Hosting Headless CMS and Jamstack Sites: Static Builds, Object Storage and Serverless Functions

Headless CMS and Jamstack are no longer niche buzzwords. They are the default architecture for many modern marketing sites, documentation portals, blogs, e‑commerce frontends and SaaS dashboards. The promise is simple: fast, secure, globally distributed sites that are easier to scale than classic monolithic apps. But the moment you start planning real infrastructure, the questions arrive quickly: Where should static builds run? Should you use object storage as your origin? When do you really need serverless functions, and when is a small VPS enough?

In this guide, we walk through how to host headless CMS and Jamstack projects in a way that is fast, predictable and maintainable. We will look at the three building blocks that actually matter in production: static builds, object storage plus CDN, and serverless or API backends. The goal is to help you design an architecture that matches your team, your budget and your traffic pattern, while keeping future scaling paths open. All examples are based on how we design and operate real-world stacks at dchost.com.

What Jamstack and Headless Really Change in Hosting

From classic CMS to headless architecture

In a classic CMS like traditional WordPress, the web server receives a request, runs PHP, talks to the database and renders HTML on every page view. Hosting is mostly about keeping that single server stack fast and healthy.

With a headless CMS, content management and content delivery are separated:

• The CMS exposes content via an API, usually REST or GraphQL.
• The frontend is a separate application, commonly built with React, Vue, Svelte or similar frameworks.
• The frontend is compiled into static assets at build time and then deployed to hosting.

This is where Jamstack comes in: JavaScript, APIs and Markup. The core idea is that you prebuild as much HTML as possible and push it to a CDN, instead of rendering pages dynamically on every request.

Why hosting architecture changes

Jamstack moves a lot of work from runtime to build time. That changes hosting concerns in three ways:

• Build capacity: You need CPU, RAM and disk space somewhere to run your static build process.
• Static origin: You need a place to host prebuilt HTML, CSS, JS and media, ideally with a CDN in front.
• Dynamic extras: Forms, authentication, search and payments may need APIs or serverless functions.

Instead of one monolithic web server, you end up with a small set of specialised components. Done correctly, this improves performance, security and cost control. Done poorly, it turns into a hard-to-debug mix of CI systems, storage buckets and functions that nobody really understands. The rest of this article focuses on the former outcome.

The Three Core Building Blocks: Builds, Storage and Functions

1. Static build pipeline

The static build pipeline is the step where your Jamstack frontend pulls data from the headless CMS, generates pages and produces a folder full of static files, usually under a directory like dist or out.

Typical responsibilities of the build step:

• Fetching content from the headless CMS API.
• Rendering pages as static HTML, including dynamic routes like blogs and product pages.
• Optimising assets: bundling JavaScript, compressing images, splitting CSS.
• Generating sitemaps, RSS feeds, robots.txt and other SEO files.

The build can run on a CI service, on a dedicated build VPS, or directly on the same VPS where you host your headless CMS. For more context on build trade-offs for similar stacks, you can read our article on hosting Next.js and Nuxt apps with SSR and static export.

2. Static file hosting: classic web server vs object storage

After the build, you need to host a directory of static files somewhere. There are two main patterns:

1. Classic web server on a VPS or dedicated server (for example Nginx, Apache or LiteSpeed).
2. S3-compatible object storage bucket configured as a static website origin behind a CDN.

Using object storage as origin often simplifies scaling and reduces operational work. We have covered this in detail in our guide on using object storage as a website origin with S3, MinIO and a CDN. For Jamstack, this pattern aligns perfectly with the model of immutable deploys: each build produces a new version of the site, uploaded to storage and served globally via CDN.

3. Dynamic features: serverless functions or classic APIs

Despite the name, most Jamstack projects need a bit of backend logic:

• Contact forms, newsletter signups and lead capture.
• Authentication, user dashboards and account settings.
• Search, filters and personalised recommendations.
• Checkout flows and payment webhooks.

For these, you can choose between:

• Serverless functions: small on-demand functions triggered by HTTP requests, cron or queues.
• Classic APIs on a VPS or dedicated server: Node.js, PHP (Laravel, Symfony), Go, etc.

