htmx vs. React: Choosing the right library for your project

Written by Temitope Oyedele✏️

htmx and React are two frontend libraries that address various demands and preferences, and there's been a lot of buzz around them. In this article, we'll take a look at both libraries and provide a practical summary of each one’s goal, features, benefits, and drawbacks.

At the end of this article, we'll compare htmx and React using principles like ease of integration, learning curve, development methodology, and use cases. The purpose of this comparison is to help you decide which library is most suited to your project.

What is htmx?

htmx, which stands for “HTML extensions,” is a lightweight JavaScript library that extends HTML through attributes, allowing you to achieve dynamic behaviors without writing much JavaScript. It was created by Carson Gross to enhance server-rendered HTML pages, making it easy to add interactivity with minimal effort.

htmx is particularly useful if your projects requires simple enhancements to existing pages, such as adding AJAX-driven updates, handling form submissions more gracefully, CSS transitions, WebSockets, and even events sent on the server.

htmx extension mechanism

htmx enhances the capabilities of HTML by introducing new attributes that allow for dynamic, AJAX-like behavior directly within HTML. This is the most straightforward and visible aspect of htmx's extension mechanism.

Attributes prefixed with hx- — such as hx-get, hx-post, and others — allow HTML elements to issue HTTP requests, handle responses, and update the DOM without writing JavaScript. So, you can define how and when an element should make a request to the server, what kind of request it should be, and how you want to handle the response.

For example, let's take a look at this code below:

<div id="blog-posts">
  <!-- Blog posts will be loaded here -->
</div>

<button
  hx-get="/api/v1/blog-posts"
  hx-trigger="click"
  hx-target="#blog-posts"
  hx-swap="beforeend"
>
  Load More
</button>

In the code above:

• The hx-get attribute specifies the URL from which to fetch more blog posts
• The hx-trigger attribute indicates that the request should be made when the button is clicked
• The hx-target attribute specifies that the response should be inserted into the #blog-posts div
• The hx-swap attribute with the value beforeend means that the new content will be appended to the end of the target element

When the user clicks the Load More button, htmx will issue a GET request to /api/v1/blog-posts, fetch the new blog posts, and then append them to the #blog-posts div without reloading the page.

Also, htmx doesn’t follow the React rule of using JavaScript to dynamically update the DOM based on the application's state, which is managed within the JavaScript environment. Instead, in htmx, the server responds with HTML, and then you can use HTML itself to manage both the message — or the content to be displayed — and the state.

So, when a server responds with HTML in an htmx context, this HTML can include both the updated content and any necessary state information.

Another thing to note about htmx is that it does not require client-side functionality to update the interface states based on server responses. Instead, htmx relies exclusively on the server to update the state.

As a result, some developers refer to htmx as the opposite of a JavaScript framework. While a JavaScript framework typically manages states on the client side and then updates the HTML display, htmx does the exact opposite.

Features of htmx

Some of the primary features of htmx include:

• Server-side rendering: htmx uses server-side rendering to improve SEO and reduce time-to-first-content (FCP). This means that the initial HTML is rendered on the server, reducing the client's workload
• Reactive components: htmx introduces a novel concept called "reactive components," which allows efficient updates to the DOM without requiring a full page reload. This results in faster and more seamless interactions for users
• Incremental loading: htmx supports incremental loading, thus allowing developers to load only the necessary resources, reducing page weight and improving overall performance
• Easy integration with backend technologies: htmx is designed to work seamlessly with backend technologies like Node.js, Python, or Go, making it an excellent choice for building fast, data-driven applications

As you can see, htmx is a great alternative to frontend frameworks and libraries like React that offers many crucial features to address modern development needs. It emphasizes both UX and DX with its approach to server efficiency, reactivity, and more.

Pros and cons of htmx

Like any framework or library, htmx is not a perfect solution. Some of its strengths include that it:

• Is lightweight and requires no complex build steps
• Integrates effortlessly with server-side frameworks
• Has an easy learning curve, which makes it accessible to developers familiar with HTML

However, some drawbacks you should be aware of include:

• htmx offers a limited set of features compared to full-fledged JavaScript frameworks
• It might not be the best fit for building complex single-page applications (SPAs)

That being said, htmx could be a great choice depending on your needs. To understand this better, let’s next look at who should use htmx and why.

