Hårdtemplating

Hårdtemplating, or hard templating, is a templating approach used in content generation where templates are processed and combined with data during a build or deployment phase to produce static output. The result is static files that can be served without a running templating engine.

In practical terms, a template engine reads template files and data sources (such as content files, databases, or APIs) and outputs complete documents, webpages, or other artifacts. The templating occurs before deployment, and the produced assets are delivered as plain, static content.

Benefits of hard templating include fast page delivery, high scalability, predictable performance, and reduced server load, since no dynamic rendering occurs per request. It also lowers surface area for runtime errors and simplifies deployment pipelines.

Limitations include reduced flexibility for real-time personalization, longer refresh cycles for changing content, and the need for a rebuild-and-deploy process to update output. Large data sets can increase build times, complicating incremental updates.

Common contexts are static site generators (for example, Hugo and Jekyll) and document generation workflows, where templates are compiled into static HTML or PDFs. It is also used for generating standardized communications such as newsletters or reports.

Related concepts include dynamic or soft templating, server-side rendering, and client-side templating, which render content at request time or in the browser. The distinction between hard and soft templating helps designers balance performance, flexibility, and maintenance.