Page