Neux: reactive DOM API

03 Aug 2023 | javascript neux

For a long time, I wanted to create a full-fledged frontend library like Vue, React, or Solid. My previous attempt was LibUX — a class-based library that implemented component rendering with an EJS-like template syntax, along with support for state management, routing, and localization.

This year I took the time to design a more modern approach, and Neux was born. It provides functions for reactive state, DOM rendering, localization, and routing — usable with or without a bundler.

Neux, or Native Element UI eXtension, is a lightweight frontend library for building dynamic user interfaces using declarative element definitions and reactive signals to modify them. It leverages native JavaScript and browser APIs to minimize boilerplate, making it ideal for creating single-page applications (SPA) and custom web components.

Here are the main concepts behind Neux:

• No JSX, no compiler — works at runtime.
• Framework-agnostic, use any part of the library independently.
• Declarative wrapper around low-level DOM APIs without complex abstractions.
• Function-based reactivity with direct DOM manipulation, no virtual DOM.
• Built-in localization support for dynamic language adaptation.
• Easy integration with CSS modules, Tailwind CSS, and other styling solutions.
• Minimal bundle size (4 KB gzipped) with zero dependencies.
• Open source and available under the MIT license.

Documentation and demos are available on neux.dev.