We analysed this choice in our article on serverless functions vs classic VPS for small apps. For Jamstack, a hybrid model is common: commodity use cases like form handling and webhooks live in serverless, while more complex workflows run on a stable API hosted on a VPS from providers like dchost.com.

Designing the Static Build Pipeline

Where should builds run?

There are three realistic options for running Jamstack builds:

1. On a CI service: You push to Git, CI pulls code, installs dependencies and runs npm run build or equivalent, then deploys to your static origin.
2. On a build VPS: A dedicated VPS at dchost.com is used as a build machine. Webhooks from Git trigger build scripts that pull code and deploy artifacts.
3. On the CMS server itself: The headless CMS VPS runs both the CMS and build jobs, either via cron, Git hooks or CI agents.

For small to medium projects, a single VPS that runs both the headless CMS and the build process is often enough. You only need to ensure:

• Enough RAM for Node.js builds (often 2–4 GB minimum for modern frameworks).
• Enough vCPU to avoid blocking the CMS when a build runs.
• Disk space for node_modules, build artifacts and temporary files.

Once builds start taking many minutes or require more CPU, moving them to a dedicated build VPS gives more isolation and predictable performance.

Full build vs incremental and on-demand generation

Many Jamstack frameworks support advanced patterns:

• Incremental static regeneration: Only changed pages are rebuilt after publish events.
• On-demand revalidation: Specific URLs are regenerated when content changes.
• Hybrid pages: Some routes are fully static; others use server-side rendering or API calls at runtime.

From a hosting perspective, these patterns affect:

• Build frequency: Full site rebuild vs targeted revalidation calls.
• API load on the CMS: Many builds hammering the headless API vs incremental updates.
• Origin design: Whether you only serve static files or also support SSR requests.

If your site has many thousands of pages and frequent content changes, avoid rebuilding the entire site on every small edit. Instead, design your CMS and frontend to trigger incremental rebuilds or on-demand revalidation. This reduces build time, API load and risk of deployment queues.

CI and deployment flow in practice

A robust Jamstack deployment pipeline often looks like this:

1. Content editor publishes a new article in the headless CMS.
2. The CMS triggers a webhook to your CI or build server.
3. Build server pulls the latest code, fetches content and runs the static build.
4. Build artifacts are uploaded to object storage using a versioned prefix, such as releases/2025-02-03-123000/.
5. A small manifest file or symlink updates which release is live; CDN cache is purged only for changed paths.

This model aligns with the static hosting strategy we described in our static site hosting guide for ultra-fast Jamstack sites with CDN and VPS. The key is to make builds reproducible and deployments atomic, so you can roll back by simply flipping which release is active.

Hosting Static Assets on Object Storage and CDN

Why object storage fits Jamstack so well

Object storage is designed for immutable files: you upload objects to buckets, they get a unique key and are served via HTTP. Features that make it ideal for Jamstack:

• Unlimited scale: You do not worry about disk partitions or local filesystem limits.
• High durability: Data is replicated across disks and often across racks or zones.
• Versioning support: You can keep multiple versions of objects for rollback or history.
• Simple API: S3-compatible APIs mean your build pipeline can use standard tools like rclone.

When you use object storage as origin behind a CDN, each build becomes a snapshot of your site. The CDN caches content close to visitors, drastically improving TTFB and overall Core Web Vitals. If you want more detail on storage decisions in general, see our comparison of object storage vs block storage vs file storage for web apps and backups.

Bucket structure and cache control

A straightforward bucket layout for Jamstack could be:

• releases/2025-02-03-123000/index.html
• releases/2025-02-03-123000/assets/app.abc123.js
• releases/2025-02-03-123000/assets/styles.def456.css
• current/ (a prefix or object that points to the active release)

Best practices for headers:

• Use long Cache-Control with immutable for hashed assets: for example Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable.
• Use shorter Cache-Control for HTML: for example Cache-Control: public, max-age=60 or 300, optionally using stale-while-revalidate.
• Ensure the CDN respects and overrides origin headers as needed, especially for HTML revalidation.

