Evaluate case for "little sites" written in vanilla JavaScript

hancush commented 3 years ago

Background

ES6+ has added some really nice functionality that makes writing JavaScript more sensical and enjoyable than ever before. @fgregg implemented a single-page app to determine the historic ground cover in a user's area in vanilla JavaScript and HTML. Similarly, I really enjoyed the developer experience of the IHS displacement risk map, which is also vanilla JavaScript and HTML. "Little sites" provide a compelling opportunity to write and deploy small but mighty applications relatively quickly.

Proposal

Our JavaScript stack includes Gatsby for static sites and React components for more highly interactive elements. Is there a missing, simpler option for single-page apps? Let's develop our thoughts.

Deliverables

This R&D effort should examine the case for "little sites":

Do we currently create many apps that could be "little sites"?
What are the pros and cons of writing single page apps in vanilla JavaScript? How does it compare to Gatsby? This analysis should take into account developer experience, deployment, browser compatibility, and maintainability, among any other relevant dimensions.
When does it make sense to write a "little site"? What are signs another stack would be more appropriate?

Timeline

I expect anyone on staff could draft a proposal in 1-2 days.

hancush commented 2 years ago

Started in hcg/lil-js: https://github.com/datamade/how-to/tree/hcg/lil-js

hancush commented 2 years ago

@derekeder will review the docs PR!

datamade / how-to