jQuery Alternatives 2024
![](https://geekszine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/jquery-alternatives-2024-2025.jpg)
Since its release in 2006, jQuery has been a staple in web development for the web devs a— simplifying JavaScript and making it more accessible across the whole globe until now at the time of writing this post in 2024. However, as the web has obviously evolved much since 2006 until now, so do the tools and libraries available to developers, and almost for every typical task/project there’s a separate library to increase the dev’s functionality manifolds. Today, numerous alternatives to jQuery provide powerful features, better performance, and modern approaches to handling web development tasks . This GeeksZine post would explore several of these alternatives in depth, including their features, advantages, and code examples to help you transition smoothly from jQuery as we also had written a similar post about jQuery Alternatives a year or so ago that you can check here too. This post, has introduction to each alternative and we have tried to come up with a code example to make it easy for you to understand.
#1 React
We have noticed that React has been a JavaScript library for quite some years now, especially since the appearance of Facebook on the scene and you all know we have the opportunity for building user interfaces, maintained by Facebook and it’s 2024 now so you can see how long it has been ruling the rooster, boys. It allows developers to create large web applications that can change data without reloading the page. React emphasizes reusable components, making it a powerful tool for building modern web applications. React’s component-based architecture encourages the creation of reusable components, and its virtual DOM efficiently updates and renders components. The JSX syntax combines HTML with JavaScript, and state management within components is handled using hooks. For example, in a simple React component, you can use hooks to manage the state and update the message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, rendering the component dynamically with ReactDOM.
Example of Simple Component
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
function App() {
const [message, setMessage] = useState('');
const handleClick = () => {
setMessage('Hello, World!');
};
return (
<div>
<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>
<div>{message}</div>
</div>
);
}
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('root'));
#2 Vanilla JavaScript
Don’t get confused with this, as many might do in the beginning, we all should know that Vanilla JavaScript refers to using plain JavaScript without any additional libraries, and that’s all. With the advent of ECMAScript 6 (ES6) and beyond, many features that jQuery offers are now natively available (in 2024) in the language, making jQuery unnecessary for many tasks. Vanilla JavaScript’s key features include query selection with document.querySelector and document.querySelectorAll, event handling with addEventListener, AJAX requests with the fetch API, and modern DOM manipulation methods like classList, append, and remove. For example, in a simple HTML document, you can use Vanilla JavaScript to manipulate the DOM and handle events by attaching an event listener to a button that appends a new div element with a “Hello, World!” message to the content div when clicked.
Example – DOM Manipulation and Event Handling
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Vanilla JavaScript Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<button id="myButton">Click me</button>
<div id="content"></div>
<script>
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
const button = document.getElementById('myButton');
const content = document.getElementById('content');
button.addEventListener('click', () => {
const newDiv = document.createElement('div');
newDiv.textContent = 'Hello, World!';
content.appendChild(newDiv);
});
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
#3 Vue.js
Personally, we have been liking Vue for quite some time now, and it still gets the projects done amazingly, without letting us dwell in the doldrums of confusion and, for the intro you should know that Vue.js is a progressive JavaScript framework used for building user interfaces. Unlike monolithic frameworks, Vue is designed from the ground up to be incrementally adoptable. The core library focuses on the view layer only, making it easy to integrate with other libraries or existing projects. Vue’s reactive data binding simplifies data binding with a declarative syntax, and its component system supports single-file components. Built-in transition effects enhance the user experience, and the Vue CLI provides a command-line interface for scaffolding and managing projects. For instance, a simple Vue component can be created to update a message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, leveraging Vue’s reactivity system and declarative event handling.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Vue.js Example</title>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/vue@2"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="app">
<button @click="sayHello">Click me</button>
<div>{{ message }}</div>
</div>
<script>
new Vue({
el: '#app',
data: {
message: ''
},
methods: {
sayHello() {
this.message = 'Hello, World!';
}
}
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
#4 Angular JS
Angular, developed by Google, is a platform and framework for building single-page client applications using HTML and TypeScript. It implements core and optional functionality as a set of TypeScript libraries that you import into your applications. Angular’s two-way data binding synchronizes data between the model and the view, while dependency injection promotes a modular approach to application development. Built with TypeScript, Angular offers type safety and modern JavaScript features, supported by comprehensive documentation and a large community. For example, an Angular component can be created to update a message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, utilizing Angular’s two-way data binding and event handling.
