Rediscovering the Core: Leaving React Behind
For years, React was my go-to. It was fast, expressive, and part of the default stack for any serious web project. But somewhere along the way, what began as a productive tool became a source of frustration. I didn’t stop using React because it was bad—I stopped because I no longer needed it.
The Allure of React—and Its Cost
React’s strengths are clear: component-based architecture, a declarative approach to UI, and a rich ecosystem. But these advantages often come with hidden trade-offs:
- Complex build tooling: Even a “simple” app often demands Webpack, Babel, or Vite just to get started.
- State management overhead: What should be basic UI state sometimes spirals into Redux or Context rabbit holes.
- Mental context switching: JSX, hooks, and synthetic events create a layer of abstraction that distances you from the DOM.
At some point, I realized I was spending more time managing the framework than building features.