With this approach, your JS and CSS can be cached aggressively while HTML is refreshed more frequently, supporting content updates without cache issues.

CDN configuration basics

When pointing a CDN to object storage, make sure to:

• Enable HTTPS between CDN and origin (real TLS to object storage, not only to the visitor).
• Configure correct origin paths, especially if you serve the site from a releases or current prefix.
• Set up custom error pages for 404 and 500 to keep user experience consistent.
• Define separate cache rules for HTML vs assets, if the CDN supports per-path or per-file-type settings.

Combined with anycast DNS and global points of presence, your Jamstack site will feel almost instant worldwide, even if the headless CMS API lives in a single region.

Where Serverless Functions and APIs Fit

Typical Jamstack use cases for serverless

Serverless functions work particularly well when:

• The workload is spiky, like campaign landings or one-off email blasts.
• You need small isolated tasks such as form processing, sending transactional emails or processing webhooks.
• You want minimal server management and are comfortable with per-request billing.

Examples in a Jamstack context:

• A function that receives form submissions, validates input and forwards to a CRM or email.
• A function that handles newsletter signups and double opt-in confirmation.
• A function that proxies authenticated requests to a third-party API without exposing secrets to the frontend.

Because the static frontend is already on a separate origin, calling a serverless endpoint or an API on a VPS is just another cross-origin request, handled via CORS or same-domain subpaths configured on your CDN or reverse proxy.

When a VPS API is a better fit than serverless

In many real projects we see that small teams are more productive with a single, long-running API hosted on a VPS or dedicated server, rather than many tiny functions:

• You can use familiar frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, Express or NestJS.
• Local development and debugging are often simpler.
• Complex workflows and background jobs are easier to manage.

A common pattern is:

• Headless CMS and API run on one or more VPS servers at dchost.com.
• Static frontend is deployed to object storage plus CDN.
• Serverless is used only for a few specialised tasks, or not at all.

For an example of this style of separation, see our article on headless WordPress and Next.js hosting architecture with separate frontend and API servers. The same ideas apply to any headless CMS and frontend framework.

Security and secret management

Regardless of whether you use serverless or classic APIs, avoid putting secrets in the static frontend. Patterns to consider:

• Use environment variables or secrets managers on your VPS or function runtime.
• Expose only the minimum necessary API endpoints to the public internet.
• Terminate TLS correctly, using modern ciphers and protocol versions.

If you are running your own API on a VPS, our guides on VPS hardening for real-world threats and HTTP security headers for HSTS, CSP and more are good places to deepen the security side.

Example Jamstack and Headless Hosting Architectures

Scenario 1: Simple marketing site with headless CMS

Use case: A small company site or product landing pages, a few thousand visits per day, editors adding content weekly.

Suggested architecture:

• Headless CMS: One VPS with 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, local database, automatic backups.
• Builds: Same VPS runs periodic builds triggered via webhooks when content is published.
• Static hosting: Build artifacts uploaded to object storage at dchost.com, served via CDN.
• Dynamic features: Basic contact form using a single serverless function or a small PHP endpoint on the VPS.

This setup keeps operational complexity low while still giving you the speed and security benefits of Jamstack. Most traffic hits the CDN and object storage; the VPS mostly serves editors and occasional build jobs.

Scenario 2: Content-heavy site with frequent changes

Use case: News site or large blog, tens of thousands of pages, frequent updates throughout the day, high traffic peaks from social media.

Suggested architecture:

• Headless CMS cluster: One primary VPS for writes, one replica for read-heavy API queries. Consider a separate database VPS if load is significant.
• Dedicated build VPS: 4–8 vCPU, 8–16 GB RAM for fast builds. CI triggers builds based on content webhooks.
• Incremental builds: The frontend uses incremental static regeneration or on-demand revalidation to avoid full builds every time.
• Static origin: Object storage with versioned releases and CDN in front.
• APIs and serverless: Critical APIs (search, personalised feeds) run on dedicated API VPS servers; smaller tasks may use serverless.

