Best of The New Stack — 2025

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The New Stack·31w
CSS Finally Gets Inline Conditional Logic With New if() Function
CSS now supports inline conditional logic through the new if() function in the 2025 W3C specification. This function allows developers to set different property values based on conditional tests using style queries, media queries, or feature queries. The syntax follows JavaScript's if-else pattern and can be used for tasks like theme switching, responsive design, and feature detection. Currently, Chrome and Edge support the function, while Safari and Firefox are still implementing it. This marks the first time CSS offers inline logic processing without requiring separate code blocks.
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The New Stack·1y
Best Terminal Applications for Development
The post explores five top terminal applications suited for development, highlighting their unique features and benefits. The discussed terminals include Warp, a modern terminal with built-in AI and advanced features; Windsurf, an 'agentic IDE' offering code suggestion and completions; Terminator, a popular multi-paned terminal with extensive customization options; Guake, a convenient, summonable terminal; and Contour, a straightforward terminal with powerful emulation capabilities. All these tools are available on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
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The New Stack·23w
ES2026 Solves JavaScript Headaches With Dates, Math and Modules
ECMAScript 2026 is set to introduce significant improvements to JavaScript, including Math.sumPrecise for more accurate floating-point calculations, Uint8Array base64 encoding methods, and enhanced JSON parsing with source text access. The release will improve internationalization with Intl.Locale enhancements for handling regional date/time formats and weekend variations. Major additions include the Temporal API to replace JavaScript's problematic Date object with better time zone handling and calendar support, explicit resource management with using blocks for automatic cleanup, and import defer for optimizing module loading performance. Additional features include Error.isError for reliable error checking, Iterator.concat for chaining iterators, Array.fromAsync for async iterables, and Map/WeakMap upsert operations.
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The New Stack·47w
Node.js 24: Your Next Big Frontend Upgrade?
Node.js 24 brings significant improvements including native TypeScript support, better ES Module compatibility, explicit resource management for automatic cleanup, and enhanced performance through V8 optimizations. Despite these advances, many developers continue using outdated versions like Node 12 and 18, creating security risks. The update addresses long-standing JavaScript challenges with resource management and introduces Watt, an application server that enables multi-threading and even PHP integration within Node.js applications.
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The New Stack·35w
Meet the 11-Year-Old Whose Code Was Adopted by a Gaming Giant
An 11-year-old programmer from Vietnam, Damir Buldakov, developed a Scratch SDK plugin for Playgama gaming platform that was officially adopted by the company. His JavaScript-based extension allows Scratch developers to connect their projects to Playgama's network of 300 million users. The gaming platform recognized his contribution with a mentorship program and financial award, demonstrating how young developers can make meaningful contributions to major tech platforms.
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The New Stack·46w
Build Your Own Private Cloud at Home With Docker
Docker containers can transform your home network into a private cloud alternative to third-party services. Key applications include Nextcloud for file storage and office suite functionality, Grocy for household management and meal planning, Tududi for task management with Telegram integration, Bitwarden for password management, and Portainer for container management through a web interface. These self-hosted solutions provide greater control, security, and privacy compared to cloud-based alternatives.
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The New Stack·43w
Software Architecture Is Finally Fixing Its Biggest Problem: Developer Experience
Software architecture should be treated as a product rather than a monument, focusing on developer experience and real-world outcomes. Successful architectures serve multiple users beyond engineering teams, including product managers, designers, and business stakeholders. The key is measuring architectural success through developer productivity metrics like deployment lead time and cross-team dependencies, while building roadmaps that align with business goals and reduce cognitive load for teams.
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The New Stack·21w
Web Components Are the Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
Web components are experiencing a resurgence as developers tire of framework complexity and bloated bundles. Native browser APIs like custom elements and Shadow DOM offer framework-agnostic, lightweight alternatives that work across React, Vue, or vanilla JavaScript without modification. Major browser support is now stable, and libraries like Lit have improved developer experience. The interoperability advantage makes web components ideal for design systems and microfrontends, allowing teams to build reusable UI components once and deploy them anywhere. As performance budgets tighten and framework fatigue sets in, the native web platform capabilities are proving sufficient for most modern applications.
