SolidJS is a declarative JavaScript UI library emphasizing performance through fine-grained reactivity. It compiles to real DOM nodes and uses explicit reactive primitives, avoiding the virtual DOM overhead common in other frameworks. This approach results in efficient updates, minimal memory usage, and excellent performance, particularly for complex and dynamic applications. SolidJS also offers features like JSX templating, server-side rendering, and a compact API, making it a powerful and efficient alternative for building user interfaces.
"JSX over the Wire" explores the idea of sending JSX directly from the server to the client, letting the browser parse and render it. This eliminates the need for separate HTML templates and API calls to fetch data, theoretically simplifying development and potentially improving performance by reducing data transfer and client-side processing. The author acknowledges this approach is unconventional and explores its potential benefits and drawbacks, including security considerations (XSS vulnerabilities) and the need for client-side hydration. Ultimately, the article concludes that while JSX over the wire is a fascinating concept with some appealing aspects, the existing ecosystem around established practices like server-side rendering and traditional APIs remains robust and generally preferred. Further research and experimentation are needed before declaring JSX over the wire a viable alternative for most applications.
Hacker News users discussed the potential benefits and drawbacks of sending JSX over the wire, as proposed in the linked article. Some commenters saw it as a potentially elegant solution for certain use cases, particularly for internal tools or situations where tight coupling between client and server is acceptable. They appreciated the simplified workflow and reduced boilerplate. However, others expressed concerns about security vulnerabilities (especially XSS), performance implications due to larger payload sizes, and the tight coupling making it harder to scale or adapt to different client technologies in the future. The idea of using a templating engine on the server was suggested as a more traditional and potentially safer approach. Several questioned the practicality and overall benefits compared to existing solutions, viewing it as a niche approach not suitable for most production environments.
Nue.js is a new JavaScript framework focusing on extreme performance and minimal bundle size for complex web apps. It achieves this through a reactive core inspired by SolidJS and Svelte, compiling templates to optimized vanilla JavaScript, and offering built-in features like routing, state management, and SSR. The blog post demonstrates Nue's efficiency by showcasing a full-featured to-do MVC app with a bundle size smaller than a single React button, while maintaining excellent performance metrics. This makes it particularly suitable for situations where performance and low bandwidth consumption are critical, such as mobile-first development and slow networks.
Hacker News users discussed the performance benefits of Nue.js, particularly its small bundle size compared to React. Some expressed skepticism about the benchmark methodology and questioned whether the "lighter than a React button" claim held true in real-world scenarios. Others were interested in the framework's approach and appreciated its focus on simplicity and performance. Several commenters pointed out the difficulty of comparing frameworks based on microbenchmarks and emphasized the importance of overall developer experience and ecosystem maturity. The lack of TypeScript support was also mentioned as a potential drawback. A few users discussed the tradeoffs between using a smaller, less mature framework like Nue.js versus a more established option like React, Svelte, or Preact.
Svelte 5 significantly departs from its JavaScript framework roots by compiling components directly to vanilla JavaScript instructions that manipulate the DOM. This eliminates the virtual DOM diffing process typical of other frameworks, resulting in smaller bundle sizes and potentially faster performance. Instead of a framework mediating interactions, Svelte 5 generates imperative code tailored to each component, directly updating the DOM. This shift allows for optimized updates and reduces runtime overhead, making Svelte 5 applications more akin to handcrafted JavaScript than traditional framework-driven applications. While still using familiar Svelte syntax, the output is now a highly optimized, self-contained JavaScript module.
HN users discuss Svelte 5's compilation strategy, which moves reactivity out of the JavaScript runtime and into compiled code. Several commenters express excitement over the potential performance benefits and smaller bundle sizes, comparing it favorably to React and other frameworks. Some raise concerns about debugging and the implications for the ecosystem, particularly around tooling. A few express skepticism, questioning whether the performance gains are significant enough to warrant the shift and whether Svelte's approach will hinder wider adoption. There's also discussion about the blurring line between frameworks and compilers, and whether Svelte's compiled output still qualifies as JavaScript. The impact on hydration and server-side rendering is also a topic of interest.
Summary of Comments ( 137 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43734911
Hacker News commenters generally expressed positive sentiment towards SolidJS, praising its performance, small bundle size, and resemblance to React's functional components with JSX. Several pointed out its efficient use of fine-grained reactivity, comparing it favorably to Svelte's compiled approach and noting its potential for better performance in complex updates. Some questioned its relatively smaller community and ecosystem compared to React or Vue, but acknowledged its growing popularity. A few experienced users shared positive anecdotes about using Solid in production, highlighting its speed and ease of debugging. Some discussion revolved around its similarity to KnockoutJS, with some suggesting Solid as a modern successor. There was also interest in its server-side rendering capabilities and potential for broader adoption.
The Hacker News thread linked discusses SolidJS, a reactive JavaScript library for building user interfaces. The discussion is fairly active with a variety of perspectives on the framework.
Several commenters praise Solid's performance, often comparing it favorably to React, Vue, and Svelte. One commenter highlights Solid's efficient use of fine-grained reactivity, arguing that it leads to better performance, especially in complex applications. They appreciate that updates are very targeted and don't cause unnecessary re-renders. Another user echoes this sentiment, emphasizing Solid's ability to surgically update the DOM, which they see as a key advantage. This theme of performance and efficiency appears repeatedly in the thread, establishing it as a core strength perceived by many commenters.
Some discussion revolves around the learning curve of Solid. While some find it relatively easy to grasp, particularly those coming from a React background, others note the need to adjust to its unique reactivity model. One commenter mentions the initial hurdle of understanding Signals, Solid's core reactive primitive, but emphasizes that the effort pays off in terms of performance gains. Another user points out the potential confusion stemming from Solid's use of JSX, which while similar to React's, has subtle differences in how it handles reactivity.
The topic of developer tooling and ecosystem maturity also comes up. One commenter expresses a desire for better debugging tools tailored specifically for Solid's reactive system. Others acknowledge that while the ecosystem is smaller than React's or Vue's, it is growing steadily. There's a mention of Solid's relatively small bundle size, which is seen as a benefit for performance and initial load times.
A few comments touch upon the comparison between Solid and Svelte. One user highlights the difference in their compilation strategies, noting that Svelte compiles components into highly optimized vanilla JavaScript, while Solid relies on its runtime reactivity system. Another commenter suggests that Solid's approach might offer more flexibility in certain scenarios.
Several users appreciate Solid's commitment to staying small and focused, contrasting it with the larger, more feature-rich frameworks like React. They see this as a positive aspect, believing it leads to a more maintainable and understandable codebase. Finally, the creator of SolidJS, Ryan Carniato, actively participates in the thread, answering questions and addressing concerns raised by commenters. His involvement is appreciated by the community and contributes to a productive discussion.