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We are using SimplyStatic (https://wordpress.org/plugins/simply-static/) for genrating a static site from WordPress. It has many options which make genrating and deplying a static site with WordPress easy.

If you want to host site on S3 you can use the fork of Simply Static https://github.com/kennu/simply-static-s3

Wow, I think this has the most potential. I'm a fan of simplicity. I downloaded a theme, made a few edits and ran this plugin, and so far so good as a POC.

This is faster than having to learn Pelican and even those other systems which might also be great, but a bit heavy weight for my purposes.

Thank you, this might be the solution I was looking for.

Thanks for posting the static site plugin. I was looking for something like this. I've been using Wordpress forever and wanted something for personal use, but didn't want to host a public version of Wordpress.

> I'm thinking I host a WordPress instance privately, at home, and I use a staticgen system (Pelican??) to export and push that out to a STATIC public site on a VPS I control. It still feels like a lot of work though.

What is the purpose of this exercise? Blogging or learning WP->static page migration path? If your purpose is blogging and you have no interest in admin and revenue generation, just host on WordPress.com. If you want more flexibility, just self-host WordPress.

Why make it more complicated by adding another path of WP->Static Pages?

Why make it more complicated by adding another path of WP->Static Pages?

WordPress can pretty insecure if not micromanaged. It's often a vector for hacks, and requires meticulous updating.

Here is some support for the claim that WordPress is insecure:

https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2016/03/attackers-gain-access...

That's why using a hosted option is a good idea so they take care of the security patches and backups for you.

Hugo with Discus will do the job you're looking to complete: it's the approach I've taken with nearly all my sites these days, precisely because of the performance and security headaches.

You don't even need to run a VPS, although if you do so you can set up a nice publication pipeline with Git. But you can equally just throw the static content up on S3 or Google Cloud Storage, optionally with a CDN in front of it.

You can also run your blog on Gitlab if you feel inclined: they have a CI process meaning that when you commit new source content to your git repo, it'll automatically get built and appear on your site. I found the domain support a little flaky there when I tried it, but apparently they've updated their setup since then.

Just use Caddy server with built in Hugo generator (you can choose it as an option when you download)

I am hosting a whole webshop about developer stickers(WallOfStickers.com) on a static web page.

Simply put your file in an S3 bucket and point the name server.

If you need a httpS connection (and I needed to take payments) simply use cloudfront and you are set.

FWIW, I hand coded my first blog, moved it to self hosted Word Press to try to focus more on content, less on the back end stuff and later moved to BlogSpot. I have been much more satisfied with BlogSpot.

They also have very recently released new themes.

Ghost is great

Jekyll + Netlify (CMS) and hosting.

Why self-host?

I ask myself that a lot. Because I'm a devops / systems guy by trade, I already have my own services running on VPSes (minus a web site), because I have guaranteed content control. It's partially irrational, I'll admit. However, hosting it on someone else's tooling is Plan B.

With Ghost specifically it's because they charge way too much for the hosted service. $29/month ($19/month with annual commitment) for a blog is not worth it to me. If they offered a $5–10/month plan, I would probably use them over self-hosting.

Ask HN: Self-host a blog securely – how? (WP? Staticgen?)