Ask HN: What is the point of Front end Framework?

[j1br]

What are the key strengths of front-end frameworks that set them apart and drive their popularity? With so many frameworks out there, what motivates their diversity? Also, for both large and small-scale projects, is it viable to forego front-end frameworks and rely solely on HTML, JS, and CSS? As a junior web dev, I'm curious because I haven't encountered scenarios where front-end frameworks were a clear necessity, but I'm open to insights from the experienced HN community!

[lmiller1990]

Once you start to build something complex, you'll find have a well tested, reliable library to help manage the data and update the UI for you is tremendously valuable.

Another benefit of using a framework (especially a popular one) is it makes hiring / onboarding easier - a lot of candidates will already have experience with React / Vue / Angular.

[bob1029]

> Also, for both large and small-scale projects, is it viable to forego front-end frameworks and rely solely on HTML, JS, and CSS?

Yes, as long as you are willing to establish your own "framework" if you need to collaborate with others. I've personally found the trickiest part is keeping common HTML fragments and CSS standardized across the site. If you can get it down to a common Layout.html, Navigation.html and Site.css, you will probably be able to manage the complexity in a reasonably-sized team. If you need to edit one of these common files, convene a meeting. Everything else is an independent partial with its own HTML/CSS/JS.

The hardest part is learning how to do everything in direct terms. MDN is your bible for this mission.

[idontwantthis]

Modern frameworks help you build an application that runs in the browser. Applications are all about storing and updating state, then redrawing. That needs to happen quickly and reliably. If you are building an application then use a framework.

If you are building a website, then you probably don’t need one.

[stocknoob]

Compare the source code at https://todomvc.com/ to see what various frameworks bring to the table. VanillaJS is generally much more code.

[mcdonje → stocknoob]

Their vanilla-js example doesn't just create the app, but also creates an MVC framework from scratch. If you're trying to figure out which framework (or none) to use for an MVC organized site, that's the correct way to do the comparison. That seems like what they're doing, so no issues there. However, if you're trying to figure out if you need MVC at all, then it's not the most valid comparison.

MV* is a good way to organize projects for teams. If you're doing a blog, personal site, or other project you don't expect to grow into something contributed to by multiple teams, the value proposition is different. Not saying frameworks or MVC are bad in that case, but they can become just another thing to worry about for a solo dev.

[disadvantage]

It depends on how complex the system you're building is. If you're a 'systems thinker', you naturally gravitate to solutions which boilerplate away all the grunt work.