> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tbw.rangle.io/headless-cms-playbook/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://tbw.rangle.io/headless-cms-playbook/static-site-generators/popular-static-site-generators.md).

# Popular static site generators

Next.js, Gatsby, and Nuxt.js are popular front-end development frameworks for building modern web applications with built-in support for static site generation. 

They provide built-in support for serverless deployment, hot reloading, automatic code splitting, and SEO. We've summarized key differences in the table below.

| Feature                         | Next.js              | Gatsby                           | Nuxt.js              |
| ------------------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| Framework                       | React-based          | React-based                      | Vue.js-based         |
| Server-side rendering           | ✅                    | Limited                          | ✅                    |
| Incremental static regeneration | ✅                    | Deferred Static Generation (DSG) | ❌                    |
| Data fetching method            | Agnostic             | GraphQL strongly preferred       | Agnostic             |
| Plugins                         | Manual configuration | Pre-built packages               | Pre-built packages   |
| Build time                      | Shorter              | Longer                           | Shorter              |
| API routes                      | ✅                    | Manual configuration             | Manual configuration |
| Image optimization              | ✅                    | ✅                                | Limited              |
| i18n support                    | Built-in support     | Built-in support                 | Built-in support     |
| Learning curve                  | Lower                | Steeper                          | Lower                |