Stop Chasing New JavaScript Frameworks: Build with Fundamentals Instead 🏗️

If you've been a web developer for more than five minutes, you've seen this pattern: every few months, a shiny new JavaScript framework emerges, promising to solve all your problems. Better performance! Cleaner syntax! More magic! But after years of jumping from AngularJS to React to Vue to Svelte (and now maybe Solid or Qwik), I've come to an important realization: constantly chasing the latest JavaScript framework is often a huge waste of time.

Don't get me wrong – innovation is fantastic, and each tool has its strengths. But eventually, you need to ask yourself: Am I building something meaningful, or just relearning how to build the same app in slightly different ways?

This article explores why the "framework hype cycle" might be holding you back, and why investing in fundamentals and stable tech could be a more rewarding path. You'll see that you already have the tools you need to create amazing things without constantly reinventing the wheel.

The Never-Ending JavaScript Hype Cycle

Let's face it – as JavaScript developers, we have a weakness for the new and shiny. The cycle typically goes like this:

1. The Next Big Thing launches: Someone releases a "game-changing" framework that's faster, smaller, and more elegant than anything before it. Developers everywhere get intrigued.

2. Everyone jumps on the hype train: Tech Twitter, blog posts, YouTube tutorials – the new framework is everywhere. Early adopters proclaim it as the future of web development.

3. Reality sets in: Companies with real products in production move cautiously. They need apps that work reliably, so adoption of new technologies is gradual.

4. The hype fades: Eventually, the "revolutionary" framework matures, accumulates complexity, and starts to resemble the ones it aimed to replace. The initial excitement wanes.

5. Repeat with a new name: Soon another "hot" framework appears, and the cycle begins again with a slightly different twist.

Remember when Vue.js was supposed to dethrone React? Then Svelte was going to make them all obsolete. Now we're hearing similar claims about Solid or Qwik. Meanwhile, React and Angular continue to dominate the industry, and jQuery (yes, that 2006-era library) still quietly powers countless websites. The tools evolve, but the hype cycle persists.

At some point in this loop, I had to step back and ask myself: What am I actually gaining by switching frameworks every year? In many cases, the answer was "not much."

Rewriting Your App Again (and Again) Slows You Down

I enjoy trying new tech as much as anyone. The promise of better developer experience and improved efficiency can be genuinely enticing. But every time I jumped to a new framework, I paid a price in productivity. Consider what happens when you adopt Latest-and-Greatest.js:

• You learn a new component syntax and project structure (again)
• You figure out yet another state management approach
• You sift through documentation and chase down quirks unique to that framework
• You might even migrate or rewrite existing components to fit the new paradigm
• You spend time convincing your team (or yourself) that this switch is worthwhile

And after all that effort... you often end up building the same features you already had. A toggle button, a form, a list of items – the functionality hasn't changed, only the implementation details.

For perspective, here's a simple counter component that increments a number when clicked, implemented in three different frameworks:

// Using React (JSX)
import { useState } from 'react';

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
  return (
    <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
      Clicked {count} times
    </button>
  );
}

<!-- Using Vue.js (with the Options API) -->
<div id="app">
  <button @click="count++">Clicked {{ count }} times</button>
</div>
<script>
  new Vue({
    el: '#app',
    data: { count: 0 }
  });
</script>

<!-- Using Svelte -->
<script>
  let count = 0;
</script>

<button on:click={() => count += 1}>
  Clicked {count} times
</button>

Each framework has its own syntax and quirks, but they're all doing the exact same thing: updating a counter on button click. Every framework switch means relearning these nuances and rewriting components you've built before. It's fun to experiment, but when you're trying to ship real projects, this constant rewiring drains your momentum.

I eventually realized I was spending more time learning frameworks than actually building useful features. My list of product ideas wasn't getting shorter just because I refactored them from Framework X to Framework Y. Rewriting everything is exciting initially, but it doesn't add value to your end product or users.

"The Best Framework" Doesn't Exist (Only Trade-offs)

Tech discussions often devolve into debates about which framework reigns supreme. Here's the truth: there is no single "best" framework. Every option involves trade-offs:

• React: Huge ecosystem and community, but you'll deal with boilerplate and complex rendering patterns (think useEffect dependencies or reconciliation quirks).

• Vue: Intuitive and developer-friendly for beginners, but introduces its own conventions (single-file components, Vue-specific state libraries) that you must adopt.

• Svelte: Eliminates boilerplate with built-in reactivity, but requires a compile step and offers a smaller ecosystem. You can't simply drop a Svelte component into an existing app without that build process.

• SolidJS: Offers React-like syntax with impressive performance, but being newer means a smaller community and fewer resources when you get stuck.

• Angular: A complete, batteries-included framework with clear structure – but comes with a steep learning curve and can feel heavy for smaller projects.

In reality, every framework has strengths and weaknesses. When you jump from one to another, you're trading one set of problems for a different set. The shiny new framework might solve some issues, but it will introduce new challenges of its own.

Once I understood this, I stopped searching for a mythical perfect framework and focused on what really matters – the fundamentals of building good software.

The Reality: Fundamentals Outlast Hype (and Pay the Bills)

Here's a reality check: companies and serious projects prioritize stability and maintainability over trendy tech. Look at job postings or talk to hiring managers – the technologies mentioned repeatedly are the established ones. React appears in over 57% of all job listings that mention a front-end framework, with Angular second at about 32%. Vue has a respectable share as well. The newer options? They're still niche in the job market.

A cutting-edge startup might experiment with Svelte, Solid, or whatever trended on Hacker News yesterday. But most production applications at established companies aren't being rewritten wholesale just because something is cool this month. It's risky and expensive to constantly change tech stacks. Businesses need code that's proven to work and easy to maintain. They'll choose a stable stack the team knows well over a hot new framework with unknown pitfalls.

