Publican is a simple HTML-first static site generator for Node.js

Server rendered

Publican creates fast, HTML first, secure static sites with no JavaScript unless you need it.

Publican is ECMAScript all the way. Create a static site with a three-line configuration file.

By default, all web pages are rendered to static directories containing index.html files.

No special syntax to learn. Publican uses JavaScript template literal ${ expressions }.

Use !{ expressions } to create islands of dynamic content that can be rendered at runtime.

Markdown `code` blocks are syntax highlighted in HTML with configurable CSS colors.

Pass content and template strings from your CMS or elsewhere directly to Publican.

Use built-in navigation objects to create menus, sidebars, breadcrumbs, and more.

Use built-in pagination objects to create indexes of directory and tag pages.

Create your own reusable values, functions, replacers, and event hooks to configure your static site build.

Build a 100-page static site in less than half a second. Live file watch updates are even faster!

A detailed getting started guide, API reference, and how-to recipes.

Why does Publican exist when there are so many great SSGs for all systems and languages?

January 22, 2025

623 words, 4-minute read

Can static site tools such as Publican help your site achieve better rankings in search engine results?

February 11, 2025

1,150 words, 6-minute read

How Publican.dev implements performance and security features you can use on your website.

January 30, 2025

1,190 words, 6-minute read