simply-static

About simply-static

Convert your WordPress site into a static one with the free WordPress static site generator plugin, Simply Static.

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README.md

=== Simply Static - The Static Site Generator === Contributors: patrickposner Tags: jamstack, performance, security, static site generator Requires at least: 6.2 Tested up to: 7.0 Requires PHP: 7.4 Stable tag: 3.7.3 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Convert WordPress to static HTML. Boost performance 3-5x. Eliminate security vulnerabilities. Deploy anywhere.

== Description == Simply Static turns your WordPress site into secure, lightning-fast static HTML files.

Stop worrying about WordPress security patches, performance plugins, and expensive hosting.

Simply Static converts your entire WordPress site into static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that load instantly and can't be hacked.

Perfect for blogs, marketing sites, documentation, portfolios, and any content-driven WordPress site.

= Why Go Static? = ⚡ Blazing Fast Performance Static sites load 3-5x faster than traditional WordPress. No database queries. No server-side processing. Just instant page loads from a global CDN.

🔒 Unhackable Security No database. No login page. No PHP vulnerabilities. Static HTML can't be hacked the way traditional WordPress can.

💰 Dramatically Lower Hosting Costs Host your static site for free on platforms like Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, or GitHub Pages. Or deploy to any server for pennies per month.

🎯 Zero Maintenance No more WordPress updates. No plugin conflicts. No security patches. Focus on content, not server management. = How Simply Static Works =

Generate: Click one button to convert your entire WordPress site to static HTML
Export: Download as ZIP or deploy to a local directory
Deploy: Upload to any hosting provider, CDN, or static hosting platform

Your WordPress site stays private and secure. Your static site is what visitors see.

= What You Can Do with the Free Version =

One-click static site generation
Export as ZIP file
Deploy to local directory
Replace URLs (absolute, relative, or offline use)
Works with any WordPress theme
Compatible with popular page builders (Elementor, Bricks, Gutenberg)
SEO plugin support (Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO)

= Ready for More? = The free version is perfect for simple static exports, but if you need advanced deployment, automation, and powerful features, check out our premium solutions.

= Simply Static Pro - For Developers & Agencies = $129/year per site | $399/year unlimited sites Deploy to any platform. Automate everything. Keep 100% of your profit margins.

Deploy to GitHub, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, AWS S3, BunnyCDN, SFTP
Incremental exports (update only changed pages)
Single-page exports (instant publishing)
WP-CLI support for complete automation
Forms integration (Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms)
Static-friendly search (Fuse.js or Algolia)
Multilingual support (WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress)
Performance optimization (minification, image optimization)
Comments integration
Email support

Perfect for developers self-hosting client sites, agencies managing infrastructure, and technical users who want complete control.

Get Simply Static Pro

= Simply Static Studio - For Businesses & Content Creators = From $19/month All-in-one managed WordPress hosting. Zero maintenance. Maximum security.

Fully managed WordPress hosting
Static site hosting on global CDN (120+ locations)
Automated backups & SSL certificates
One-click WordPress login
Free white-glove migration
Team management & access control
Everything from Pro, pre-configured
Priority support

Perfect for businesses running 1-5 websites, content creators who want simplicity, and anyone who values convenience over control.

Try Studio Free for 7 Days

= Trusted by 40,000+ Users Worldwide =

1,400,000+ plugin downloads
4.5/5 star rating
Active development & support
Used by Microsoft, HP, Postman, UNICEF

= Learning Resources =

Documentation Comprehensive guides covering every aspect of Simply Static.

Video Course Watch our free YouTube course covering static WordPress from basics to advanced.

Weekly Tutorials New tutorials published every other week on our blog.

Community Support Get help from the community in the WordPress.org forums.

= Use Cases = Perfect For:

Blogs & content sites
Marketing websites & landing pages
Documentation sites
Portfolio sites
Company websites
Product launch pages
Event sites

Not Suitable For:

E-commerce sites
Membership sites
Sites requiring user logins
Real-time data updates
Heavy AJAX functionality

Note: Forms, search, and comments ARE possible with Simply Static Pro or Studio.

= Plugins & Features That Don't Work with Static Sites = Static sites are perfect for public content, but some WordPress plugins require server-side processing and won't work on static sites:

E-commerce:

WooCommerce
Easy Digital Downloads
Other shopping cart plugins

Static sites can't process payments or manage user accounts. Consider headless WordPress solutions for e-commerce.

Membership & Authentication:

MemberPress
Restrict Content Pro
User registration plugins
Login-required content

Static sites don't support user authentication or member-only areas.

