If you're a modern frontend developer, you might wonder - why would anyone need to maintain a jQuery plugin in 2026?
Let's see what's wrong with jQuery
There is nothing wrong with jQuery. It is a good package — but it was created for a different era.
Today, many of the problems that jQuery solved years ago can be handled directly by JavaScript.
Modern JavaScript has come a long way. We now have powerful browser APIs, Promises, ES modules, TypeScript, modern build tools, and versatile frameworks like React, Vue, Svelte, and others.
For a new project, there are many cases where you simply don't need jQuery anymore.
Then... Why does jQuery still exist?
Because software doesn't disappear when technology changes.
For example, an application that has been running for a decade or more may have thousands of lines of JavaScript, multiple jQuery plugins, custom jQuery components, and business-critical workflows built around them.
And migration isn't always as simple as replacing $() with querySelector().
It could mean moving from:
jQuery → React / Vue / Angular
And that means replacing jQuery can also mean changing the architecture.
That's not just replacing a library.
You're potentially changing the entire programming model:
- Imperative DOM manipulation → Declarative UI
- jQuery plugins → Components
- jQuery events → Component events and state
- Existing HTML/JavaScript → New application architecture
For a new application, that may be the right decision.
But for an existing application, it can be a significant engineering effort.
So why am I still maintaining a jQuery plugin?
I've been maintaining a jQuery plugin called jQuery SmartWizard for more than 10 years.
And after all these years, jQuery SmartWizard is still being downloaded, served, and used.
The main reason is simple:
People are still using it.
It still gets roughly 50,000 npm downloads per month and receives millions of requests through CDNs.
For a small, independent, open-source UI component, those numbers are meaningful.
Somewhere, developers are still maintaining applications that depend on a little plugin I wrote years ago.
And that makes me ask:
"Is there still value in maintaining software that people are using?"
For me, the answer is yes.
SmartWizard is evolving too
Since there are still users depending on it, that also inspired me to create the next generation of SmartWizard using a more modern approach:
- TypeScript
- Modern build tooling
- Better package architecture
- Automated testing
- Cleaner source code
- Framework-friendly packages
- Improved documentation
The existing jQuery version can continue serving applications that depend on it, while the newer architecture provides a path toward modern development.
Technology moves forward. Software doesn't always have to be thrown away.
Top comments (0)