SISO LABSWhat a static site is#
A static site is a set of ready-made files: HTML pages, stylesheets, images and a few scripts. A web server does not build these pages each time someone visits. It simply sends the files it already holds. This makes a static site simple to reason about, because what you see in the files is what the visitor sees in the browser.
For a small shop, this simplicity matters. There is no database to maintain and no software that needs constant updates to stay safe. The site consists of pages you can open, read and change. When you want to update an opening time or a contact detail, you edit a file and publish it again, rather than logging into a complicated system.
Where the site lives#
Every website needs somewhere to live. Cloudflare Pages hosts static sites, so the files sit on Cloudflare's network. A content network, or CDN, keeps copies of those files in many places around the world, so a visitor receives them from a nearby location. For a static site, this usually means pages load quickly without you configuring any servers yourself.
Cloudflare Pages does not charge hosting fees for a static site of this kind. That is the reason a DISPO preview can stay free at its preview address. You do not pay a monthly server bill to keep the pages online, and you do not need to rent a machine that runs software in the background.
The domain name#
A domain name is the address people type, such as a shop's own name followed by an ending. The preview address that DISPO gives you is a working address, and you can use it to show the site to customers and staff. A domain you own is a separate matter. Registering and renewing a domain is a cost that you pay to a registrar, and the amount depends on the ending you choose.
When you are ready, the site can be moved to your own domain. The files stay the same. What changes is the address that points to them. This is a sensible order of steps: look at the preview first, decide whether the site fits your shop, and only then take on a domain cost.
Who holds the code#
A site should belong to the people who run the shop. A DISPO site can be exported to your own GitHub and Cloudflare accounts. The export includes the site's assets, its credits and a README that explains how the pages are arranged. Once it is in your accounts, you hold the code and can decide who else may work on it.
This is worth thinking about early. If you hold the files, you can change agency, hire a developer or keep the site running yourself without asking anyone for permission. Thai rules limit how cannabis may be advertised, so check your plans with a lawyer. That check is separate from who holds the files, and it applies to every shop.