What is Svelte and why web developers should pay attention to it

3 min readDec 15, 2022

I tell you about a little-known but promising and convenient framework for JavaScript, which is unfairly forgotten because of the popularity of React and other analogues.

What is Svelte?

Svelte is a framework. A framework over the JavaScript language that offers a radically different approach to creating web interfaces. Svelte differs from more traditional solutions in the vein of React and Vue, both in terms of organizing code and transforming that code into a “ready-to-use product.” It is very easy to hire svelte developers

Svelte allows you to create faster and less resource-intensive applications while simplifying the development process. It sounds too good, but it really works. Switching to Svelte really brings almost no disadvantages.

Key features of Svelte

Svelte has a lot of interesting solutions, but I will focus on the fundamental differences from the competition and syntax features that catch the eye of those who have not interacted with such technologies at all before.

Component Approach

The Svelte-based application consists of objects, each of which contains three main blocks:

<script> — which contains all the logic of your project (functions, variables, API queries, etc.).
<html> — where the layout of the application is laid out in the manner of standard HTML files.
<style> — which contains CSS selectors and properties for HTML markup.

All components are independent units, and by default have no effect on one another. If they do not share data stores, or if the developer has not configured data dispatching from one application element to another, they will have nothing in common.

This way it is possible to write code for each specific object in the application without affecting other objects. Cleaner, faster, with fewer errors.

SvelteKit

SvelteKit is practically a separate framework that uses Svelte syntax and features to create the backend component of the program. With SvelteKit, you can do away with Node.js and a bunch of additional plugins. Next.js can be considered an analogue from the React world.

SvelteKit optimizes applications, supports offline mode, has several software build options for hosting, and supports pre-rendering data on pages specified in rooting. SvelteKit contains all the necessary tools to create a more comfortable development environment through built-in plugins in the spirit of RollUp and Vite.

Rooting

Rooting is another important feature of single-page applications that allows you to move from one state of the software to another without reloading the page, but by passing HTTP requests to functions implemented in the program code.

In Svelte, rooting doesn’t require installing third-party libraries or writing complex code. You only need to create a multi-component application to switch from one state of the software to another and display the transition in the address bar of the browser. No additional settings are required.

Svelte preprocessors

Preprocessors are add-ons to the syntax already present in programming/partitioning languages, extending the functionality of those languages or simplifying certain constructs.

Svelte Native

The people behind Svelte are extremely ambitious and have managed not only to work on the frontend and backend components of the framework, but also to add support for third-party applications to port Svelte code to mobile devices.

Now Svelte code can be officially used to create applications based on NativeScript and Framework7. With adaptation to the syntax requirements of platforms in the spirit of iOS and Android, of course, but with a single code base.

Knowing Svelte, you can cover all platforms at once and create software in any format without feeling restricted.

Should I switch to Svelte?

If we’re talking about abandoning other frameworks, no. Svelte is not popular enough and not in demand enough. Most likely, you will have a hard time finding a job if you don’t know anything but Svelte. React is on the rise right now. Even if you spend a lot of time scouring through social networking channels, you won’t find a decent job. Unless you run into a startup that has decided to go for broke and use only fresh solutions in development.