Real-Time Dynamic Content:

Forum plugins (bbPress, BuddyPress)
Live chat widgets (unless using external services)
Real-time data feeds
Heavy AJAX functionality

What DOES Work (with Pro/Studio):

Forms (Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms)
Search functionality (Fuse.js or Algolia)
Comments (special integration)
Newsletter signups (via external services)

If your site relies heavily on the plugins listed above, Simply Static may not be the right solution. For questions about specific plugin compatibility, check our compatibility database or ask in our support forum.

== Installation == = Automatic Installation (Recommended) =

Log into your WordPress admin panel
Navigate to Plugins → Add New
Search for "Simply Static"
Click "Install Now" on the Simply Static plugin
Click "Activate" after installation completes
Access Simply Static from the left admin menu

= Manual Installation =

Download the plugin ZIP file
Log into your WordPress admin panel
Navigate to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
Choose the downloaded ZIP file and click "Install Now"
Click "Activate Plugin" after installation
Access Simply Static from the left admin menu

= Getting Started = After activation:

Go to Simply Static → Settings
Review and configure your export settings (defaults work for most sites)
Go to Simply Static → Generate
Click "Generate Static Files"
Download your ZIP or access files in your local directory

Watch our quick start tutorial

Need help? Check our comprehensive documentation or support forums.

== Frequently Asked Questions == = Is Simply Static really free? = Yes! The core plugin is 100% free and open source. It provides everything you need for basic static site generation and ZIP export. Simply Static Pro and Studio are optional premium products for advanced features like automated deployment, forms, search, and managed hosting. = What's the difference between the free plugin, Pro, and Studio? = Free: Generate static sites, export as ZIP or to local directory. Perfect for testing and simple exports. Pro ($129-399/year): Advanced deployment, automation, forms, search, WP-CLI. For developers and agencies self-hosting. Studio (from $19/month): All-in-one managed hosting. We handle WordPress, static hosting, backups, SSL, everything. For businesses who want zero maintenance. See detailed comparison = Can I use the free version for production sites? = Yes, but you'll need to manually upload the ZIP file to your hosting provider each time you update your site. For production sites with frequent updates, we recommend Pro (automated deployments) or Studio (fully managed). = Will my site look different after going static? = No. Simply Static creates an exact copy of your WordPress site. Same HTML, same CSS, same JavaScript. The only difference is it loads faster and is more secure. = Do I need to know how to code? = No. Simply Static works through a simple WordPress admin interface. Click a button, get your static site. Developers can extend Simply Static with 100+ hooks and filters, but coding knowledge is not required for basic use. = Can I still use WordPress after generating a static site? = Yes! Your WordPress site remains fully functional. You use WordPress to manage content, then generate a new static version when you're ready to publish updates. = What happens to forms, search, and comments on my static site? = With the free version, these features won't work on your static site (they require server-side processing). Simply Static Pro and Studio add working forms, search, and comments to your static site using smart integrations. = Can I host my static site for free? = Yes! Deploy your static site to:

Cloudflare Pages (free) GitHub Pages (free) Netlify (free tier) Vercel (free tier)

Or host on any traditional web host or CDN for very low cost. = Does Simply Static work with my theme/plugins? = Simply Static works with virtually all WordPress themes and most plugins. Confirmed compatible themes: Virtually all (including block themes) Page builders: Elementor, Bricks, Gutenberg, Beaver Builder, Divi SEO plugins: Yoast SEO, Rank Math, AIOSEO, SEOPress Form plugins: Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms (forms work with Pro/Studio) See full compatibility list = How is this different from caching plugins? = Caching plugins make your WordPress site faster, but your WordPress installation remains accessible and vulnerable. Simply Static creates a completely separate static copy that serves no PHP, has no database, and can't be hacked. Your WordPress installation stays private and secure. = Can I use Simply Static with Elementor/Gutenberg/other builders? = Yes! Simply Static works with all major page builders including Elementor, Elementor Pro, Bricks, Gutenberg, Beaver Builder, Divi, and more. = What about SEO? = Static sites are excellent for SEO. Faster load times = better rankings. Simply Static maintains all your SEO metadata, sitemaps, and schema markup. It works seamlessly with Yoast SEO, Rank Math, AIOSEO, and SEOPress. = Can I run a multilingual site? = Yes, with Simply Static Pro or Studio. Full support for WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress. The free version can generate static sites in multiple languages, but managing separate exports per language is easier with Pro. = Will this work on WordPress.com? = Simply Static requires the ability to install plugins. It works on:

