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Stasi Vladimirov — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:30:56 +0000

The React Trap: Why It’s Time to Move On in 2025

Stasi Vladimirov ・ Feb 23

The React Trap: Why It’s Time to Move On in 2025

Stasi Vladimirov — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 23:55:15 +0000

React once dazzled the web development world with its promise of a clean, component-based approach. Fast-forward to 2025, and the once-revered framework now shows serious cracks. If you’ve ever felt React’s growing pains in large-scale projects, or simply wondered why the ecosystem feels increasingly fractured, this article is your wake-up call.

1. The Evolution of Frontend Development

Back in the day, React’s virtual DOM and component model were groundbreaking. But with the emergence of alternative frameworks and new performance expectations, React’s design choices now feel like relics from a bygone era. Ask yourself: Is it really worth clinging to a system that forces you to adopt workarounds at every turn?

2. Re-Rendering and Performance Pitfalls

One of React’s most glaring issues is its approach to state management. The problem here is that React’s model of reactivity is ‘inverted’ from how every other framework, library, and even JavaScript itself works. In every other case, the unit of reactivity is a callback function connected either via an event (e.g. vanilla addEventHandler) or a signal-based reactive primitive (e.g. Vue’s watch). Only in React the unit of reactivity is the full component function itself and this fundamental design decision is the root cause of a lot of the pain around memoization, double renders in StrictMode, and complexity in managing state and placement of code. Signals could fix this to a large extent by removing the need to re-run the entire component function on update. React’s new compiler is just fixing a self-inflicted wound and building on top of an inherently flawed paradigm that doesn’t actually reduce complexity or defects in building web front-ends. Not a big fan of Theo, but his struggles from this video can be helpful to illustrate the issue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INLq9RPAYUw

Example: Here’s a snippet showing how React forces you into memoization hell:

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);
  // Obligatory CR comment: Should we wrap this in useCallback to avoid re-creation on every render!?
  const increment = React.useCallback(() => setCount(c => c + 1), []);
  return <button onClick={increment}>Count: {count}</button>;
}

3. The Promises and Pitfalls of the React Compiler

In an attempt to save itself, the React team introduced the React Compiler—an automated solution for memoization intended to reduce re-renders. However, as detailed in Developer Way’s article, the verdict is far from rosy:

"Despite its grand promises, the React Compiler still presents challenges and requires even further optimizations and deep knowledge to make it work.”
- Verdict from Developer Way’s React Compiler article

Looks like React’s self-healing mechanism is nothing more than a band-aid on a leaky dam. If you disagree I challenge you to "just enable" the react compiler on your codebase and ship it.

4. Signals and React’s Reluctance

Meanwhile the rest of the JavaScript community moves toward more efficient reactive paradigms (check out the TC39 proposal for signals) and the React team stubbornly refuses to incorporate them. This refusal keeps React chained to an outdated reactivity model, forcing developers to continue fighting fires with excessive memoization and workarounds.

<!-- Vue 3 Composition API example -->
<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue';
const count = ref(0);
const increment = () => count.value++;
</script>

<template>
  <button @click="increment">Count: {{ count }}</button>
</template>

5. Ecosystem Fragmentation and Departure from Web Standards

Let’s face it: while React claims to be “just a library,” building a complete application requires dealing with bootstrapping, routing, state management, styling, fetching, etc. Areas where React forces you to reinvent the wheel. It's almost like the aim is to violate every traditional web development standard:

Templating is done via HTML, yet React demand you to write JSX.
CSS for styling, but React often pushes inline styles or CSS-in-JS (hello, camelCase properties!). Forget about the cascading part.
Native routing via window.location, href or history api? Nah, that's not how react routing works.
JS fetch? JSON? HTTP? Why, this is react: "use server"!!

These deviations create a minefield of bad practices, hacks, and edge cases that only seasoned veterans can navigate without a headache. If you’ve ever tried to debug why a style isn’t applied or why a route misfires, you know the drill. It’s almost laughable—if it weren’t so infuriating.

6. Next.js: A Backend Framework Masquerading as a Frontend Savior

Next.js is often touted as the remedy for React’s shortcomings. But let’s call it what it is: a backend framework with a frontend veneer. While Next.js offers features like server-side rendering and static site generation, its integration with React is not a panacea.

