Solid.js
js is a declarative JavaScript library for building user interfaces that compiles reactive state directly into fine-grained DOM updates, avoiding the virtual DOM diffing used by frameworks like React.
Definition
Solid.js is a declarative JavaScript library for building user interfaces that compiles reactive state directly into fine-grained DOM updates, avoiding the virtual DOM diffing used by frameworks like React.
Overview
Solid.js, created by Ryan Carniato, uses JSX syntax similar to React but takes a fundamentally different approach under the hood: rather than re-rendering a component function and diffing a virtual DOM tree, Solid compiles templates so that only the specific DOM nodes tied to changed reactive values are updated. This fine-grained reactivity, inspired by libraries like Knockout and SolidJS's own signal primitives, consistently ranks Solid among the fastest UI libraries in independent JavaScript framework benchmarks. Because components in Solid only run once (rather than re-running on every state change, as in React), it avoids a class of performance pitfalls common in virtual-DOM frameworks, while still offering a familiar component and JSX authoring model that makes it approachable for developers coming from React. Solid has grown a dedicated community and ecosystem, including a meta-framework (SolidStart) for routing and server-side rendering, and is often chosen by teams that want React-like ergonomics with lower runtime overhead, though its ecosystem and hiring pool remain smaller than React's or Vue.js's. It is often mentioned alongside JavaScript in this space.
Key Features
- Fine-grained reactivity via signals instead of virtual DOM diffing
- JSX syntax familiar to developers coming from React
- Components run once, avoiding unnecessary re-render cycles
- Compiles templates ahead of time for minimal runtime overhead
- SolidStart meta-framework for routing, SSR, and data loading
- Consistently strong performance in independent UI framework benchmarks
- Small bundle size relative to comparable component frameworks