Static Site Generator vs CMS: What's the Real Difference?

A static site generator pre-builds every page into fixed HTML files served instantly from a CDN with no database or runtime, while a traditional CMS assembles pages on demand by querying a database and running application code per visitor. This split shapes editing (file-based builds vs. browser-based instant publishing), hosting (simple static files vs. managed servers and databases), and collaboration (developer-centric vs. non-technical independence). Hybrid tools now blend CMS edit