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Web publishingState as of: 2026-10

Self-hosted front-end assets instead of CDNs

How a static site can use a CSS framework, an icon set and custom fonts while the visitor's browser requests nothing from a third party.

Research question: How can a static site use a CSS framework, icons and custom fonts without any request to a third party?

Project requirement

Small static sites for visitors in the EU. A request to a CDN or a font service passes the visitor's IP address to a third party, which had to be avoided while keeping updates and licenses traceable.

Method and validation

  • Unmodified copies of Bootstrap 5.3.8 and Bootstrap Icons 1.11.3 among the shared assets, with a register of folder, version, source, license and download date.
  • Two variable fonts (Inter, Playfair Display, SIL OFL) from the site's own hosting, with one preload and font-display: swap, and a separate license register.
  • CSS and JS get a content-hash version parameter, so they can be cached for a long time.
  • Check: the generated pages make no external resource requests; the link checker and the sample sites in a browser pass.

Findings

  • Self-hosting removes third-party requests for front-end dependencies; analytics remains a separate question.
  • Updates stay simple and auditable: a library folder is replaced as a whole and its version changes in the register.
  • Source map files can be left out: browsers request them only with the developer tools open, and the 404 does not affect visitors.

Decision

Every front-end library and font is served from the site itself, unmodified, with version, source and license recorded next to the files.

Limits and open questions

  • Security updates have to be followed by hand, based on the recorded versions.
  • Consent-based first-party analytics is not implemented.

Sources