Javascript — Blog — ConnorOnTheWeb

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What the Browser Platform Gained Since React Launched

Import maps, Web Components, the Observer APIs, and View Transitions: everything the browser platform gained since React launched.

Javascript Jul 31, 2026 7 min read

The code 'vanilla.with(-1, updated)', demonstrating JavaScript's native immutable array update method with negative indexing

Everything Vanilla JavaScript Has Gained Since React Launched

Every ECMAScript edition from ES2015 to ES2026, plus the browser APIs and Node.js built-ins that landed while the framework conversation moved on.

Javascript Jul 31, 2026 7 min read

VS Code showing a Laravel Blade template with Alpine.js directives and Livewire wire:model attributes in a product filter panel component

Alpine.js and Laravel Livewire Are Sibling Projects

A bug report from a Laravel Blade project led here: Alpine.js and Livewire turn out to be sibling projects, sharing a creator and a real, named stack.

Javascript Jul 30, 2026 5 min read

VS Code showing Alpine.js directives and Liquid template tags syntax-highlighted together in a Shopify section file

Custom Shopify Themes Converge on Alpine.js

Alpine.js shows up across independent Shopify starter themes for a real reason. Here’s why it fits Online Store 2.0, with real production examples.

Javascript Jul 30, 2026 6 min read

Stylized code reading '@click="auto()"' and 'x-???', representing AI autocomplete guessing at an Alpine.js directive without grounding

Why Alpine.js Has No Real Autocomplete (AI Doesn’t Fix It)

AI autocomplete doesn’t replace structural tooling for Alpine.js, it needs it. Real hallucination research, and why GitHub added LSP to Copilot itself.

Javascript Jul 29, 2026 7 min read

Alpine.js Tools v1.0-v1.5: Three Bugs, Three Fixes

From v1.0.0 to v1.5.0, Alpine.js Tools gained diagnostics, Go to Definition, and plugin support in VS Code, plus three bugs fixed along the way.

Javascript Jul 26, 2026 5 min read

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Why I Migrated From Next.js to Express in 2026

The migration that made Express the default for every Node stack I run: the bugs that started it, the research that held up, and four months of monitoring.

Javascript Jul 24, 2026 13 min read

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Why Next.js Has 13x More CVEs Than Express

Next.js carries 64 catalogued advisories to Express’s 5, counted the same way on the same day. The severity split matters more than the count.

Javascript Jul 24, 2026 9 min read

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Why Server-Rendered Templates Don’t Need a Build Step

Server-rendered templates compile just-in-time, no separate build phase. How EJS caching works, what it costs, and when a build step still earns its place.

Javascript Jul 24, 2026 12 min read

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Next.js Hides Its Cache, Redis Doesn’t: The Observability Gap

Redis reports hit rate, misses and evictions in one command. Self-hosted Next.js gives you a per-response header and leaves the aggregation to you.

Javascript Jul 23, 2026 12 min read

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Why React SSR Blocks Node’s Event Loop (SSR via Templating Doesn’t)

React’s SSR APIs run synchronous CPU work on Node’s single thread, from renderToString through RSC serialization. What blocks, and what streaming fixes.

Javascript Jul 23, 2026 8 min read

A paved forest road leading toward snow-dusted mountains, with 'Alpine.js' overlaid as the title, playing on the framework's name

Why Alpine.js Replaced React for Content-Driven Sites

Measured from the shipped files: Alpine’s CDN build is 16.7kB gzipped against 47kB for React plus React DOM. Where that gap matters, and where it does not.

Javascript Jul 22, 2026 15 min read