Developer tools · javascript library
µJS
A small, dependency-free JavaScript library that enhances server-rendered HTML with a broad feature set and no configuration needed.
Summarized from 27 comments.
A small, dependency-free JavaScript library that enhances server-rendered HTML with a broad feature set and no configuration needed.
- recommend
- 12
- criticize
- 2
- months recommended
- 2 of 13
Why people love it
Zero configuration, works out of the box · 4
µJS works today across all modern browsers without any configuration.
Mar 2026 · commentit covers 90% of use cases with zero configuration
Mar 2026 · commentµJS manages browser history out of the box.
Mar 2026 · commentBroader feature set than alternatives · 3
µJS covers more ground: patch mode, SSE, DOM morphing, View Transitions, prefetch, polling, full HTTP verb support.
Mar 2026 · commentµJS is a bit more feature-rich (patch mode, SSE, DOM morphing, View Transitions...)
Mar 2026 · commentdependency-free and covers a much broader feature set
Mar 2026 · commentBuilds on native browser features · 2
if the browser already does it (View Transitions, FormData, fetch, AbortController, history API), don't reimplement it.
Mar 2026 · commentµJS is designed exactly with that philosophy in mind: standard links and forms work without JS, µJS just enhances them.
Mar 2026 · commentSmall and dependency-free · 2
dependency-free and covers a much broader feature set
Mar 2026 · commentthis is impressively small
Mar 2026 · comment
What hackers pick instead
- jQueryLoved for its terse, chainable DOM API, cross-browser consistency and long-term stability, though critics say modern browsers made it redundant and larger apps turn into spaghetti.111recommend
- Picknplace.jsPick an item, scroll to move it, then place it; people like it for mobile and long lists. Critics say scroll-wheel steps are too coarse.58recommend
- Alpine.jsRecommended for adding light, reactive behavior to server-rendered HTML without writing much JavaScript. Critics say it gets verbose and hard to maintain as apps grow.50recommend
- Effect (TypeScript library)Recommended for explicit typed errors, typed dependency management and simple APIs in TypeScript apps. The most common caveat is a steep learning curve and a style that spreads through the whole codebase.38recommend
- Video.jsFree, maintained JavaScript video player with composable design and streaming support; critics find it heavy when native browser video suffices.24recommend
Every quote
The 22 most detailed of 27 comments. Each links to the original.
if the browser already does it (View Transitions, FormData, fetch, AbortController, history API), don't reimplement it.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
µJS is designed exactly with that philosophy in mind: standard links and forms work without JS, µJS just enhances them.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
µJS covers more ground: patch mode, SSE, DOM morphing, View Transitions, prefetch, polling, full HTTP verb support.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
µJS is a bit more feature-rich (patch mode, SSE, DOM morphing, View Transitions...)
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
µJS works today across all modern browsers without any configuration.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
dependency-free and covers a much broader feature set
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
it covers 90% of use cases with zero configuration
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
µJS manages browser history out of the box.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
a single `mu.init()` call is all you need
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
this is impressively small
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
The default routing approach is an awesome idea, swapping the entire body by default is also really interesting.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
This is actually one of the advantages of this approach over a true SPA
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
Looks useful! I skimmed through the docs and had a question.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
they're designed around server-rendered HTML fragments.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
No JavaScript to write, no state to manage client-side.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
the browser history being messed up drives me bonkers
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
That's exactly what patch mode is designed for.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
i have added it to the htmx alternatives page
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
I like the idea. DOM morphing is nice.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
I love this- I'll give it a spin.
Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
it doesn't seem to work for me, because it only considers relative urls to be
Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
Another library ignores shadow dom.
Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: µJS, a 5KB alternative to Htmx and Turbo with zero dependencies”
Counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, Nov 2025 to Nov 2026. How we count · Report a mistake