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Ask HN: How does one build large front end apps without a framework like React?

94 points thepianodan | 1 comments | 17 Oct 25 10:50 UTC | HN request time: 0.204s | source

I had a mind-blown-moment when I learnt that Obsidian was built without any frontend JS framework. ( https://forum.obsidian.md/t/what-framework-did-the-developer-use-to-create-obsidian-desktop-application/30724/11 )

The benefits, I can see.

    JS frameworks move really quickly, and when we're working on a large, long-term project, it sucks when big breaking changes are introduced after only a couple of years. Sticking to slow-moving web standards (which are quite mature by now) increases the longevity of a project.

    And the stability also means that more time is spent on delivering features, rather than on fixing compatibility issues.

    There is also the benefit of independence. The project's success is not tied to the framework's success. And it also makes the project more secure, from supply chain attacks and such.

    Because there is no "abstraction layer" of a framework, you also have greater control over your project, and can make performance optimizations at a lower level.

    I feel not using a framework can even make us a better developer. Because we know more of what's going on.
There are benefits to using frameworks too, I'm not here to challenge that.

But this alternative of using none... it seems rarely talked about. I want to learn more about building large (preferably web-based) software projects with few dependencies.

Do you have any suggestions on how to learn more about it? Are there any open source projects you know which are built this way? It needs to be large, complex, app-like, and browser based. I'm more interested in the frontend side.

Thank you!

1. lemonwaterlime ◴[17 Oct 25 17:57 UTC] No.45619751[source]▶
First, I decide if I think the app will have lots of client-side interaction. As a shorthand, the question is “Does my idea seem like a spreadsheet, Google Maps, or a video game with lots of interactive clicking?”

If the answer to that question is “No”, then I’m not conceptualizing a SPA and don’t need a framework.

If the answer is “Yes”, I’d ask where I think that interaction will manifest in the experience and if I can isolate it.

If I am not looking at a SPA use-case, then my focus is on using vanilla HTML and Modern CSS with a tiny bit of javascript (as a scripting language versus as a programming language [1]). Then the remainder of the focus is on data modeling (CRUD), auth flows, and business logic development (what the application will do).

Beyond vanilla HTML, Modern CSS, and a tiny amount of javascript, if I need further client-side interactivity, I would consider something like htmx.

If I need interactivity beyond that, then we’re into SPA territory, but at this point the requirements and application have evolved to that point since we initially said we weren’t building that kind of thing.

Overall, the idea is to progressively iterate on the application, keeping the architecture and dependencies reigned in and aligned with the core objectives.

[1] JavaScript as scripting vs programming language: what I mean by this is JavaScript as a language with many warts is not so bad if its scope is kept small. I believe the issues with JavaScript arise when it is pushed to do too much. This then leads to needing to use Typescript as a matter of pragmatism. I aim to never get to the point of using so much JavaScript that I then need Typescript. I would say using it as a scripting language (to fill in gaps that Modern CSS and HTML cannot handle today) greatly minimizes the need for this progression.