In this model, the CMS and API are clearly separated from the frontend hosting. Deployments are frequent but safe, because you can roll back to a previous release by changing one pointer in object storage or CDN configuration.

Scenario 3: Jamstack e‑commerce frontend

Use case: Storefront built in Jamstack, with a separate e‑commerce backend (headless platform or custom build) handling carts, checkout and inventory.

Suggested architecture:

• Frontend: Jamstack static site on object storage plus CDN, focusing on product listings, content and SEO.
• Backend: E‑commerce API and admin on one or more VPS or dedicated servers, secured with WAF and proper TLS.
• Checkout: Hosted payment pages or securely integrated checkout over HTTPS, with webhooks handled by serverless or API endpoints on VPS.
• Search and filters: Either offloaded to a search service or implemented via API plus client-side caching.

Because the storefront is static and distributed via CDN, you can handle promotional campaigns and traffic spikes more easily. Your capacity planning mostly focuses on the e‑commerce API and database, not on rendering product listing pages repeatedly.

Operational Best Practices for Jamstack Hosting

DNS, SSL and domains

For Jamstack projects, it is common to have multiple components behind one or more domains:

• www.example.com pointing to CDN for the static frontend.
• api.example.com pointing to VPS or serverless for APIs.
• cms.example.com restricted to editors, pointing to headless CMS VPS.

Before launching, double-check:

• Correct A or CNAME records for each subdomain.
• DNS TTL values are reasonable for future migrations.
• SSL certificates cover all domains and subdomains, preferably with automated renewal.

Our article on new website launch checklists for hosting-side SEO and performance gives a broader checklist you can adapt to Jamstack launches.

Monitoring and logs

Jamstack does not remove the need for monitoring; it simply shifts the focus:

• Origin and CDN health: Uptime checks for static origin and API endpoints.
• Build pipeline: Alerts if builds fail or exceed time limits.
• Headless CMS: Metrics for database load, API latency and error rates.

Because static hosting is usually highly stable, most incidents come from API backends or misconfigured caches. Real-time logging and metrics from your VPS at dchost.com make it easier to detect when cache hit ratios drop or when an API starts returning 5xx errors under load.

Backups and disaster recovery

Jamstack simplifies some parts of disaster recovery because your static frontend is essentially a build artifact that can be reproduced. But you still need to protect:

• Headless CMS database and assets.
• API databases and queues.
• Object storage buckets that hold uploads not generated from version-controlled code.

We recommend combining:

• Regular database backups to remote object storage.
• Version control for all code and build configuration.
• Documented runbooks for rebuilding the site on new infrastructure if needed.

For deeper planning, our guides on backup strategy with RPO and RTO and writing a no-drama disaster recovery plan are directly applicable to Jamstack and headless architectures.

Summary and How dchost.com Fits into Your Jamstack Stack

Jamstack and headless CMS change the way you think about hosting: instead of one big PHP server doing everything, you design a pipeline where content is edited in one place, built in another and served globally via static hosting and APIs. The three pillars are clear: a reliable build pipeline, a scalable static origin (often object storage plus CDN) and a secure, well-sized backend for the parts that cannot be static.

From our experience at dchost.com, the most successful teams keep things simple at first: a single VPS for the headless CMS and builds, object storage for static hosting, and maybe one small API server or a couple of serverless functions. As traffic and complexity grow, you can split roles across multiple VPS or dedicated servers, adopt more advanced storage strategies and refine your CI and release process, without rewriting your entire architecture.

If you are planning a new Jamstack or headless CMS project and are not sure how to size the VPS, separate frontend and API, or choose between web server and object storage, our team at dchost.com can help you design a concrete, realistic architecture. Whether you need shared hosting for simple static sites, VPS and dedicated servers for custom APIs, or colocation for your own hardware, you can build a fast and future-proof Jamstack stack on top of our infrastructure. Start small, keep your pipeline reproducible and treat your static builds as first-class artifacts, and the rest of your hosting decisions will fall into place much more easily.