Conflict of Interest: Next.js’s deep integration with Vercel’s ecosystem raises eyebrows. Its server components seem designed more to bolster Vercel’s business model than to serve developers’ needs.
Next.js is fundamentally a full stack framework. Developers must grapple with backend concepts that complicate what should be a straightforward frontend experience. As if frontend wasn't complex enough on it's own... And that's coming from a full stack developer.

If you really want/need a full stack framework there are plethora of choices in Node.js and other languages. And you can add all of react's idiosyncrasies to any of them (please don't). In fact you could've done that 20 years ago. Yes, SSR existed likely before you were born. SSR was never the issue...

7. Popularity, Job Market, and Developer Sentiment

React might still be popular by numbers, but surveys like the (State of JS)[https://2024.stateofjs.com/en-US/libraries/#tools_arrows] reveal growing dissatisfaction among developers. Sure, most job listings demand familiarity with a modern framework—but they rarely specify React. Employers are more interested in core web skills, critical thinking, and teamwork. Remember jQuery in the early 2010s? React risks becoming the next relic as developers flock to frameworks that promise a less convoluted future. For your next job, ask yourself "Would you rather work with a tech stack with great DevEx that will likely be more popular in the future or play the wack-a-mole game with a dying one?"

8. Enterprise-Grade Challenges: Performance, Memory, and Complexity

For large-scale, enterprise applications, React’s shortcomings are more than academic:

Performance and Memory Issues: Constant re-renders, bloated code, and the necessity for hacks can lead to sluggish, memory-intensive apps.
Optimization Overload: Developers spend more time applying and maintaining workarounds than building features.
Developer Frustration: The rules and patterns of React—meant to enforce order—often result in a labyrinth of hacks and workarounds that bog down code reviews and maintenance. In the end, you get performance that’s, at best, mediocre compared to modern alternatives.

9. React Native: The Lone Strong Point? Not So Fast…

React Native has long been touted as React’s saving grace for mobile development. But even here, the devil is in the details:

Separate Templates for Web and Mobile: You end up writing different code for different platforms—defeating the purpose of “cross-platform” development.
Native Expertise Required: To unlock full native performance, you must dive into Swift or Kotlin, alienating teams that hoped to stick with JavaScript.
Alternatives Exist: PWAs and frameworks like Ionic promise similar outcomes with a single codebase, often with less hassle.

A typical React Native component:

import { View, Text, TouchableOpacity } from 'react-native';

export default function MobileCounter() {
  const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);
  return (
    <View>
      <TouchableOpacity onPress={() => setCount(c => c + 1)}>
        <Text>Count: {count}</Text>
      </TouchableOpacity>
    </View>
  );
}

Now compare that with a PWA built entirely in web standards—it’s clear which approach minimizes friction.

10. Maintainability: A Growing Nightmare

The React ecosystem is littered with abandoned libraries and components. Documentation, while abundant, often leaves much to be desired compared to rivals like Angular or Vue. And let’s not even start on the “Rules of React”—an endless litany of do’s and don’ts that makes even the simplest code review feel like navigating a bureaucratic maze. The result? Codebases that are hard to maintain, riddled with hacks, and ultimately deliver lackluster performance.

Don’t trust me? Check out React Scan’s tweets for examples of many popular applications such as GitHub, Twitch, Twitter, Pinterest, etc full of performance issues and re-renders. At least you know, you are not alone. Even some of the biggest corporations with 100s of extremely talented engineers are struggling to deal with this insanity

Conclusion

If React were a car, it’d be a vintage model that once reigned supreme—now rusted, unreliable, and in desperate need of an overhaul. Its architecture, rife with performance pitfalls, convoluted paradigms, and a fragmented ecosystem, poses serious challenges for modern development, especially at an enterprise scale. With promising alternatives on the rise, clinging to React might soon become as outdated as using jQuery in 2025. The question isn’t whether you can continue with React — it’s whether you should.

Are you ready to embrace a future built on cleaner, more efficient frameworks? Or will you keep patching up a relic, one hack at a time?

The State Of Database Management Tools 2022

Stasi Vladimirov — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 10:39:40 +0000

TLDR: Database management tools are a critical part of the development and business workflows. That’s why I am trying to address some of the most pressing pain points as of 2022 and my personal experience with managing a variety of databases. These include issues with dependencies and user interface. In search for a better solution, I joined a startup that I believe has something to offer as an alternative. You can read more about it at the end of the article.

