Less software to attack
Static sites ship pre rendered HTML, CSS, and assets. There is no public login, no database, and no plugin zoo for scanners to poke at.
Secure static sites for high risk, evidence driven work
If you are running a project that challenges institutions, exposes systemic failure, or hosts whistleblower material, your site should not be held together by a tired CMS and guesswork.
I build secure static sites specifically for high risk public interest work. Minimal attack surface, Cloudflare hardening, lawful fingerprinting if needed, and evidence grade logging that supports your wider case work.
Secure static sites
High risk projects
Minimal attack surface
Cloudflare hardening
Evidence grade logs
For the broader public interest offer, see Advocacy, campaign, and public interest sites and Evidence grade logging.
Who static builds fit best
Static sites are not trendy gadgets. They are the boring, reliable option for work that expects scrutiny and pressure.
-
Investigative and anti corruption projects
Teams exposing patterns in contracts, procurement, or policy failure who expect scanning, scraping, and legal sounding emails.
-
Whistleblower safe platforms
Sites that provide information, contact routes, and documentation for people considering disclosure, where uptime and trust matter.
-
Watchdogs and community scrutiny sites
Groups monitoring councils, contractors, or housing providers who need a site that does not collapse when somebody important takes an interest.
-
NGOs under pressure
Charities and NGOs who publish uncomfortable truths or systemic failures and expect their work to be quietly tested from institutional networks.
If your work is high stakes, but your team and budget are small, static builds cut the attack surface down to something you can realistically manage.
Why secure static sites beat fragile CMS installs
Most high risk projects are still served through general purpose CMS platforms that were never designed to sit under genuine pressure.
Predictable performance under load
Static content plays nicely with Cloudflare caching. When traffic spikes, there is far less that can fall over or time out.
Cleaner edge protection
With fewer moving parts behind the edge, Cloudflare firewall rules, rate limits, and bot controls are easier to tune and reason about.
Simpler logging stories
When very little happens on the origin side, your logs focus on what matters most, instead of drowning in noise from background CMS activity and slow admin panels.
Lower operational overhead
No constant update cycle for themes and plugins. No brittle admin interface to nurse along. Fewer places for configuration drift to creep in.
Better fit for evidence and scrutiny
When you need to explain what your site does technically, static architectures are much easier to describe to trustees, regulators, or courts.
This does not mean every interactive feature disappears. It means you only add what you truly need, and keep those pieces isolated and understood.
Threat model for high risk public interest sites
Static builds for serious work start with a realistic threat model, not a generic security checklist for random businesses.
- Quiet, repeated visits from institutional networks and contractors.
- Targeted scanning for weak points, admin pages, and forgotten tools.
- Attempts to scrape or mirror sensitive pages before meetings or hearings.
- Legal sounding complaints that try to pressure hosts into taking material offline.
- Traffic bursts from coverage, social media, or coordinated pile ons.
How static architecture helps against this
Edge first defence
With very little exposed behind Cloudflare, more of the work can be done at the edge, where rules and logging are stronger.
Natural rate limiting
Static files can be cached aggressively, which reduces strain on the origin so rate limits can be more confident and strict.
Clear patterns
With fewer moving parts, abnormal traffic stands out more clearly and is easier to document for later use.
Static builds do not stop people being annoyed. They stop your site being the easiest thing in the chain to break or lean on.
How I build secure static sites
The process is simple and deliberately boring. That is the point.
- We map your content types, sensitivity, and likely pressure points, at a practical level.
- I design a static architecture that covers what you need now and leaves room for careful extensions later.
- Cloudflare is configured around that architecture, not bolted on as an afterthought.
- Evidence grade logging is wired in from the start, with test exports and examples.
- Optional lawful fingerprinting is integrated where the risk profile justifies it. See Fingerprinting and Edge Tracker.
What you get out of it
- A site that is difficult to bully offline through technical routes.
- A simpler attack surface that smaller teams can realistically monitor.
- Clearer logs and monitoring that support your wider evidence base.
- A technical story you can explain to oversight bodies without hand waving.
You still decide what to publish and when. The static build makes sure the plumbing is not the weak point when that decision is tested.
Static does not mean basic or powerless
Static here means controlled, inspectable, and hardened, not bare bones.
You can still have structured content, search, simple forms, and careful integrations. The difference is that every moving part has a clear reason to exist and a clear place in your risk picture.
If someone ever asks why your site behaves the way it does, you want answers that sound like engineering, not improvisation.
Boundaries for static site work
Even the best architecture cannot fix bad decisions elsewhere. These boundaries keep roles clear.
- Ki-Ki provides technical architecture and implementation. I do not act as your lawyer, investigator, or communications lead.
- I do not draft or upload allegations about identifiable individuals or entities. You handle your own content and legal risk.
- Any copy I assist with is limited to neutral onboarding material and is only published after your written approval.
- You must not imply that Ki-Ki endorses your findings, allegations, or political positions.
- I will not implement technical patterns that aim to secretly identify people or track them beyond your own site.
- If your project is clearly drifting into unlawful activity or unmanaged serious risk, I will say so and may refuse or end the work.
Full detail is set out in the Neutral infrastructure policy and the Cookies, analytics, and fingerprinting policy.
Questions people usually ask about static builds
Will a static site limit what we can publish?
Static sites handle articles, documents, timelines, and evidence pages very well. Where you need forms or interactivity, we design those as specific, contained pieces instead of relying on a huge CMS.
Can we still update content without a developer every time?
Yes. There are multiple ways to make content updates manageable, including simple editing workflows and light training. The difference is that updates are made in a controlled way, not by installing another plugin because someone on a forum suggested it.
Is a static site definitely safer than a CMS?
It removes entire classes of risk linked to public logins, databases, and plugins. You still need sensible configuration, logging, and monitoring, but the number of things that can go badly wrong is much smaller.
Can we migrate an existing high risk CMS site to static?
Often yes. I can review your current build, extract what is worth keeping, and recreate it as a static site with hardened Cloudflare and logging. Some interactive features may need to be redesigned, but the trade is usually worth it for serious work.
How does this fit with lawful fingerprinting and logging?
Static sites are an ideal base for edge level fingerprinting and evidence grade logging, because there is less noise from the origin. That makes repeat actors, institutional monitoring, and hostile scans much easier to see and document.
Is this overkill for a small team?
If you are dealing with high risk issues, small teams benefit from static foundations more than anyone. You get fewer moving parts to maintain and a more honest match between your capacity and your attack surface.
Start the conversation
Set out what you are publishing, who might be unhappy about it, and what your current site looks like technically. I will tell you plainly whether a static build is the right move and what it would involve.