# Static site hosting

Source: https://www.fortrabbit.com/use-cases/static-site
Created: 2026-07-21
Reviewed: 2026-07-21

> Static site hosting alongside PHP apps — upload finished HTML or let build commands run an SSG like Astro, Nuxt or Statamic at deploy time.


Finished HTML, CSS, and images — written by hand, exported from a tool, or generated from templates and content at build time. Nothing executes per request; the web server hands out files. A PHP platform serves that without complaint, and sometimes it's even the right place for it.

## Honest fit: proximity beats specialization

For a static site on its own, hosts built for static output are hard to argue with — free tiers, global CDNs, instant rollbacks. We don't pretend to beat that. The site worth hosting here is the one that isn't alone: an agency running a dozen PHP apps with one static microsite in between, or a project where the marketing pages are static and the application behind them is not. One account, one deploy workflow, one bill — and when the static site sprouts a form or a search box, PHP is already there.

## Generated on deploy, or uploaded as-is

A git push triggers the deploy pipeline, and build commands run Composer and Node.js tasks before the result syncs to the web space. That is enough to run a static site generator on every deploy: Statamic's SSG on the PHP side, or JS stacks like Astro, Nuxt, and Eleventy on the Node side. The repository holds source and content; the server only ever sees the output.

This website works exactly that way — a Nuxt app pre-rendered at build time, served as flat files from a fortrabbit app.

Sites that are built elsewhere skip the pipeline: commit the exported HTML and push it, or upload it over SFTP.

## Nothing to size, little to pay

With no code executing per request, the smallest PHP plan is not a compromise — it's the correct choice. There is no database component to book, no cache to configure, no memory limit to reason about. Billing is pro-rated, post-paid, by the day, which keeps a site that hardly changes close to the bottom of the invoice.

## FAQ

### Is fortrabbit the best host for a static site?

**Often not** — A standalone static site is usually served cheaper on a platform built for static output, with a CDN in front and a free tier underneath. The case for hosting it here is proximity: when the site lives next to PHP apps in the same account, it shares the deploy workflow, the access setup, and the bill — one provider instead of two.

### How does the HTML get on the server?

**git push** — The usual way is a git push: the deploy package is synced to the web space, and build commands can generate the pages on the way. Files can also be uploaded over SFTP, which suits a site that is exported elsewhere and published as-is.

### Can the site be generated at deploy time?

**Yes** — Build commands run Composer and Node.js tasks in a separate deploy service on every git push. That covers `nuxt generate`, an Astro build, Eleventy, or Statamic's static site generator — the source lives in the repository and the finished pages land in the web space.

### Which components does a static site need?

**The smallest** — One small PHP component serves the files; there is no database to book, no jobs, and usually no extra storage. Since components are billed pro-rated by the day, a static site is about the cheapest thing that can run on the platform.

### What about forms and search?

**Add PHP later** — A static site that outgrows itself doesn't need a new host. A contact endpoint or a search route can run as PHP next to the generated pages, or as a second app in the same account — the deploy workflow stays the same.

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