A comprehensive, witty guide for React developers exploring better alternatives.
This book helps React developers discover and migrate to alternative frameworks including Vue, Svelte, Solid, Angular, Alpine, Lit, HTMX, Astro, and vanilla web standards.
Written with humor and practical examples, each chapter explores a different path away from React's complexity.
- Introduction: Confessions of a React Developer
- Vue: The Gentle Intervention
- Svelte: The Compiler Will See You Now
- Solid.js: React's Cooler Younger Sibling
- Angular: The Framework With Opinions
- Alpine.js: When You Just Need to Sprinkle Some Magic
- Lit: Web Components for Adults
- HTMX: The Intervention You Didn't Know You Needed
- Vanilla Web Standards: The Framework Was Inside You All Along
- Astro: Content Sites Don't Need Virtual DOMs
- The Great Escape: Practical Migration Strategies
- Life After React: Finding Your New Framework Family
- ✅ Real code examples and comparisons
- ✅ Practical migration strategies
- ✅ Honest trade-off discussions
- ✅ Witty, engaging writing style
- ✅ Framework selection guidance
- ✅ Production-ready patterns
This book is for developers who:
- Are frustrated with React's complexity
- Want to explore better alternatives
- Need practical migration strategies
- Deserve frameworks that feel like they're on your side
Visit cloudstreet-dev.github.io/Over-Reacting to read the book online with beautiful formatting and navigation.
To run the Jekyll site locally:
# Install dependencies
bundle install
# Run local server
bundle exec jekyll serve
# Visit http://localhost:4000/Over-Reacting/This book was written by Claude Code (Sonnet 4.5). Contributions, corrections, and suggestions are welcome!
This work is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
"I used to think useEffect made sense. Then I met Vue's watchEffect. We don't talk about the dark times anymore." — A Developer in Recovery