I don’t get it. The native js Dom api has a lot of sharp edges but do people hate it that much abstract away from it?
Personally I rather have zero runtime code along side zero build by learning truly native js dom
replies(2):
Why I built it Modern stacks are powerful but often heavy: bundlers, compile steps, framework DSLs, local CLIs. For internal tools, small apps, and edge/serverless deployments, I wanted something you can view-source, paste into a page, and ship.
What it is:
Runtime-only: no build or VDOM compile; hydrate behaviors directly on HTML. HTML directives: e.g. +click, lifecycle +load / +loaded / +unload / +unloaded. Zero APIs: dagger.js works in pure declarative mode, modules and directives provide everything you need to build your application. Web-Components-first: works alongside Custom Elements; keep concerns local. Distributed modules: load small, focused script modules via CDN. Progressive enhancement: the page renders without a build step.
Use cases:
Admin panels & dashboards that don’t warrant a full toolchain Embed widgets, docs-sites with interactive bits Edge/serverless apps where cold start and simplicity matter
Links
GitHub: https://github.com/dagger8224/dagger.js Docs/Guide: https://daggerjs.org Examples: https://codepen.io/dagger8224/pens
I’d love feedback on edge-cases, and where it breaks. Happy to answer tough questions here.
Personally I rather have zero runtime code along side zero build by learning truly native js dom
dagger.js is meant for folks who want to stay mostly in plain HTML/JS but still smooth out a few of those DOM “sharp edges” — e.g. inline state with +load, simple event handlers with +click, template interpolation. The idea is to reduce boilerplate without hiding what’s really happening underneath.
So it’s less about abstracting away the DOM entirely, and more about lowering the friction for small tools/demos where you don’t want to write a ton of document.createElement calls.