Why use htmx?

One of the reasons to use htmx is its ability to integrate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into a single, cohesive library. This allows developers to create rich, interactive user interfaces that are easy to maintain and update.

But what about backend developers who love flexibility — for example, working with other server-side languages that are not influenced by JavaScript? htmx solves that by enabling you to render that HTML content and provide an SPA-like experience with whatever server-side language you choose.

Another reason to use htmx is its support for two-way data binding. This means that changes made to data in your application are automatically reflected in the UI, and vice versa. This makes building responsive, real-time applications that react quickly to user input easier.

Who should use htmx?

Understanding who should use htmx comes down to three things:

• State management strategy: htmx is designed to enhance HTML with AJAX, WebSockets, and other dynamic behaviors directly via attributes, so it leans towards server-side state management. State is primarily handled on the server, and htmx reflects changes on the client side without full page reloads. If your application's architecture is server-centric and you're comfortable with the server managing the state, htmx could be a good fit
• User trust level: In situations where user trust is limited, such as in financial applications with high data sensitivity, htmx may be a better fit. This is because htmx places a greater emphasis on server-side logic, which can simplify client-side complexity and enhance overall performance. Additionally, by keeping and processing sensitive information on the server, htmx minimizes the likelihood of compromising critical data or functionality
• Developer profile: If you prefer working with server-side languages like PHP, Ruby, or Python, and love simplicity, performance, backend flexibility, but not the complexity of JavaScript frameworks, htmx is an excellent choice. On the other hand, if you prefer building applications with JavaScript and use client-side rendering, you might prefer JavaScript-heavy frameworks or libraries like React or Vue.js

Now that we’ve explored htmx in depth, let’s briefly review React and then compare the two libraries.

React: Building complex user interfaces

React, as you likely know, is a JavaScript library for developing user interfaces. It introduces component-based architecture, which allows developers to create reusable UI elements. React's virtual DOM helps enable efficient updates, which makes it suitable for apps that require heavy user interactions and dynamic data changes.

Its primary features include:

• Components: Modular, reusable pieces of code that each represent a part of the UI
• Props: Send data from parent to child components for more flexibility and better data flow management
• Lifecycle methods: Helps manage local data and behavior
• Virtual DOM: Helps optimize rendering and updating the UI

Some of the pros of React include:

• Supports a component-based architecture, thereby enabling code reusability and modularity
• Large ecosystem with a wealth of libraries and tools
• Highly performant, especially for complex applications

Meanwhile, some cons of React are that:

• It has a steeper learning curve, which often requires having knowledge of modern JavaScript, JSX, and state management
• The setup for a React project can be more involved. More often than not, you need tools like webpack and Babel to assist you during project setup

If you’d like to review any React concepts before moving on, feel free to check out our React article archives.

State management in React

The way React handles state management differs from htmx. It uses a client-side state management approach. In React, each component can have its own state, which can be manipulated independently of other components. Hooks like useState and useReducer are used for managing local component state.

For instance:

import React, { useState } from 'react';
function Counter() {
 const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
 return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
        Click me
      </button>
    </div>
 );
}

In the code above, we have a functional component called Counter. The component uses the useState hook to manage the state of the component. The variable count keeps track of how many times the button has been clicked.

React also supports libraries like Redux, MobX, and many more for complex state management needs. They allow you to manage the global application state more efficiently and keep the state predictable and consistent across the application.

Who should use React and why?

React is particularly suitable for developers who:

• Prefer working with JavaScript and enjoy building complex, interactive user interfaces
• Need a powerful state management solution to handle complex state changes
• Are comfortable with a more complex development environment and ecosystem

React should be your go-to for projects that require scalability and interactivity. It excels in scenarios where the UI is complex, with many moving parts that need to be kept in sync. React is also ideal when you want to build an SPA with a fluid UX that’s uninterrupted by page reloads.