Self-hosted WordPress (wordpress.org) WordPress.com Business plan or higher Most shared hosting providers VPS and dedicated servers

= How big of a site can Simply Static handle? = Simply Static has successfully generated static sites with 100,000+ pages. Site size is generally limited by your server's resources (memory, execution time). = Where can I get help? = Free Version:

WordPress.org support forums Documentation Video course

Pro & Studio:

Priority email support Direct access to development team Faster response times

== Screenshots ==

Generate - Simple interface to create your static site with one click Settings - Configure your static site export options Diagnostics - Check your WordPress environment for compatibility

== Changelog ==

= 3.7.3 =

Improve crawler dependency coverage
Fix cancelled background queue cleanup
Add fetch URLs update generate type filter
Batch URL discovery crawlers
Fix background process lock handoff

= 3.7.2 =

deeplinks for tab pages (settings)
progress indicator in browser tab
improved language UI for exports
improved URL detection pattern recognition

= 3.7.1 =

added time-limit awareness to process_pages()
decompress response to avoid gzip/deflate issues
function_exists for session handling
srcset replacement with lazyloading
Elementor font fix (again)

= 3.7.0 =

fixed stale process handling via cron healthcheck
improved status based crawl detection
collect and remove trashed/draft posts from DB table
fixed broken dashboard widget link
better error report on WAF/rate limit hosts (WPE)
cleanup upgrader (stale settings)

= 3.6.9.3 =

partial admin UI restructure

= 3.6.9.2 =

admin UI improvements
WP 7.0 testing and bugfixes

= 3.6.9 =

improved 404 handler
prevent auto-cancel on fatal errors in crawler detect
inherit post ID on get_pages_to_process_sql
improved loopback handler

= 3.6.8 =

batch ZIP if ZipArchive is available
improved SVG handling
auto-apply missing closing tags
exclude node_modules from theme crawler
better process locking

= 3.6.7 =

preserve/restore SVG data URIs
removed CORS settings (no longer needed)
improved cache detection (Hostinger)
avoid auto-closing HTML5 tags
auto cache busting

= 3.6.6 =

search and replace all kinds of data attributes
added dashboard widget
post_modified instead of post_modified_gmt for timestamps
updated all NPM packages to the latest stable versions
improved enhanced crawl automation
improved copy and UX in settings
Basic Auth handler for files like robots.txt, llms.txt etc

= 3.6.5 =

added NULL checks for large HTML files (>2MB)
ZIP Archive path construction fix (Windows-only)
improved file sanitization handling
URL/file lock-handler based on DB query

= 3.6.4 =

added filter for job class
extended search-related settings
lock file protection for multiple PHP worker setups (avoid 0 byte files)
improved can-export-pages trait (support for multiple IDs in query)
improved export log search query handling

= 3.6.3 =

improved exclusion logging
improved srcset handler (CDN + background image extraction)

= 3.6.2 =

admin UI tweak (ACL toggle)
reset site lock (MU setups)
improved memory efficiency for Elementor Crawler
readme changes

= 3.6.1 =

small admin UX fixes
server-side implementation for pagination-based search in export log
DIVI integration: replace base64 encoded navigation URLs
handle @font-face URLs if skipped by DomDocument (regex)

= 3.6.0 =

check for HTML files in config dir
multiple selector notice for Fuse
fix: Double dropdown indicator on Export Log "Rows per page"
remove dns-preconnect on relative path/offline URL
improved DIVI related logging

= 3.5.9 =

fix: check for NULL instances on files
fix: avoid replacing filenames that contain the domainname
improved network-related status updates and OPCache responses
added ss_preserve_original_filenames filter (true/false)

= 3.5.8 =

added max fetch attempts for problematic URLs
robust file hashing using try-catch blocks
centralized filename and path sanitization
improved handling of Unicode characters in filenames
improved asset discovery and handling
fixed fallback path for local asset fetching
robust file saving with rename success check and fallback
improved Page_Handler to skip unnecessary parameters for assets
improved path-agnostic URL handling for local assets
improved WP Includes crawler to support interactivity API and new emoji scripts

= 3.5.7 =

replace URLs in data URI's
Fetch URLs task using canProcessPages trait
improved path construction for offline/relative paths
introduced ss_uploads_additional_directories filter
ensure body class preservation
strip UTF-8 BOM
add and transfer _redirects and _headers files
improved Elementor thumbnail handling

= 3.5.6 =

preserve

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README.md