Why We Should Embrace Foundational Web Technologies Over Abstracted Platforms

As someone who has spent decades in the trenches of software development, I've seen trends come and go. I've seen developers flock to shiny new frameworks, only to be left holding the bag when the industry moves on. It's a cycle that repeats itself, and if you've been in the game long enough, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The rise of abstracted platforms like React, Angular, and Vue has certainly changed the way we build web applications, but I believe it's time to take a step back and reevaluate our approach.

Let's talk about why foundational programming technologies—vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS—are not only sufficient for most projects but, in many cases, superior.

Full Control Over Your Codebase

One of the most compelling reasons to stick with foundational technologies is the level of control they offer. When you're using vanilla JavaScript, you know exactly what's happening under the hood. There's no framework abstracting away the complexities or handling things in ways you don't fully understand.

With React or Angular, you often find yourself in a situation where the framework is doing something unexpected, and you have to spend hours digging through documentation or GitHub issues to figure out why. With vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, there's none of that. You are the one driving the car—you're not just a passenger along for the ride.

Performance: Less Is More

Frameworks like React and Angular are powerful, no doubt, but that power comes at a cost. For smaller projects, these platforms can be overkill. They introduce extra layers of abstraction, which means more code for the browser to download, parse, and execute. This might not matter much for large applications, but for smaller projects, the performance hit can be significant.

Vanilla JavaScript is lean and mean. It's lightweight, efficient, and when done right, incredibly fast. You write only the code you need—no more, no less. This efficiency translates into better performance, especially on mobile devices or slower connections where every kilobyte counts.

Avoid the Trap of Framework Obsolescence

We've all seen it. One year, a framework is the darling of the development world, and the next, it's old news. jQuery, for example, was once the king of JavaScript libraries, but today, it's largely unnecessary due to improvements in native JavaScript. The same could easily happen to today's darlings like React or Vue.

By sticking to foundational technologies, you avoid the risk of being tied to a framework that might lose support or fall out of favor. JavaScript, HTML, and CSS aren't going anywhere. They evolve, but at a pace that ensures backward compatibility. Your project won't be stuck in a technical debt quagmire because the foundational technologies are always supported.

Flexibility for the Long Haul

Frameworks are designed with specific use cases in mind. They make certain assumptions about how you want to build your app, and you're expected to follow those patterns. That's fine if your project fits neatly into the box the framework was designed for, but what happens when you need to step outside that box? What happens when the framework's way of doing things just doesn't align with your project's needs?

With vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, you're not constrained by the opinions of a framework. You're free to build your project exactly how you want, using whatever patterns and architectures make the most sense for your specific use case. This flexibility allows you to adapt to the unique requirements of each project without being forced into a predefined mold.

Minimize Dependencies, Minimize Headaches

Modern web development has a dependency problem. Pull in React or Angular, and suddenly you're pulling in dozens or even hundreds of dependencies—each one a potential source of bugs, security vulnerabilities, or future maintenance issues. Every time you introduce a dependency, you're betting that the maintainers will continue to support and update it. If they don't, you're left holding the bag.

With foundational technologies, dependencies are minimized. You write the code you need, and that's it. There's no need to rely on third-party libraries for basic functionality, which means fewer things can go wrong. It also means fewer security vulnerabilities and less time spent dealing with package updates and breaking changes.

Learning Curve: Keep It Simple

Here's the thing about frameworks: they have a learning curve. A steep one, in many cases. When you bring on new developers, they don't just need to know JavaScript—they need to know React, or Angular, or Vue, with all their quirks and gotchas. This adds overhead to every project and increases the time it takes to get new developers up to speed.

When you stick with vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, the learning curve is drastically reduced. Developers can jump in and start contributing right away because they're working with technologies that have been around for decades and are well-understood by the community.

SEO and Accessibility: A Win for Simplicity

Search engine optimization (SEO) and accessibility are two crucial aspects of web development that are often overlooked by framework-heavy projects. Client-side rendering, which is common in many modern JavaScript frameworks, can make it harder for search engines to crawl and index your content. The same goes for accessibility tools like screen readers, which rely on well-structured HTML to function properly.

By sticking to server-rendered HTML and vanilla JavaScript, you sidestep these issues entirely. Search engines can easily index your content, and accessibility tools can navigate your site without a hitch. No complex workarounds or SEO hacks are required.

Future-Proof Your Code

When you build with vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, you're building on a foundation that will last. These are the bedrock technologies of the web. They evolve slowly and deliberately, ensuring that your code will still work five, ten, or even twenty years from now. Frameworks, on the other hand, are at the mercy of their maintainers. When the maintainers move on, so too does the framework. Your code, however, is left in the dust.

By focusing on foundational technologies, you're future-proofing your project. You're building something that will stand the test of time, regardless of the shifting trends in web development.

Conclusion: Back to Basics

There's no denying the power and utility of frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue for large-scale applications. But for many web projects—especially smaller ones—the complexity, learning curve, and overhead of these frameworks just aren't worth the trade-offs.

By sticking to foundational technologies , you maintain control over your code, avoid unnecessary dependencies, and ensure long-term sustainability. In a world that's constantly chasing the next big thing, sometimes the best move is to stick with what's already proven. Vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS are more than capable of handling most web projects, and by embracing them, you're setting yourself up for success—both now and in the future.