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The New Stack·32w
Why We Created Turso, a Rust-Based Rewrite of SQLite
Turso is a Rust-based rewrite of SQLite designed to address modern development needs while maintaining compatibility. SQLite's single-writer architecture, synchronous design, and limited extensibility create bottlenecks for high-throughput writes, real-time applications, and modern features like vector search and CDC. Turso introduces asynchronous I/O, concurrent writes through MVCC, native encryption, vector search, CDC support, and live materialized views. The rewrite enables SQLite-like simplicity with architectural improvements for edge computing, AI agents, and streaming analytics while fostering an open contribution model with over 150 contributors.
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The New Stack·36w
Linux: Deploy a Honeypot to Catch Your Server’s Attackers
Learn how to deploy Cowrie, an open-source SSH/telnet honeypot on Ubuntu Server to detect and study unauthorized access attempts. The guide covers installation dependencies, creating a dedicated user, setting up a Python virtual environment, configuring port redirection, and monitoring logs to catch potential attackers before they reach production systems.
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The New Stack·34w
How Vite Became the Backbone of Modern Frontend Frameworks
Vite has rapidly become the dominant build tool for modern frontend frameworks within just five years. Created by Evan You, Vite leverages ES Modules to provide faster development experiences compared to Webpack. Starting as Vue Dev Server in 2019, it evolved into a framework-agnostic tool with Vite 2.0 in 2021, gaining adoption across Vue, React, Svelte, Astro, and other frameworks. You's company VoidZero is now developing Vite+, a unified toolchain that combines multiple Rust-based tools with AI integration features.
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The New Stack·46w
How (Human) Developers Should Upskill in the AI Era
Developers must adapt their skills for an AI-driven future by focusing on agent orchestration, business process understanding, and systems thinking rather than traditional coding. The new full-stack development includes technical depth, business acumen, and data science capabilities. Key areas for upskilling include building AI agent workflows, understanding business domains, and managing non-deterministic AI systems with proper evaluation and governance.
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The New Stack·1y
How To Master Vector Databases
Vector databases are specialized systems designed to handle high-dimensional data, such as images, text, and audio embeddings, effectively and efficiently. They excel in similarity searches and are integral to applications like recommendation systems, image retrieval, and anomaly detection. This guide offers insights into selecting the right vector database, understanding vector embeddings, and optimizing performance, featuring examples from popular vector databases like Milvus, Pinecone, and Weaviate.
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The New Stack·47w
How To Set up MacOS as a Development Machine
Setting up macOS for development involves installing essential tools like Homebrew for package management, choosing a better terminal application, and configuring development environments. Key steps include switching shells if needed, installing Git, setting up window management tools like Rectangle, and installing development tools such as Node.js through NVM and Docker. The process leverages macOS's Unix-like foundation and extensive tool availability to create a productive development environment.
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The New Stack·45w
How to Write Rust Code Like a Rustacean
A comprehensive guide to writing idiomatic Rust code, covering essential concepts like Option and Result types, iterators, pattern matching, and crates. The tutorial demonstrates practical examples including a command-line calculator, explains common beginner mistakes like ownership errors and lifetime confusion, and provides solutions for each issue. It emphasizes Rust's safety features, testing capabilities, and best practices for building robust applications.
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The New Stack·1y
ReactOS, an Open Source Take on Windows
ReactOS is an open-source operating system designed to be compatible with Windows applications. While it offers a free alternative to Microsoft Windows and includes features like software compatibility and security improvements, it still faces significant stability and usability issues. The project has made progress over the years, but it's currently not suitable for everyday use. ReactOS remains a work in progress and shows promise for those interested in contributing to its development.
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The New Stack·50w
Linux: Install a Web-Based Admin Console on Ubuntu Server
Cockpit provides a web-based graphical interface for managing Ubuntu Server, eliminating the need for command-line administration. The installation process involves installing the cockpit package, enabling the service, configuring firewall access on port 9090, and optionally adding Podman support for container management. Users need sudo privileges to access administrative functions, and the interface can be extended with additional plugins for features like file sharing.
