Static sites are supposed to be the easy option. That's what everyone says, right? No servers to patch, no databases to manage, just pure HTML, CSS, and maybe a sprinkle of JavaScript. Deploy it, forget about it.
Except... it's rarely that smooth.
Over the years, I’ve built countless static websites for projects, blogs, and even documentation pages. And I can't tell you how many times I fell into the same trap: thinking static site hosting would be the easy path.
The Setup That Turns Into a Rabbit Hole
It usually starts like this:
I build a static site using my favorite generator (Hugo, Jekyll, Astro—take your pick). I test it locally, everything looks good. Now comes the hosting part.
That's where the "easy" story unravels.
Suddenly I'm juggling a list of things I didn’t expect:
- Git repositories and build pipelines
- DNS records and CNAME setups
- SSL certificates that always seem to break at the worst moment
- CDN configurations with rules I barely understand
- Redirects, headers, caching rules, and the black hole of configuration files
What was supposed to be a quick project turns into an afternoon of googling error messages and reading through outdated docs.
And the worst part? Every static hosting platform seems to have its own quirks. Some require a specific folder structure. Others make you fiddle with CLI tools. A few lock critical features like custom domains behind a paywall.
The Irony: Static, But Not So Static
Here’s the part that gets me every time.
Static sites are supposed to be simple. But the hosting part, where you just want to put files on the internet, is exactly where most of the complexity creeps in.
That complexity isn't just frustrating. It becomes a blocker.
I've had projects that sat half-done because I dreaded dealing with the hosting maze. Personal blogs that never saw the light of day. Landing pages stuck on localhost.
So, I Started Building a Fix
After years of running into this wall, I finally decided to stop patching together short-term fixes and build something that actually works the way I always wished static site hosting would work.
That’s how hosted.md was born.
It's not trying to be a platform that does everything.
It's made for developers, writers, and makers who just want to turn Markdown into a website, connect their domain, and get back to the thing they actually care about.
No pipelines.
No build tools to babysit.
No dashboards that feel like you're stuck in a devops simulator.
It takes your markdown, builds your site, and serves it. That’s it.
If you want analytics or custom domains, they’re there. There’s no complicated setup and no surprise fees.
Because honestly?
Static site hosting should feel like writing a markdown file, saving it, and watching your site update. It shouldn't be any more complicated than that.
What’s Next
I’m still building hosted.md and sharing the progress in public.
If you’ve felt that same frustration or you’ve got a half-finished project sitting in your repo graveyard, I’d love to hear your story.
Maybe we can finally make static site hosting feel as simple as it was always meant to be.