What is a database management tool?

Database Management Tool, also called Database Management System (DBMS) is software used to:

retrieve and store data via queries also called CRUD for create, read, update and delete
manage the database schema
configure access and security
monitor performance
audit traffic and issues

Database Management Tools are often used to design, modify, debug and view various common types of data sources:

relational databases (also called tabular)
NoSQL (not only SQL) or object data
Cloud-based data warehouses and data lakes
File (CSV, Xls, log) based storage

Such tools are often used by:

database administrators
backend and full-stack developers
QA (aka testers)
project managers and team leads
DevOps (aka system administrators)
Technical Support
Marketing experts
Data analysts
Data engineers

Here are some of the most popular solutions, in no particular order:

MySQL Workbench
TablePlus
SequelPro/SequelAce
phpMyAdmin
Adminer
VSCode SQLTools
Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
RemoDB
Aqua Data Studio
Directus

The problem

Given the importance, a wide range of use cases, and many options, everything should work great. However, as a developer, I find myself often switching and searching for a better solution. Discussions with peers always lead to pointing out trade-offs, edge cases, and common problems. And most consider this part of the job and find their own workflows. I would love to hear how you handle the following:

The majority of solutions are environment based

Meaning that recommendations are based on the operating system. I’ve used each of the tools listed above and while some of them work on multiple platforms. None of them is completely cross-platform. Especially when considering mobile. And this might be all right for some, as described in the title it’s 2022.

Developers often switch OS due to limitations or requirements. What’s more important is that each time an installation is required. This makes remote use problematic. There are several browser-based solutions, but they too have their cons and limitations.

Most of the solutions are database centered

This leads to having to install and learn multiple tools for each database type. Commonly, developers and applications utilize multiple databases each serving a specific purpose. I often work with MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Snowflake, IndexedDB, and various other data sources (files, logs) on a daily basis. It’s a dream to be able to use a single tool. Maybe even cross-reference data points between them…

Database management tools are complex

I realized recently when I was transferring some of my responsibilities to a colleague. While I was helping him set up pgAdmin for access to an application database. How hard could it be? It’s just a bunch of tables, columns, and rows. But four hours later we were still discussing various configuration options, SQL details, permissions, workarounds, etc. And he is tech-savvy, but visibly confused.

This made me think about the variety of data workers and even non-technical employees that often need access to the data. There are many use cases where a simple spreadsheet-style interface for access to the database could greatly enhance productivity. So this leads me to the next point.

UI/UX can be greatly improved

Using MySQL Workbench for example feels like time traveling. Both, because of the loading time and the Windows XP style interface. That’s a common theme for the majority of the tools. There are several good examples, but all of them significantly lack responsive design, customization options, reactivity, and general user-friendliness of the popular SaaS platforms. If you’ve been using phpMyAdmin for 10 years this might not be obvious, however it’s something new users would immediately notice.

Collaboration is severely limited

Remember the times when you send a spreadsheet via email to your teammate. Then he checks a few boxes and sends it back so you can continue with your edits. That’s how I feel about working on a database with a colleague. Even just sharing a curated dataset is only possible via sending a raw query. What if that query has to be modified?

Maybe Google and Microsoft have spoiled us, but I can imagine a world where I click a button in my database management tool and John from accounting is directly able to see the same real-time data I am currently viewing with the options to flag, comment, etc.

Other issues

I briefly mentioned installation above, but this often also includes complex update workflows. Very few tools allow remote and mobile access. I can’t count the number of times during travel I could’ve used an app to securely access a dataset to check something. And since I mentioned security the way database credentials are stored in some of these tools is questionable, to say the least. Managing all these different tools is a problem too. Connecting to 3-4 types of datasets each with its own tool is a pain, as well as handling credentials, firewalls, etc.

The good news

All these concerns led me to join a startup last year. Datafi is trying to solve all these problems and more by enabling simple and secure access to various databases. The idea is instead of installing a tool on your computer, to set up a connector that enables a protected connection to the data via a browser app. This works entirely within a local (or VPN) network and can also be enabled online.

Dataview has a modern customizable layout and includes both visual filters and an SQL editor. There are also many other features such as links between datasets, worksheets, sharing, external links, progressive loading. At the current stage, we need more people to try it out and would appreciate your feedback. You can check it here. It’s free.