shouldiuse.io

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Comparison

You might not need JavaScript vs You Might Not Need *

You might not need JavaScript lands on Depends, and You Might Not Need * lands on Worth it.

You might not need JavaScript versus You Might Not Need *
CompareYou might not need JavaScriptYou Might Not Need *
VerdictDependsWorth it
Best forFrontend devs pruning JS dependenciesDevs about to add a dependency
Who it's not forApp-like products needing client state or data fetchingAnyone shopping for actual software
PrivacyNo known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.²No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.15
Support qualityNo support channel evidencedNo vendor or support exists
Public sentimentDevelopers have shared and debated the site on Reddit, Hacker News and blogs since 2016, mostly as a nudge toward CSS-first thinking.13Reddit and Hacker News treat 'you might not need X' as a popular sanity check, with ongoing debate about when the advice actually applies.14
Biggest gotchaPatterns shown are dated; modern CSS may already outpace what's listed³It's essays, not tooling . you implement and maintain everything yourself.⁹

Pick You might not need JavaScript when

  • Frontend devs pruning JS dependencies
  • Simple content and marketing sites
  • Performance-focused builders
  • Designers prototyping without JS

When You might not need JavaScript is not a fit

  • App-like products needing client state or data fetching
  • Teams expecting support, updates, or SLAs . none exist
  • Anyone treating it as a ban on JavaScript
  • Enterprise teams needing governed, maintained tooling

Pick You Might Not Need * when

  • Devs about to add a dependency
  • React teams overusing useEffect
  • Teams trimming bundle bloat
  • Juniors learning vanilla JS

When You Might Not Need * is not a fit

  • Anyone shopping for actual software
  • Teams needing a supported vendor product
  • Non-technical buyers
  • People wanting one-click fixes

Sources

  1. You Might Not Need JavaScriptyoumightnotneedjs.com
    official
  2. Product security pageyoumightnotneedjs.com
    security
  3. You Might Not Need JavaScript . bram.usbram.us
    news
  4. You Might Not Need JavaScript - Extra Futureextrafuture.com
    news
  5. You might not need JavaScript . Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.com
    review
  6. You Might Not Need JavaScript . r/programmingreddit.com
    review
  7. You no longer need JavaScript . OSNewsosnews.com
    news
  8. You might not need jQuery or Javascript! . Portalzineportalzine.de
    news
  9. You Might Not Need *youmightnotneed.com
    official
  10. You Might Not Need jQueryyoumightnotneedjquery.com
    official
  11. You Might Not Need an Effect - React docsreact.dev
    official
  12. eslint-plugin-react-you-might-not-need-an-effectgithub.com
    review
  13. You might not need an effect . Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.com
    news
  14. Bad practice to use useEffect when not strictly necessary? . Redditreddit.com
    review
  15. Security page . You Might Not Need *youmightnotneed.com
    security