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
@Component({
selector: 'app-root',
template: `
<button (click)="sayHello()">Click me</button>
<div>{{ message }}</div>
`,
styles: []
})
export class AppComponent {
message: string = '';
sayHello() {
this.message = 'Hello, World!';
}
}
#5 Alpine
This one created a revolutionary havoc and why should not it, Alpine.js has been offering a declarative and reactive approach to building user interfaces, similar to Vue.js, but with a much smaller footprint. It’s often described as the “tailwind of JavaScript frameworks.” Alpine.js is lightweight, making it easy to include in any project. It uses HTML attributes to control behavior, providing a declarative syntax, and features built-in reactivity similar to Vue.js. Alpine.js is easy to integrate with existing libraries and frameworks. For example, a simple Alpine.js component can be created to update a message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, utilizing Alpine’s declarative attributes and reactivity.
Alpine.Js Example with code
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Alpine.js Example</title>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/alpinejs" defer></script>
</head>
<body>
<div x-data="{ message: '' }">
<button @click="message = 'Hello, World!'">Click me</button>
<div x-text="message"></div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
#6 Svelte
Wow! What can we say more, Svelte needs no more introduction as it has been a radical new approach to building user interfaces in 2024 and we are adapting to it, not just us, but the whole Dev community has been. Whereas traditional frameworks like React and Vue do the bulk of their work in the browser, Svelte shifts that work into a compile step that happens when you build your app. Svelte does not use a virtual DOM; instead, it directly manipulates the DOM for better performance. It features a built-in reactivity system and generates a small bundle size, making compiled code smaller and more efficient. For instance, a simple Svelte component can be created to update a message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, taking advantage of Svelte’s straightforward and intuitive syntax.
Let’s See Svelte Example Below
<script>
let message = '';
function sayHello() {
message = 'Hello, World!';
}
</script>
<button on:click={sayHello}>Click me</button>
<div>{message}</div>
#7 Preact
Preact is a fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API. It’s an efficient library for building user interfaces and offers a familiar API for those accustomed to React. Preact’s compact size makes it ideal for performance-critical applications, and its API compatibility with React facilitates easy transitions. Preact is highly optimized for speed and efficiency and is compatible with the React ecosystem and tools. For example, a simple Preact component can be created to update a message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, leveraging Preact’s hooks for state management and efficient rendering.
Here is Preact Code Example
import { h, render } from 'preact';
import { useState } from 'preact/hooks';
function App() {
const [message, setMessage] = useState('');
const handleClick = () => {
setMessage('Hello, World!');
};
return (
<div>
<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>
<div>{message}</div>
</div>
);
}
render(<App />, document.getElementById('root'));
#8 Lit
Lit is a simple library for building fast, lightweight web components. Developed by the Polymer Project, Lit aims to make it easier to create and use web components with a minimalistic approach. Lit leverages the native Web Components standard and includes a reactivity system that automatically updates the DOM when properties change. Its lightweight nature results in minimal overhead with a small footprint. Lit’s ease of use simplifies working with custom elements. For instance, a simple Lit component can be created to update a message displayed in the component when a button is clicked, using Lit’s reactive properties and declarative event handling.
Lit Component Example
import { LitElement, html, css } from 'lit';
import { property } from 'lit/decorators.js';
class MyElement extends LitElement {
@property({ type: String }) message = '';
static styles = css`
button {
font-size: 1.2em;
}
`;
render() {
return html`
<button @click=${this.sayHello}>Click me</button>
<div>${this.message}</div>
`;
}
sayHello() {
this.message = 'Hello, World!';
}
}
customElements.define('my-element', MyElement);
As we move further into 2024 and get closer to 2025 and its demands for web apps and related projects, the landscape of web dev continues to evolve with new tools and frameworks that offer significant advantages over older technologies like jQuery. Whether you choose to use Vanilla JavaScript, React, Vue.js, Angular, Svelte, Alpine.js, Preact, or Lit, each of these alternatives provides a modern, efficient, and powerful way to build web applications. They cater to different needs and preferences, allowing developers to select the best tool for their specific use cases. By exploring these options and their features, you can stay ahead in the ever-changing world of web development and build faster, more maintainable, and user-friendly applications.