Z Js Framework

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Problem

I wanted to explore what a minimal single page application framework could look like using just enhanced HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Core Idea

A low mental overhead framework designed to enhance native web technologies. No virtual DOM, no build step required, just progressive enhancement for single page applications.

Tradeoffs

Not suited for large-scale applications with complex state trees. Smaller ecosystem compared to established frameworks. Limited tooling and editor support.

javascriptframeworkopen-source
Source Code

Overview#

Z Js is a JavaScript framework I built to explore what a minimal single page application framework could look like, focusing on progressive enhancement over abstraction.

Design Philosophy#

The core idea is progressive enhancement. Instead of replacing HTML with JSX or templates, Z Js enhances standard HTML with reactive bindings. Instead of inventing new patterns for state, it uses plain JavaScript objects with change tracking.

What I Learned#

Building a framework from scratch taught me how reactivity systems work under the hood, how DOM diffing compares to direct manipulation, and why certain tradeoffs exist in popular frameworks.