I’ve been thinking about how web development has changed over the years. It seems like we’re doing way more work now to accomplish the same basic tasks like user login, database queries, and showing data on screen.
The core functionality hasn’t really gotten more complex, but somehow we need massive amounts of code and infrastructure to do simple things. For example, displaying a basic data table now requires tons of framework code, multiple servers, and lots of JavaScript just to update a single cell.
It feels backwards to me. Instead of making things simpler and faster, we keep adding more layers that slow everything down. Then we have to build even more tools to fix the performance problems we created.
Has anyone else noticed this trend? Are there ways to keep using modern frameworks while avoiding all this unnecessary complexity?
totally agree! it’s like everyone feels pressured to use the ‘latest and greatest’ tools without realizing simpler options are often better. I’ve seen simple apps bloated with layers of js frameworks when basic html/js would’ve sufficed. sometimes less is more, right?
I think the real issue is how we measure developer productivity. Companies want features shipped fast, not maintainable code, so teams grab heavy frameworks that promise quick development. But those frameworks bite you later - huge bundle sizes, slow runtime, debugging nightmares. I’ve worked on legacy apps built with almost no dependencies that crush modern equivalents, even though they’re years older. The difference? Old codebases were written when resources were tight. Developers had to think about every line of code. Modern tooling removed those limits, but we never learned self-control. When you’ve got unlimited bandwidth and processing power, why worry about efficiency until performance tanks your business?
The abstraction creep is absolutely real, and it’s driven by solving problems most apps don’t have. I’ve seen projects pull in entire state management libraries just for a few form inputs, or bundle massive component libraries when they only needed basic buttons. Developer experience tools are awesome for big teams, but they add serious overhead that smaller projects don’t need. I always start with vanilla JavaScript or lightweight libraries first, then add complexity only when I actually hit limitations. You can build surprisingly robust apps with way less code than modern toolchains make you think. Just resist the urge to over-engineer from day one and be honest about what your project actually needs.