Frontend development is an ever-evolving field. To stay relevant as a frontend developer, you need to keep up with frontend development trends.
In this article, I'm going to share with you 8 frontend development trends to watch out for 2023.
Machine learning and AI-powered chatbots
AI has been making waves in the developer community of late. AI has a wide range of application, frontend development included.
Going forward, we are going to see more and more apps get smarter. AI-powered chatbots is one such example.
With AI, developers can incorporate chatbots into their apps. This can improve customer service and keep your customers happy.
Coding assistants
Coding assistants are another application of AI. They help with tasks that developers don't want to tackle or are less valuable.
With coding assistants, developers can actually focus on what really matters. Github's Copilot and Amazon's CodeWhisperer are leading coding assistants.
This a trend many frontend developers are embracing as 77% of developers say that they look to incorporate coding assistants into their workflow.
Voice User Interface (VUI)
VUI, or Voice User Interface, enables users to interact with devices or systems using spoken commands. It relies on speech recognition to interpret user inputs and provide appropriate responses.
Popular examples of VUI include voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
Conversational UI focuses on designing interfaces that mimic natural conversations between users and computer systems.
It employs chatbots or virtual assistants to engage users in dialogue-driven interactions.
By utilizing natural language processing, conversational UI understands user intent and generates relevant responses.
These interfaces can be integrated into websites, messaging platforms, or mobile applications, offering personalized assistance and facilitating tasks.
VUI and conversational UI share the goal of enhancing user experiences by enabling hands-free and intuitive interactions. They provide accessible and interactive ways to access information, control devices, and accomplish tasks through voice-based conversations.
Server-side rendering (SSR)
Server-side rendering is not a new concept in frontend development.
In fact, back in the days when websites were built with only HTML, pages were rendered on the server.
Things began to change when websites were built with JavaScript. This introduced client-side rendering (CSR)—pages are updated in the browser.
But SSR is making a comeback, albeit with a twist. Pages are built on the server and sent to the client where they are hydrated.
This will improve performance, SEO, and load times.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, software, and more, over the internet ("the cloud").
Instead of relying on local infrastructure and physical hardware, cloud computing allows users to access and utilize resources on-demand, scaling up or down as needed.
Cloud computing has become a growing trend in frontend development due to its benefits:
Scalability: you can easily scale frontend applications to handle increased traffic and accommodate a growing user base without investing in more servers.
Cost-Effectiveness: cloud computing platforms use the pay-as-you-go model which eliminates upfront investment and allows businesses to pay for only consumed resources.
Flexibility and Accessibility: cloud computing enables developers to collaborate seamlessly and from any location.
Rapid Deployment: cloud platforms provide businesses with streamlined processes and infrastructure-as-code tools, enabling faster development cycle and quicker time-to-market.
Robust Backend Services: cloud platforms integrate pre-built services like databases, authentication, and CDNs for efficient development.
Reliability and Security: cloud platforms provides businesses with high availability, redundancy, disaster recovery, and built-in security features.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
PWAs are not entirely new. They have been in existence for over a decade now. But it is gradually gaining popularity in the frontend development space.
PWAs are simply web apps that have the functionalities of native apps such as: push notifications. It combines the best of web apps and native apps.
It encourages more engagement as they can work offline due to caching.
Companies that have incorporated PWAs have seen a rise in user engagement and retention. FlipKart and Twitter are examples.
Single-page application (SPA)
SPAs have gained popularity in web development due to their seamless user experiences.
Unlike traditional multi-page applications, SPAs load all necessary resources and content on a single web page, dynamically updating the content as users interact with the application.
This approach eliminates page reloads, resulting in faster, more responsive applications.
SPAs leverage JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js to handle client-side rendering and manage state.
By loading only the required data and components, SPAs reduce server load and bandwidth consumption.
With SPAs, developers can create highly interactive and engaging web experiences, enabling smooth transitions, real-time updates, and improved performance.
Micro-frontends
Micro-frontend is an architectural approach that involves breaking down a frontend application into smaller, autonomous, and independently deployable parts.
Each part, known as a micro-frontend, focuses on a specific feature or functionality.
These micro-frontends can be developed using different technologies, frameworks, or programming languages, allowing teams to work independently and adopt the most suitable tools for their specific needs.
By decoupling the frontend into smaller units, development teams can work more efficiently, release updates and new features independently, and reduce the risk of code conflicts.
Micro-frontend architecture also enables teams to scale their applications more effectively, as they can selectively update or replace individual micro-frontends without impacting the entire application.
What I think going forward
As much as these are trending, it doesn't mean that you should start implementing them right away.
For example, you don't need to use micro-frontend architecture if your app is relatively small and you are on a low budget.
Also, if you are building app like a blog or portfolio website, SPA might be a better choice.
Coding assistants will not take developer jobs, at least not now, they will only serve as a helping hand.
Concluding Thoughts
The frontend development space is evolving faster than we can keep up with it. But jumping on the trends listed above can make you more relevant and put you ahead of your competitors.
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