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As a backend developer, where do I even start with frontend? Feeling major choice paralysis (feddit.dk)

submitted 6 days ago by SorteKanin@feddit.dk to c/webdev@programming.dev

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I'm an experienced backend developer. To me, the backend world seems super simple compared to the frontend world.

It seems like there are a million options and I don't have the experience to say what's good and what's not. I'm hit with major choice paralysis, basically.

I don't have any special requirements - I "just" want to build a pretty standard, responsive, modern-looking UI. Ideally without too much boilerplate, in a framework that "feels good", in a way that might at some point attract other contributors as well, if I get to the point of open sourcing.

Of course I could just reach for the most popular thing i.e. React, but that doesn't seem to be the "hip" thing to use nowadays (or maybe I'm wrong? What do I know, I'm a backend dev).

But even if I choose a framework, there's a million other libraries out there to choose as well. For instance, which UI library to choose? What about observability and state management and authentication and so on?

Sorry if this is a bit ranty. I am honestly just looking for an experienced frontend developer to point me in some direction (i.e. some set of frameworks/libraries; a "stack" if you will), so I can get out of this choice paralysis.

What would be your go-to stack for a new frontend project today?

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[–] Kissaki@programming.dev 28 points 6 days ago (2 children)

If you don't care too much and don't have experience yet, why not go for native browser and HTML/CSS/JavaScript?

Even if you eventually migrate to other web UI libs and frameworks, the foundations knowledge will be useful.

[–] Benign@fedia.io 15 points 6 days ago

Aye. K.I.S.S. has been forgotten in frontend. Its so simple to make basic sites. No need for huge ass frameworks or complicated build pipes most of the time.

[–] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

why not go for native browser and HTML/CSS/JavaScript?

I guess because you end up rewriting a lot of stuff manually, rather than going for tried-and-true solutions that work out of the box? I mean isn't that the same as every framework, regardless if we're talking JS or frontend or backend or whatever. I mean I use a framework in the backend as well, I'm not about to roll my own routing system and manually listening to a socket and everything.

I totally get the sentiment of KISS, but if you know that your site will not be super simple and will need interactivity and the possibility of complex workflows, isn't the raw HTML/CSS/JS kinda limiting? That's the impression I'm getting from what I've read online.

[–] Kissaki@programming.dev 3 points 5 days ago

I don't know what you're looking for, and what your "not super simple" is, but baseline browser tech provides various controls, layout mechanisms, styling, interactivity, etc.

Do you have a concrete idea of what and where specifically you hope for gains by using frameworks? Do you plan to hold a lot of state on the client that needs state separated from the DOM and its mechanisms? Do you want a standard library of styled components instead of using the native ones or styling them yourself? Do you want more robust JavaScript? Those are all very different concerns and requirements.

I like the low complexity, low barrier, low requirements of baseline web tech. The native html form controls may arguably look "ugly", but those can be styled, individually or through a style-only CSS lib.