Frontend developers are returning to Vanilla JavaScript. Here's how native APIs and AI tools are making plain JS the cure for framework fatigue.

The New Stack is a publication covering trends and technologies in cloud-native development, DevOps, and software delivery. Developers can learn about containerization, Kubernetes, and cloud computing, as well as explore topics such as microservices architecture, serverless computing, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

The New Stack

Modern browsers have matured to the point where native JavaScript APIs can replace framework functionality, leading developers to abandon heavy frameworks in favor of vanilla JavaScript. Native features like web components, ES modules, and the Fetch API now provide the modularity and reactivity that once required React or Vue, while delivering better performance and eliminating dependency bloat. AI coding assistants work more effectively with plain JavaScript than framework abstractions, and the no-build movement enables direct deployment without transpilation pipelines. This shift represents a cultural reset where developers prioritize fundamentals, performance, and maintainability over constantly learning new framework patterns.

Why Developers Are Ditching Frameworks for Vanilla JavaScript

The Rise of Microfrontends and No-Build Architectures

Learning Curve Fatigue and Developer Autonomy

I wrote the same article in 2015. Same old history, nothing’s new

Interesting, I think about it often, then at the same time I do not feel ready for it yet.

Whaaaaaa?! But I just started using Svelte!? I gotta ditch it now?!
Seriously though, who are these developers and who the f*ck cares what they’re doing? Use whatever you want or whatever you’re required to use.
I’ll continue to use frameworks because I enjoy coding in Svelte and occasionally Vue.

Recently dropped Jquery to go back to vanilla JS.

How should AI be more useful writing vanilla js when almost all projects it is trained on use frameworks?
I remember getting answers that use frameworks, when not even mentioning any framework in the prompt. Like: how can I do X in js.