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Dev.to
Dev.to
6/18/2026
I ditched React for simple tools and shipped significantly faster with single HTML files

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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