What does this mean for developers? It means that mastering core skills and widely-used tools will take you further in your career than knowing every new framework. The fundamentals of JavaScript (and TypeScript), solid knowledge of the DOM, HTML, CSS, and understanding how to design clean, modular code – those skills remain in demand indefinitely. They transcend the framework-of-the-year.

Fun fact: jQuery might be old news in terms of hype, but it's still running on more sites than most modern frameworks. And the underlying DOM APIs that jQuery simplified are still there for direct use. A developer with strong DOM and vanilla JS knowledge can often achieve the same results with just a few extra lines of code – no fancy framework needed.

Frameworks Won't Automatically Make You a Better Developer

I once believed that learning every new framework would level up my skills. "If I can list Expert in React/Vue/Svelte/Solid on my resume, I'll be versatile and highly skilled," I thought. In reality, framework-hopping taught me about differences between tools, but not necessarily about writing better code or building better products.

The truth is, being a great developer isn't about which framework you know – it's about understanding how to solve problems:

• Breaking down complex features into simpler components or modules
• Writing clean, readable code with good architecture, regardless of tools used
• Knowing how to debug issues, write tests, and handle edge cases
• Understanding performance bottlenecks (why certain algorithms are slow, how rendering works under the hood)
• Being able to pick up any framework as needed because you understand the underlying concepts

If you hop between frameworks but treat them as black boxes, you might miss the deeper lessons of front-end development. Conversely, if you strengthen your core JavaScript skills, learn design patterns, or explore browser Web APIs, you'll find it easier to work with any framework (or none at all). You might discover you can accomplish a lot with just the platform itself.

An Example: Web Components Over Frameworks

One often overlooked set of fundamentals is the Web Components standard. It lets you create reusable custom elements natively in the browser, without any framework. Here's a simple Web Component that functions like our counter example – using only vanilla JS and browser APIs:

// Defining a custom web component (no frameworks involved)
class MyCounter extends HTMLElement {
  constructor() {
    super();
    this.count = 0;
    // Attach a shadow DOM for encapsulation
    this.attachShadow({ mode: 'open' });
    // Create a button in the shadow DOM
    this.button = document.createElement('button');
    this._updateButton(); // set initial text
    this.button.addEventListener('click', () => {
      this.count++;
      this._updateButton();
    });
    this.shadowRoot.appendChild(this.button);
  }

  _updateButton() {
    this.button.textContent = `Clicked ${this.count} times`;
  }
}
customElements.define('my-counter', MyCounter);

You could use <my-counter></my-counter> in your HTML, and it would work just like our earlier examples. This isn't to say you should never use frameworks – but it shows that the platform itself has powerful features worth learning. By deepening your knowledge of core web technologies, you become less dependent on any single framework's abstractions.

The skills gained from such exploration (understanding events, efficient DOM manipulation, component encapsulation) will apply everywhere. They'll make you better at using React, Vue, or whatever you choose, because you'll understand what's happening behind the scenes.

What I'm Doing Instead of Chasing Frameworks

I haven't sworn off new frameworks entirely (they're still fun to explore!). But I have changed my approach:

• Double down on fundamentals: I invest more time sharpening my core JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML, and CSS skills. It's amazing how many "magical" framework features are just clever applications of language fundamentals. Understanding closures and the module pattern can help you write simple state management without any library.

• Use frameworks as tools, not dogma: Now I choose frameworks based on project requirements and team expertise, not novelty. If my team knows React well and we need to build quickly, we stick with React. If I'm adding a small feature to a mostly vanilla JS project, I might not use a framework at all.

• Build real projects (even small ones): Nothing teaches better than creating something end-to-end. Instead of rewriting the same demo in 5 frameworks, I focus on building useful projects with tools I already know. Working on my own app, Kollabe, taught me more about software development and teamwork than framework migrations ever could. By building a real product, I learned about managing growing complexity, handling user feedback, and performance optimization – lessons that stick.

• Keep an eye on trends, but bet on proven tech for serious work: I stay aware of new libraries and developments (I'm a developer after all!). I'll experiment with them in small projects or study their concepts. But for production code or anything with deadlines, I rely on stable, well-documented technology. It's less about being conservative and more about being pragmatic. I can always adopt new tools once they prove their value and address a specific need.

This shift in focus has brought more peace of mind and productivity. I no longer panic that "FrameworkXYZ 1.0 just launched, I'm falling behind!" Instead, I evaluate new tech calmly and often find that my existing skills are sufficient to do the job well.

Final Thoughts

Frameworks will come and go. Today it's React vs. Svelte, yesterday it was Angular vs. Backbone, tomorrow it will be something else entirely. The specific tools you use will evolve throughout your career – that's normal. But the underlying principles of good software development remain constant. Clean code, thoughtful architecture, problem-solving skills, and deep understanding of your tools will serve you better than constantly chasing the latest trend.

When you see a flashy new framework trending, by all means check it out (curiosity is valuable!). But remember that you don't need to rebuild your entire workflow around it. You're not "falling behind" just because you haven't rewritten your app in NewHotness.js this month. You might actually be doing yourself and your users a favor by focusing on stability and meaningful improvements to what you already have.

Stay passionate, keep learning, but maintain perspective. At the end of the day, building something that works and helps people is more fulfilling than chasing hype. Use the tools that make sense for your situation, master the fundamentals, and you'll be ready for any technology wave that comes – no burnout required.

Keep coding, keep growing, and most importantly, enjoy the journey.

Oh and shameless 🔌 If your team runs retrospectives, check out my free tool Kollabe.