Moving Away from Heavy JavaScript Frameworks - What Are the Alternatives?

Frontend
1

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working with React and Vue.js for about 4 years now, and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed by all the complexity that comes with modern frontend frameworks. The endless configuration, build tools, and the whole SPA approach is making me question if there’s a simpler way to build web applications.

I’m really tempted to go back to vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but I know I’d miss having things like reusable components and proper state management. I’ve been researching some alternatives like using Flask with Alpine.js or even server-side rendering approaches.

Is anyone else feeling this framework fatigue? What solutions have you found that give you the simplicity of traditional web development while still keeping some of the modern conveniences? I’d love to hear about your experiences with lighter alternatives to the typical SPA stack.

2

svelte is great! way simpler than react, fr. you get components and it’s not heavy on setup at all. def worth a try if ur into lighter solutions!

3

After six years building production apps, I ditched Angular for Django + HTMX. This combo cuts out most client-side headaches while keeping things responsive. My workflow got way faster - I use server-side templating for most pages and only add interactive bits where I actually need them. HTMX handles partial updates without any build process or state management mess. Apps load faster, break less, and debugging is actually manageable. Works great for content-heavy sites where going full SPA just adds bloat.

4

have u looked into web components? i’m curious how they could fit with vanilla JS for what ur doing. what kinds of projects are ya working on? might help to narrow down a better approach!