Introduction to JSXPine
JSXPine is a set of reusable components for building web applications with JSX and Alpine.js. It's intended to give js developers two powerful tools to create fast and efficient user interfaces without the need of SPA frameworks/libraries.
Let take some times to explain what drive us to develop JSXPine.
JSX
To summarize JSX (JavaScript XML), it's a syntax extension for JavaScript that allows you to write HTML-like code directly within JavaScript.
It’s primarily used in React to define the structure of the user interface but currently has been adopted by other libraries and frameworks (SolidJS, Qwik or Astro).
JSX combines the power of JavaScript with the readability of HTML, making it easier to describe the structure of components in a declarative way.
You can learn more about JSX in the official React website.
// Declaration
function MyComponent() {
return <div>This is my component</div>
}
// Can also do this
const MyComponent = <div>This is my component</div>
// Usage
<MyComponent />
Alpine JS
Alpine.js is a lightweight, minimalistic JavaScript framework designed to add interactivity and reactivity to your HTML without the complexity of a full framework like React or Vue. It’s ideal for developers who prefer simple, declarative JavaScript that enhances static HTML without requiring a build step or complex setup.
Key Features:
Lightweight: Tiny (about 10kB gzipped), making it perfect for adding small interactions to otherwise static pages.
Declarative Syntax: Use HTML attributes (like x-data, x-bind, and x-on) to control behavior directly in your templates.
Reactivity: Automatically updates the DOM when data changes.
No Build Tools Required (almost): Add Alpine.js to your project with a script tag, and you're ready to go.
Inspired by Vue.js: Shares some syntax and concepts with Vue, making it easy to learn for those familiar with Vue.
Extensible: Use plugins for additional functionality, such as transitions, persistence, or managing global state.
<div x-data="{ tasks: [], newTask: '' }">
<input x-model="newTask" placeholder="Add a task" />
<button x-on:click="tasks.push(newTask); newTask = ''">Add</button>
<ul>
<li x-for="task in tasks" x-text="task"></li>
</ul>
</div>
Learn more in the official website.
Notes
JSXPine uses advanced alpinejs concepts such as extension with data, directive and magic functions and brings a better developer experience.
HTMX
HTMX is a lightweight JavaScript library that allows you to build modern, interactive web applications without needing a heavy front-end framework like React, Vue, or Angular. It enables you to extend HTML with attributes to make server interactions declarative, allowing you to send HTTP requests directly from HTML elements and update parts of the page without a full reload.
The goal of htmx is to bring the Hypertext back into hypermedia, emphasizing simplicity and leveraging the server as the primary source of logic and state.
How it works ?
HTMX enhances your HTML by introducing new attributes. These attributes allow you to specify:
HTTP methods: How to send data to the server (hx-get, hx-post).
Trigger events: When to send a request (hx-trigger).
Targets: Where to update the DOM with the response (hx-target).
Request headers and attributes: Custom data sent with requests (hx-headers, hx-vals).
// Form submission use case
<form hx-post="/submit"
hx-target="#response"
hx-trigger="submit"
hx-swap="innerHTML"
>
<input type="text" name="username" placeholder="Enter your username" />
<button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>
<div id="response"></div>
Pines UI
Pines is an open-source UI library from DevDojo that combines Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS to provide a collection of interactive and responsive components.
Designed for simplicity and ease of integration, Pines allows developers to enhance their web projects by copying and pasting pre-built elements
Key Features:
Diverse Components: Pines offers a variety of UI elements, including animations, sliders, tooltips, accordions, modals, and more, enabling developers to build feature-rich interfaces.
Seamless Integration: By leveraging Alpine.js for functionality and Tailwind CSS for styling, Pines components can be easily integrated into projects that already use these technologies.
Ease of Use: Developers can quickly add components by copying the desired element's code into their project, streamlining the development process.
You can learn more about Pines UI here.
Notes
JSXPine reuses features and design from Pines UI and brings it to JSX world, with some additional functionalities.
Shadcn UI
According to their official website, shadcn/ui is an open-source collection of beautifully designed, accessible, and customizable React components built with Tailwind CSS.
Unlike traditional component libraries, shadcn/ui isn't distributed as an npm package; instead, it provides reusable components that developers can copy and paste directly into their projects, granting full control over the code and its customization.
Key Features:
Direct Integration: Developers can select the components they need, copy the code, and integrate it into their projects without adding external dependencies.
Accessibility: Components are designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring they are usable by a wide range of users.
Customization: Built with Tailwind CSS, the components are highly customizable, allowing developers to tailor them to their specific design requirements.
Notes
JSXPine is a similar concept and is directly inspired by shadcn/ui.
We provides a set of reusable components and a CLI for an easier usage.
Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS is a highly customizable, utility-first CSS framework that allows developers to build modern web designs directly in their HTML by applying utility classes.
Unlike traditional CSS frameworks (e.g., Bootstrap), Tailwind doesn’t come with pre-built components. Instead, it provides a wide range of low-level utility classes that make it easy to style elements and create custom designs without writing CSS.
Key Features:
Utility-First Approach: Tailwind uses small, reusable utility classes (e.g., bg-blue-500, text-center, flex) to style elements, letting you build UIs without writing custom CSS.
Customization: Tailwind is built with customization in mind. You can easily extend its default configuration to create custom colors, spacing, and more using thetailwind.config.js file.
Responsive Design: Tailwind provides utilities for responsive design out of the box. Use breakpoint prefixes like sm:, md:, lg: to apply styles for specific screen sizes.
Consistency and Productivity: By using utility classes, you ensure design consistency across your application. It speeds up development by reducing the time spent switching between HTML and CSS files.
Dark Mode and Variants: Built-in support for dark mode, hover, focus, and other variants to customize styles based on user interaction or preferences.
Do not hesitate to check the official website to learn more.