Add glossary/static-site-generator entry. (#20824)

* docs/glossary: Static Site Generator entry

- Adds a static site generator entry to the glossary page, and a longer article-length definition.
- Updated doc-links.yaml with links to the new content.

* glossary/static-site-generator: Make internal links relative links.

* Update docs/docs/glossary/static-site-generator.md

Add a well-placed comma.

Co-Authored-By: Aisha Blake <aisha@gatsbyjs.com>

* Update docs/docs/glossary/static-site-generator.md

Change link text from "available" to "static site generators available."

Co-Authored-By: Aisha Blake <aisha@gatsbyjs.com>

* Update docs/docs/glossary/static-site-generator.md

Add a comma after "StaticGen" link.

Co-Authored-By: Aisha Blake <aisha@gatsbyjs.com>

* Update docs/docs/glossary/static-site-generator.md

Change URLs to point to internal docs

Co-authored-by: Aisha Blake <aisha.g.blake@gmail.com>

docs/docs/glossary.md

@@ -304,6 +304,10 @@ Gatsby [builds](#build) static versions of your page that can be easily [hosted]
 
 It also refers to the `/static` folder which is automatically copied into `/public` on each [build](#build) for files that don't need to be processed by Gatsby but do need to exist in [public](#public).
 
+### [Static Site Generator](/docs/glossary/static-site-generator)
+
+A software application that creates HTML pages from templates or [components](#component) and a given content source.
+
 ## T
 
 ### Template

docs/docs/glossary/static-site-generator.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+title: Static Site Generator
+disableTableOfContents: true
+---
+
+Learn what a static site generator is and why you might choose a static site generator, such as Gatsby, over other publishing tools.
+
+## What is a Static Site Generator?
+
+A static site generator is a software application that creates HTML pages from templates or components and a given content source. Most static site generators, [including Gatsby](/docs/adding-markdown-pages/), accept [Markdown](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/)-formatted text files as a source, although Gatsby is not limited to Markdown.
+
+Static site generators are an alternative to database-driven content management systems, such as WordPress and Drupal. In such systems, content is managed and stored in a database. When the server receives a request for a particular URL, a software layer retrieves data from the database, merges it with template files, and generates an HTML page as its response.
+
+Static site generators, on the other hand, generate HTML pages during a [build](/docs/glossary/#build) process. Gatsby, for example, loads JSON from [GraphQL](/docs/glossary/graphql), and merges that data with components to create HTML pages. These generated pages are then deployed to a web server. When the server receives a request, it responds with rendered HTML. Static pages eliminate the latency that databases introduce.
+
+> Note: It's also possible to use Gatsby [without GraphQL](/using-gatsby-without-graphql/), using the `createPages` API.
+
+You can also use static site generators to create [JAMStack](/docs/glossary/jamstack.md) sites. JAMStack is a modern web site architecture that uses JavaScript, content APIs, and markup. Gatsby, for example, can use the [WordPress REST API](/sourcing-from-wordpress/) as a data source.
+
+### Advantages of static site generators
+
+Static site generators **reduce site complexity**. That, in turn, improves speed and reliability, and smoothes the developer experience.
+
+- You don't have to worry about database-toppling traffic spikes.
+- There's no need to manage database server software or backups.
+- You can use version control software to manage and track changes to your content.
+- Because your site is static, you can even forgo web servers and load balancers altogether. Instead, you can host your site with a content delivery network that scales with your site's traffic.
+
+There are dozens of static site generators available, created with a range of programming languages. Gatsby is [JavaScript](/glossary#javascript) at its core, and is built with [React](/glossary/react), GraphQL, and [Node.js](/glossary/node/). See how Gatsby [compares to WordPress and Drupal](/features/cms/gatsby-vs-wordpress-vs-drupal) or to popular [static site generators](/features/jamstack/).
+
+### Learn more
+
+- [JAMStack](/docs/glossary/jamstack.md) architecture from the Gatsby docs
+- [Sourcing Content and Data](/content-and-data/) for Gatsby
+- [Adding Markdown Pages](/docs/adding-markdown-pages/) from the Gatsby docs

www/src/data/sidebars/doc-links.yaml

@@ -734,6 +734,8 @@
           link: /docs/glossary/node
         - title: React
           link: /docs/glossary/react
+        - title: Static Site Generator
+          link: /docs/glossary/static-site-generator
         - title: webpack
           link: /docs/glossary/webpack
     - title: Gatsby Telemetry