How to Manage Forms on Your JAMStack Website?

How do you handle form submissions without server-side code? This is one of the most common questions I get from people considering adopting the JAMstack. 

Handling forms on a Jamstack website involves a slightly different approach compared to traditional server-rendered websites. The Jamstack philosophy encourages decoupling the frontend and backend, which can impact how forms are handled. Then, what is the answer to that issue? Here's a guide on how to handle forms on your Jamstack website:

Ways to Handle Forms on Jamstack:

There are a few different approaches to handling forms in a Jamstack architecture. The choice often depends on the complexity of your project and your preferred tools.

There are several third-party services available that offer solutions specifically designed for Jamstack websites. These services provide APIs or SDKs (Software Development Kits) so you can quickly and easily integrate forms into your site. 

Form handling services will handle your data, store it, generate statistics, integrate it with other services, and do much more.

Because of the large number of vendors offering similar services, I've divided them into several categories:

1. Simple Form Solution

When I refer to "simple solutions," I mean software that provides the most fundamental form-handling features, such as data management, notification, statistics, and data storage — in other words, everything you need to deal with simple forms but no complex functions like payments or analytics.

You only need to alter your form's action attribute to the endpoint offered by the service to integrate with them, and you are ready to start receiving submissions.

Examples: formspree, Basin, Form2chat, FieldGoal, etc.

Benefits and Drawbacks

1. Simple setup.
2. Most of them are free.

2. Advanced Form Solution

There is little difference between simple solutions and advanced form solutions. These services go beyond simple data manipulation and take care of things like form builders, templates, payment management, expanded integration, data validation, etc. These are a little bit complicated to integrate. Sometimes, you need to follow a specific HTML structure. You may also need to add an external script. Furthermore, You must understand how rules are created and applied if you wish to use advanced form-handling services.

Examples: Wuffo, Kwes, JotForm, etc.

Benefits and Drawbacks

1. It may require highly specialized knowledge.
2. A little more challenging to set up than simple forms.
3. A little more costly.

3. Custom Form Solution

If you don’t want a third-party solution, come to these solutions. You can do it yourself if you wish to have complete control and customize your forms. After that, instead of sending data to an outside service, you can send it to your own software and manage the data whenever needed.

Example: serverless functions - AWS lambdas, Netlify functions, etc.

Benefits and Drawbacks

1. Almost free.
2. You have to code yourself to get the desired form.
3. Requires in-depth or specialized knowledge of the form creation and management process.

4. Embed Form Solution

Finally, some sites allow you to embed their form on your site. For example, Google Forms can be integrated into your website very quickly. You have to create a Google Form, copy the codes, and just embed the codes on your site.

Examples: Google Forms, SurveyMonkey.

So, which option should you pick for your website?

It depends on the size, quantity, and nature of the forms and any unique needs you may have. So, first, find your requirements and select any of them according to your needs. However, the exact implementation might vary based on the specific tools, frameworks, and services you're using for your Jamstack website. However, always prioritize security, user experience, and maintainability when handling forms on your site.

More Resources on JAMstack Forms

forestry.io/blog/5-ways-to-handle-forms-on-your-static-site/ 

jamstacktools.org/browse/all/form

www.netlify.com/blog/2017/09/19/form-handling-with-the-jamstack-and-netlify/

cloudcannon.com/jamstack-ecosystem/contact-forms/

So, What Next

Need help with your JAMStack website forms? The developers of StaticMania can give you the perfect solution for your business. We can help you with so much more than just form handling. Let's chat!