A web page is a single document created using HyperText Markup Language that contains text, images, and other other elements related to the business. It also includes hyperlinks that connect you to other web pages. The interconnected web pages together are referred to as a website, which can be static or dynamic, which we will discuss in detail here. Also, each web page has its own URL and can be easily accessed on the Internet.
Below we have defined dynamic and static web pages with examples. Also, we have shared the difference between static and dynamic web pages for better understanding.
What is Dynamic Web Page with Example
A dynamic web page is a page that is generated by a server according to the information it has on hand. It can also be considered as a type of web page that is created dynamically for showcasing different content to different users depending on their preferences, time zone, location, and other factors.
For example, if you opened a website designed in the German language, you can easily change it to display information in your preferred language or English. The best part about dynamic web page design is it helps execute better communication and connections with the visitor.
It is a bit complicated and uses client-side languages like HTML and CSS, and server-side scripting languages like ASP.NET, PHP, Java Server Pages (JSP), and Python for developing pages. Also, it takes more time to load compared to static web pages. They also use databases and application programs for several services.
Today, most organizations want to design dynamic web pages in HTML, especially where they want to change information more frequently.
Weather information and websites that display stock prices are a few dynamic web page examples.
What is Static Web Page with Example
With a static site, you would need to go through every single HTML file and edit code in order to make your changes on all pages.
Static web pages are web pages that are not generated or updated dynamically by a server. These are typically created as HTML documents and then uploaded to the appropriate location on the website’s server.
Every time you want to update all of the static pages, you have to edit your website’s code. If the pages of your website should look different, HTML code can be duplicated on each of those pages with the necessary changes.
For example, if you make a change in your website navigation, you need to modify only one location (the file containing navigation information) and have that updated across all pages containing this file. The content is only changed when someone publishes and updates the file (sends it to a webserver). Delivery means nothing on a page can change from the user or even the website admin, unless a static site is being redesigned, or unless the site admin goes straight to the code to edit.
Used means the core code underlying a page can change at any time, depending on the design. When a page is running on the browser, content is literally static, and does not change in response to user actions. If the page is static, it does not also mean users cannot interact with it.
Another advantage of static sites is that they significantly improve the loading times of pages when compared with dynamic sites. They do not use databases or application programs.
Difference Between Static and Dynamic Web Page
Most websites can be defined as either static or dynamic, and an increasing number are defined as hybrids — meaning that they are made up of a mix of static and dynamic web pages. Websites come in all shapes and sizes, but one of the ways that they can be divided is into static sites vs dynamic sites.
Dynamic website pages rely on both client-side code languages (run by a browser) and server-side code languages (run by the server) like JavaScript, PHP, or ASP, which produce live HTML pages that users can interact with.
As in the case of static websites, the outcome is the same for the user, who sees the page displayed on a web browser, but the dynamic website processes requests and retrieves information from an external database or a content management system (CMS).
As a rule of thumb, dynamic sites use server-side languages to handle requests as they are made, and they produce a page and its contents in real-time. Built using server-side languages and technologies, dynamic web page design enables each page’s content to be delivered and displayed dynamically, or on-the-fly, according to the user’s behavior or user-generated content.
In simple terms, static web pages are those that have content that cannot be changed without the developer editing their source code, whereas dynamic website pages can show different content from the same source code. Each request made on dynamic websites may result in different content, and typically, the HTML behind the page changes.
You might have started out with a static site, but when a need for greater functionality arises (or simply for a larger, content-focused site), you might see benefits in using dynamic pages.
With a website builder such as Wix, using Wix Content Manager allows you to streamline content-heavy website building and editing, as well as turn your default static pages into dynamic pages.
You can build a static webpage using just HTML, whereas, for dynamic sites, you need to work with a language that will be used to fetch data and build a page. Developers typically build static pages using HTML, but they use languages such as PHP, Javascript, or Actionscript to build dynamic pages.
One of the main differences which weighed on the battle between static and dynamic web pages is that static pages take less time to create and implement because of the simplicity of software.
Also, if you use a CMS or a Website Builder to build your dynamic website, then the difficulties in building one from scratch are eliminated, making it much easier than writing the HTML and CSS files for a static site too.
HTML code is used to build basic design elements, and server-side languages are used to handle events and handle actions that can happen on the dynamic page.
Conclusion
While both types of websites require knowledge about development if created from scratch, there are ways of creating static and dynamic content using other tools to avoid heavy programming. If you want to learn how to develop websites using different programming languages, we recommend joining the fullstack development certification program by Eduonix. Here, you can get the right guidance on how to develop a static or dynamic website.
A dynamic website can display diverse content and allow for user interaction, using advanced programming and databases beyond HTML. Compared with dynamic webpages, a static page may be harder to add to your site over time.
Static web pages take less time, but for greater functionality, it is best to choose a dynamic web page design over a static web page.
We have shared many more differences between static web pages and dynamic web pages in the above section. Further, we have defined how each of them works, what are its uses, and what one must choose for their business. Hence, compare and then decide what is best for your business.
Also Read: Website Localization — Best Practices in 2022