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The New Stack·26w
The React Component Pyramid Scheme: An Over-Engineering Crisis
The pursuit of reusable React components has created over-engineered codebases filled with complex abstractions and prop-heavy components that are harder to maintain than simpler alternatives. The DRY principle, when applied dogmatically, leads to premature abstraction and components like Button.jsx that try to handle every use case with dozens of props and conditionals. Intentional code duplication is often more pragmatic than forced reuse, as it preserves clarity and allows code to evolve independently. The solution is adopting a post-reuse mindset that values simple, self-contained, context-aware components over universal abstractions, recognizing that the best component is one you can understand instantly rather than one you can use everywhere.
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The New Stack·44w
No Code Is Dead
Industry experts debate whether AI-powered "vibe coding" is killing traditional no-code platforms. While some argue that generative AI eliminates the need for drag-and-drop development tools, others believe AI will enhance visual development rather than replace it. Key concerns include technical debt from AI-generated code, the "orphan code" problem where non-technical users can't maintain what they create, and the need for enterprise governance. Leading platforms are integrating AI capabilities while maintaining visual interfaces and built-in security controls, suggesting a hybrid future rather than complete replacement.
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The New Stack·45w
Why React Is No Longer the Undisputed Champion of JavaScript
React's dominance in frontend development is being challenged by modern browsers, HTML-first frameworks, and developer preferences for simpler solutions. While React remains popular, alternatives like Astro, HTMX, and native DOM APIs are gaining traction by offering lighter, faster approaches. React Server Components represent React's attempt to adapt, but add complexity. The shift represents a move from React-by-default to choosing the right tool for each project, marking a post-React era of diversified frontend tooling.
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The New Stack·1y
Habits To Start Now To Become a Healthy Senior Coder
Kate Gregory's keynote at the Toronto CppNorth conference emphasized the importance of adopting healthy habits early to ensure a healthy old age as a programmer. Sharing insights from research and her personal experiences, Gregory provided practical advice on exercise, diet, hearing protection, and managing stress. She highlighted the benefits of a positive mindset on aging and encouraged making friends and finding a purpose at any age. Her talk aimed to inspire programmers to take proactive steps for long-term well-being.
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The New Stack·20w
Trends That Defined JavaScript in 2025
JavaScript in 2025 saw a shift toward performance optimization and web standards, with developers questioning React's dominance as modern browsers matured. Signals emerged as a key reactivity pattern across Angular, Vue, Solid, and Svelte. Compilers took on more optimization work, with React Compiler and Svelte 5's Runes automating performance improvements. VoidZero launched Vite+ as a unified Rust-based toolchain to address JavaScript's fragmentation. AI integration moved to the frontend through MCP servers and browser-based machine learning libraries, while new frameworks like Hono, Mastro, and Wasp addressed specific use cases from edge computing to multipage apps.
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The New Stack·1y
Garuda Linux Might Be the Best Looking Desktop OS on the Market
Garuda Linux, based on Arch Linux, offers a visually stunning desktop experience with its KDE Plasma desktop and Catppuccin theme. The latest release, Broadwing, includes several editions and enhanced features such as improved system responsiveness, customization options, and an extensive welcome app. While it may not be suitable for all users due to its higher system requirements and the technical know-how needed, it stands out for its aesthetics and functionality.
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The New Stack·1y
FerretDB 2.0: Open Source MongoDB With PostgreSQL Power
FerretDB, an open-source MongoDB proxy running on PostgreSQL, has released version 2.0 with significant performance improvements using the DocumentDB extension from Microsoft. This extension enables SQL queries for BSON data, making FerretDB a flexible on-premises alternative to MongoDB-compatible cloud services. FerretDB seeks to provide an open-source solution for MongoDB users, emphasizing vendor-neutrality and community-driven development through the OpenDocDB initiative.
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The New Stack·27w
Why the Frontend Should Run AI Models Locally With ONNX
Running AI models locally in the browser using ONNX Runtime Web offers significant advantages over cloud-based approaches. Local execution eliminates privacy concerns by keeping sensitive data on-device, enables offline functionality, and provides instant feedback loops. ONNX acts as a universal format for ML models, allowing models trained in PyTorch or TensorFlow to run anywhere via JavaScript. Angular's Signals feature (v16+) provides the performance isolation needed for heavy inference operations. The approach enables mixing local models for low-latency tasks with cloud calls for complex reasoning, while maintaining transparency about data handling.
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