Choosing between React and htmx

When deciding between htmx and React for your web development project, it's important to compare them based on several factors to determine which technology aligns best with your needs.

Ease of integration

htmx is designed to work seamlessly with traditional SSR, allowing you to enhance HTML with interactive features using custom attributes. This makes it a plug-and-play solution that you can quickly integrate into existing projects without the need for a JavaScript-centric infrastructure.

Meanwhile, since React is a comprehensive UI toolkit, it often requires a more involved setup using tools such as webpack and Babel to transpile JSX and manage modules. You may also need additional configurations, especially in projects that were not initially architected with a JavaScript framework or library in mind.

Development workflow

Working with htmx is simple and direct, as it allows you to add dynamic behavior to web pages using attributes within your HTML. Reducing the need for extensive JavaScript can streamline your development process, especially for backend developers or teams that prefer to work within HTML code and avoid complex JavaScript frameworks.

React's workflow, in contrast, is centered around a component-based architecture, where UI elements are encapsulated as reusable components. This approach can improve the organization and scalability of the codebase but may involve a steeper learning curve.

Learning curve

htmx has a simple learning curve, particularly if you’re already familiar with traditional web development approaches. It extends HTML by adding attributes that enable dynamic behavior, such as AJAX requests, directly within the markup.

React, while powerful, requires you to understand several concepts that can be overwhelming for newcomers. These include component state management, a virtual DOM, and JSX, a syntax extension that combines HTML with JavaScript.

Mastering React involves a higher initial investment in learning. In comparison, the htmx approach is less intimidating for developers who are not deeply entrenched in JavaScript.

Use cases

htmx is ideal if your project requires dynamic interactivity without the overhead of a full frontend framework, or simple to moderate changes to server-rendered pages. Backend developers can also use htmx to create interaction without dealing with frontend code.

React is ideal for building single-page applications (SPAs) and complex web applications that demand a rich, interactive user experience. It excels in scenarios where advanced state management is needed and where the UI consists of many dynamic and interdependent components.

Reactivity

htmx's approach to reactivity is straightforward and server-centric. It relies on making server requests for HTML snippets and swapping out parts of the page with the new content.

This process is declarative, with custom attributes in the markup indicating what should happen when an event occurs. For example:

<div hx-get="/update-content" hx-trigger="click">
  Click to Update Content
</div>

Here, clicking on the div will fetch content from /update-content and replace the div's content with the response.

React's approach to reactivity is more complex and involves a deeper understanding of JavaScript, components, and state management. Its reactivity is managed through the component lifecycle and stateful logic within the components. For example:

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
  return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
        Click me
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

This component will re-render and update the displayed count each time the button is clicked.

Framework philosophy

htmx follows a traditional web development approach, enhancing server-rendered HTML. React adopts a modern, component-based architecture, encouraging developers to think differently about UI development.

State management

htmx's approach simplifies state management because it relies on server-rendered HTML for the UI. The server is responsible for maintaining the state and rendering the corresponding HTML based on the current state.

React, on the other hand, uses a client-side state management approach. Each React component has its own state, which you can manipulate independently of other components.

Community and ecosystem

Since its first release in 2020, htmx has grown in popularity to over 30k stars on GitHub, which looks promising. However, it has yet to dethrone React, which boasts over 220k stars on GitHub.

As a more established framework, React also benefits from a rich ecosystem of tools and libraries that not only enhance productivity but also add to its complexity and supports you in creating highly responsive and performant applications.

htmx vs. React comparison table

You can find the similarities and differences between htmx and React that we discussed above summarized in the table below for easier comparison:

Conclusion

While both htmx and React provide powerful tools for building web applications, they do so in different ways and are suited to different types of projects. You should choose between htmx and React based on the complexity of state management and reactivity needed for your particular project.

htmx's server-side state management approach is more straightforward, making it suitable for applications where your server is responsible for managing the state and rendering the UI. React's client-side state management approach is more flexible and powerful, making it suitable for complex, stateful applications that need client-side state management.

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