Why I Chose Datastar Over Alpine.js/HTMX For My Project

In recent years, developers have been embracing a more old-school approach to building websites, focusing on hypermedia-driven applications. This shift has brought some fantastic tools into the spotlight, and two that stand out are HTMX and Datastar.

HTMX makes server-side rendering more powerful by allowing you to send HTML fragments over the wire, reducing the need for complex JavaScript frameworks. Many developers pair HTMX with Alpine.js for client-side interactions, but after testing this stack myself, I found it wasn’t quite what I expected. While HTMX worked well, I encountered some strange glitches with Alpine.js that made me rethink my approach.

Discovering Datastar

That’s when I came across Datastar. It combines the power of HTMX and Alpine.js in just 14.4 KiB, making it an incredibly lightweight yet powerful alternative.

Unlike HTMX, which relies on AJAX for dynamic content updates, Datastar leverages Server-Sent Events (SSE) to keep the client updated in real-time. This approach feels much more fluid and efficient. It also introduces signals for state management, making it easier to track and react to data changes without the need for additional dependencies.

Another thing I love about Datastar is its built-in helper methods, which remind me of jQuery’s simplicity. One of my favorites so far is @toggleAll, which I recently used to build a combobox in my project.

Give It a Try!

If you’re interested in lightweight and reactive alternatives for building modern web apps, I highly recommend checking out the Datastar examples. There’s a lot to explore, and you might be surprised by how much you can achieve with just a few lines of code.

One of the coolest recent showcases shared in the Datastar Discord community is this real-time tanks game—a great demonstration of what’s possible with SSE and a smart state management approach.

Have you tried Datastar yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!