Tech — Blog — ConnorOnTheWeb

A hand-welded hydraulic press in a metal fabrication shop, with the words 'Build step' crossed out overlaid on the image

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

Server-rendered templates compile just-in-time, with no separate build phase. Why EJS never needs a bundler, and when a build step still makes sense.

Javascript Jul 24, 2026 6 min read

A packed canvas backpack in a vehicle, representing a cache: a store of items kept close and ready, but opaque until you look inside

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

Redis exposes real hit/miss metrics natively. Next.js’s caching layer doesn’t, for self-hosted deployments. Here’s what that observability gap actually costs.

Javascript Jul 23, 2026 6 min read

A snow-covered mountain treeline with 'Node's Event Loop' overlaid as the title, evoking something frozen or blocked

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 to RSC serialization. What actually blocks, and why templating doesn’t.

Javascript Jul 23, 2026 9 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

Alpine.js ships at roughly 7kB versus a typical React bundle near 130kB. The scoped case for Alpine.js on content sites, and when a framework still makes sense.

Javascript Jul 22, 2026 8 min read

Next.js Memory Leak on Self-Hosted Search Routes: A Case Study

A production case study on Next.js memory growth from caching unbounded dynamic search routes, what changed in Next 15/16, and what actually fixed it.

Javascript Jul 11, 2026 19 min read

Mock X post embed showing the raw fallback blockquote text that displays when the embed script fails to execute after a Next.js client-side navigation

Why Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Other Social Embeds Break on Next.js Route Changes

Social embeds silently break on Next.js client-side navigation, a documented bug with no built-in fix. Here’s the root cause and a working solution.

Javascript Jul 9, 2026 15 min read

Alpine.js Highlighting and Completion for Neovim

Tree-sitter and legacy syntax highlighting for Alpine.js directives in Neovim, plus nvim-cmp completion and snippets across HTML, EJS, Blade, Twig, Liquid, and more.

Javascript Jun 20, 2026 8 min read

EJS Template Support for Neovim

Tree-sitter syntax highlighting, LSP attachment, and LuaSnip snippets for EJS templates in Neovim. ejs.nvim wires up the embedded_template parser with language injection for accurate HTML and JavaScript colorization.

Javascript Jun 20, 2026 6 min read

Two Ways to Build With AI: Runtime Dependency vs. Build Tool

“Built with AI” can mean two very different things. One results in software that depends on AI to run, with ongoing costs and unpredictable output. The other uses AI to build software that runs fine without it.

Tech May 25, 2026 5 min read

Mainframe: Headless WordPress Theme

WordPress theme built for headless setups. Full dashboard, full REST API, minimal public face. No plugins required.

Tech May 12, 2026 7 min read

Express Map: Visual Route and Middleware Navigation for VS Code

VS Code extension that provides visual route, middleware, and template navigation for Express.js apps. No running server required.

Javascript May 10, 2026 5 min read

Alpine.js Tools: IntelliSense and Syntax Highlighting for VS Code

JavaScript syntax highlighting, workspace-aware IntelliSense, diagnostics with quick fixes, and Go to Definition for Alpine.js, across HTML, EJS, PHP, Twig, Nunjucks, Blade, Liquid, and Jinja2.

Javascript May 6, 2026 8 min read