You probably do not need a server
A site built to static files does not need a web server you maintain. Object storage can serve the files directly, and a CDN in front of it handles distribution and TLS.
That removes patching, scaling and most of the operational surface. It is also considerably cheaper.
How the pieces fit
- Build the site to static files.
- Upload them to an object storage bucket.
- Put a CDN in front of the bucket.
- Point your domain at the CDN and let it terminate TLS.
Most providers offer both halves, and several bundle them so the CDN is included with the storage product.
The CDN is doing most of the work
A CDN caches your files at locations near users, so a request from another continent is answered locally rather than crossing an ocean. For static assets this is the single biggest performance improvement available.
It also absorbs traffic spikes, because most requests never reach your origin at all, and it usually handles certificate issuance and renewal.
Where the cost actually sits
Storage for a static site is negligible; a few gigabytes costs very little. The bill is driven by bandwidth and requests.
This is where bundled allowances matter. Providers that include generous transfer with object storage can serve a busy static site for a flat, small monthly figure, while per-gigabyte egress on a hyperscaler scales with popularity.
Cache headers are the setting people skip
Set long cache lifetimes on fingerprinted assets, which have a content hash in the filename and never change. Set short lifetimes on HTML, which does change.
Getting this wrong in either direction is costly: too short and every request hits your origin, too long and users see stale pages after a deploy. Fingerprinted filenames plus short-lived HTML is the pattern that solves both.
Invalidate deliberately
After a deploy, cached HTML needs to be invalidated or it will keep serving the previous version until it expires. Some providers charge per invalidation request, so invalidating specific paths rather than everything is worth doing.
Related accounts
Accounts on the platforms discussed here: Buy DigitalOcean Accounts, Buy AWS Accounts, Buy UpCloud Accounts.
Related cloud accounts
Accounts on the platforms discussed here, with every configuration and price published up front:
- Buy DigitalOcean Accounts — from $25.00. Droplets, managed Kubernetes and Spaces.
- Buy AWS Accounts — from $25.00. Over 200 services, from EC2 to Bedrock.
- Buy UpCloud Accounts — from $30.00. MaxIOPS storage and no egress charges.
Further reading
- Kamatera vs UpCloud: Which Cloud Account Should You Buy?
- DigitalOcean vs OVHcloud: Which Cloud Account Should You Buy?
- OVHcloud vs UpCloud: Which Cloud Account Should You Buy?
- VPS or Managed Platform: Which One Your Project Needs
Official documentation
Provider behaviour, quotas and pricing are defined by the platform itself. These are the first-party references for the services discussed above:
Frequently asked questions
No. Object storage plus a CDN serves static files without any server to maintain.
It improves performance for distant users and usually reduces cost by cutting origin requests. For a purely local audience it matters less.
Bandwidth and requests, not storage. Providers that bundle generous transfer are markedly cheaper for popular sites.
