Dev.to
6/18/2026

I ditched React for simple tools and shipped significantly faster with single HTML files
Original: I stopped using React for simple tools… and started shipping 10x faster with ONE HTML file
Short summary
Author ditched React frameworks for single-HTML-file tools, finding setup overhead (bundlers, dependencies, architecture decisions) killed shipping velocity. Vanilla JavaScript with localStorage handles most projects—invoice generators, calculators, internal utilities. Key insight: start simple, add complexity only when necessary, not when the ecosystem expects it.
- •Framework setup overhead is often the main blocker for shipping small tools, not technical capability limits
- •Single-file HTML/CSS/JavaScript apps handle most small utility requirements without npm, build tools, or deployment complexity
- •Constraint-driven approach: start minimal, add complexity only when it becomes genuinely necessary
Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.
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