htmx ~ Why Gumroad Didn't Choose htmx
htmx ~ Why Gumroad Didn't Choose htmx
Sahil Lavingia, CEO of Gumroad, explains why Gumroad chose React/Next.js over htmx for their new project, Helper. While initially optimistic about using htmx for its lightweight approach, they found it less intuitive and scalable for their complex UX needs, particularly with dynamic forms, drag-and-drop functionality, and real-time collaboration. They ultimately moved to React/Next.js for a better fit, citing better tooling, a mature ecosystem, and improved performance optimization.
Note
valuable write-up with a simple but necessary message that could use more repeating: choose the right tool for the job, not the "best" tool.
with that said, it would be nice to dig into how we can be better at evaluating tools that are high level. you can't just write a script two ways and compare performance metrics.
it can be costly to do a high level framework evaluation for small but fast moving teams. trying to form a decision quickly can also bias you very quickly.
with that said, the evaluation of htmx and nextjs feels like it could be boiled down even further
-
larger communities means more online discussion which generally correlates with more online examples, questions and answers and even better LLM chat performance.
-
leveraging tools whose strength lies in its server side architecture provides a large impediment to front-end teams that want to move fast and build interactive apps.
both points correlate with each other even.
overall, this is good feedback for the htmx team (or any framework team) and i hope we see smaller projects find ways to fill both of these gaps in the future.
Published
Summary
Image
