I've been a programmer for… well, a long time. My early days were spent in the computer lab, practicing C and C++ on floppy disks — yes, actual floppy disks. After finishing my engineering degree, I drifted into Oracle ERP and database-heavy business applications. The problem? I loved coding, but my day-to-day was mostly SQL scripts and reports. Hands-on software engineering felt like a distant memory.
The Journey Back to Programming
Fast forward to the pandemic era: remote work opened new doors. I finally had time to dive back into programming. I explored Erlang and Elixir, played around with eex, leex, and heex, and even worked on a small Elixir project. But frameworks were moving fast — LiveView, EEx → LEEx changes, constant churn.
I experimented with a few other stacks. I tried the static HTML + dynamic marker approach in Rust (Actix) — caching the shell and letting the frontend hydrate the SPA worked beautifully. I also experimented with Erlang’s Yaws, using persistent_term for caching, which was actually where the idea first clicked for me.
That’s when I thought: “Huh… if this can be done there, why not in C++?” Go Fiber was fun for prototypes, and Rust (Axum, Actix) was powerful, but I wanted to explore modern C++. One weekend, I stumbled upon an article about C++’s new features — smart pointers, co_await, coroutines — and it hit me. C++ had evolved tremendously in the past 20+ years. Could I build something high-performance, scalable, and modern in C++?
The answer was yes, and that’s how my journey with Drogon C++ and Vue Naive UI began.
Architecture Overview
The architecture grew from a simple idea: serve a fast, server-rendered HTML shell, then hand off interactivity to the SPA. Here's how it works in practice:
Template Caching System
I built a TemplateCache singleton in C++ that loads the static HTML shell once, splits it at a dynamic marker (<!--APP_MARKER-->), and caches it in memory. This makes per-request rendering nearly free:
auto [before, after] = TemplateCache::instance().get();
std::string body = before;
body += "<div id=\"app\" data-initial-route=\"" + path + "\"></div>";
body += after;
Key Components
Server-side control – The backend holds the routes, knows the state of the application, and serves the initial page. No CORS issues, no REST API boilerplate just to get started.
SPA hydration – The <div id="app"> marker hands over the page to a frontend framework (Vue in my case, but it could be React, Svelte, or SolidJS). The frontend hydrates the page and takes over reactivity, giving a full SPA experience.
Async-ready backend – I designed the architecture so async DB queries can be added cleanly using C++20 coroutines (co_await). This makes it easy to fetch dynamic content without blocking threads.
Scaling & deployment – Containers and Traefik handle load balancing. Multiple replicas of the same service can run, and because the static shell is cached, initial page rendering is consistent and fast.
Flexibility – This setup decouples the backend and frontend enough that I can experiment with different frontend frameworks without touching the core C++ server. The backend just serves the shell + dynamic markers.
The Technical Stack
Backend: Modern C++ with Drogon
Drogon Framework: High-performance HTTP application framework
C++20 Features: Coroutines, smart pointers, RAII
Template System: Custom caching layer for optimal performance
Container Ready: Docker + Traefik for production deployment
Frontend: Vue.js Ecosystem
Vue 3: Reactive frontend framework
Naive UI: Clean, modern component library
SPA Architecture: Full client-side routing and state management
Framework Agnostic: Easy to swap for React, Svelte, or others
Implementation Deep Dive
The Template Cache Pattern
The core innovation is the template caching system. Instead of rendering HTML on every request, we:
- Load the base HTML template once at startup
- Split it at the app marker (<!--APP_MARKER-->)
- Cache both parts in memory
- Assemble responses by injecting dynamic content between cached parts
This approach gives us:
- Near-zero template rendering overhead
- Consistent response times
- Memory-efficient caching
- Easy dynamic content injection
Async Database Integration
With C++20 coroutines, adding async database operations becomes elegant:
// Hypothetical async DB query
co_await auto posts = db.query("SELECT * FROM posts WHERE active = 1");
std::string dynamicContent = renderPosts(posts);
The coroutine support means we can handle thousands of concurrent requests without blocking threads on I/O operations.
Frontend Hydration Strategy
The frontend receives a server-rendered shell with routing information:
html
<div id="app" data-initial-route="/blog/my-post"></div>
Vue then hydrates this element and takes over:
const app = createApp(App);
const initialRoute = document.getElementById('app').dataset.initialRoute;
app.mount('#app');
router.push(initialRoute);
Why This Approach Works
I want to be clear: this isn't about saying other stacks are bad. Laravel, Django, Elixir, Go, Rust — all great choices.
For me, it was about experimenting with C++ and seeing how far I could take it. With modern C++ features — smart pointers, RAII, co_await — building this architecture was surprisingly straightforward.
The Benefits I Discovered
Performance by Design – Compiled C++ backend with memory-efficient caching delivers consistently fast responses.
Developer Experience – Modern C++ feels nothing like the C++ of the '90s. Smart pointers eliminate most memory management headaches, and coroutines make async code readable.
Deployment Simplicity – Single binary deployment with no runtime dependencies makes containerization trivial.
Frontend Freedom – The backend serves a generic HTML shell, so I can experiment with any frontend framework without backend changes.
Scaling Characteristics – Multiple stateless instances behind a load balancer, with shared caching strategies when needed.
Real-World Performance
In early testing, the template caching approach delivers:
Sub-millisecond template rendering for cached shells
Minimal memory footprint compared to interpreted languages
Excellent CPU utilization under load
Fast cold starts in containerized environments
The combination of compiled performance and modern async patterns creates a compelling foundation for high-traffic applications.
Lessons Learned
What Worked Really Well
No CORS drama – Because the server holds the routes and serves the initial page, I don't have to fight cross-origin requests for SPA hydration.
Server maintains control – The backend is aware of the application state, initial routes, and template shell.
SPA flexibility – I can swap Vue for React, Svelte, or SolidJS without touching backend logic.
Performance matters – Cached static shell + dynamic marker approach ensures a fast first load, while async DB queries (when added) can handle personalized content efficiently.
Surprising Discoveries
Modern C++ is web-ready – Smart pointers, thread safety, and coroutines make high-performance, maintainable backend code feasible without the pain of manual memory management.
Drogon is production-ready – The framework handles HTTP/2, WebSockets, middleware, and all the modern web server features you'd expect.
Development velocity – Once the architecture was in place, adding new routes and frontend components became surprisingly fast.
Looking Forward
This experiment has rekindled my appreciation for C++ in the modern web development landscape. While it's certainly not the right choice for every project, there are compelling use cases:
High-performance APIs that need to handle thousands of requests per second
Real-time applications where latency matters
Resource-constrained environments where memory and CPU efficiency are critical
Long-running services where the compile-time investment pays dividends
The combination of C++20 features, mature frameworks like Drogon, and modern deployment practices makes C++ a viable option for web applications in 2026.
The finished product
Try It Yourself
If you're curious about modern C++ for web development:
Start with Drogon – The documentation is excellent and the framework handles the HTTP complexities
Experiment with coroutines – C++20's co_await makes async code much more manageable
Keep it simple – Start with basic request/response patterns before adding complex features
Leverage existing tools – Docker, monitoring, and deployment practices work just as well with C++
The web development landscape is vast, and there's room for many approaches. Sometimes, revisiting an old friend with fresh eyes can lead to surprisingly modern solutions.
What's your experience with C++ in modern development? Have you tried any compiled languages for web backends recently? I'd love to hear about your experiments in the comments!
Top comments (0)