htm
Hyperscript Tagged Markup: JSX alternative using standard tagged templates, with compiler support.
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The library for web and native user interfaces.
This is the repo for Vue 2. For Vue 3, go to https://github.com/vuejs/core
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A rugged, minimal framework for composing JavaScript behavior in your markup.
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Quick Overview
HTM (Hyperscript Tagged Markup) is a JSX-like syntax for creating virtual DOM trees using tagged template literals in JavaScript. It allows developers to write HTML-like code within JavaScript without the need for a transpilation step, making it a lightweight alternative to JSX for use with frameworks like Preact or vanilla JavaScript.
Pros
- No build step required, works natively in modern browsers
- Lightweight and fast, with minimal overhead
- Seamless integration with JavaScript, allowing for dynamic expressions
- Compatible with various virtual DOM libraries, including Preact and React
Cons
- Less widespread adoption compared to JSX
- Limited tooling support (e.g., syntax highlighting) in some IDEs
- Potential for decreased readability in complex nested structures
- Slight runtime performance overhead compared to pre-compiled JSX
Code Examples
Creating a simple element:
import { html } from 'htm/preact';
const element = html`<div>Hello, world!</div>`;
Rendering a component with props:
import { html, render } from 'htm/preact';
const Greeting = ({ name }) => html`<h1>Hello, ${name}!</h1>`;
render(html`<${Greeting} name="Alice" />`, document.body);
Using conditional rendering and loops:
import { html } from 'htm/preact';
const List = ({ items }) => html`
<ul>
${items.map(item => html`
<li>${item.name} ${item.completed ? '✓' : '❌'}</li>
`)}
</ul>
`;
Getting Started
To use HTM with Preact, follow these steps:
-
Install the required packages:
npm install htm preact
-
Create a new JavaScript file (e.g.,
app.js
) and add the following code:import { html, render } from 'htm/preact'; const App = () => html` <div> <h1>Hello HTM!</h1> <p>Welcome to your first HTM application.</p> </div> `; render(html`<${App} />`, document.body);
-
Include the script in your HTML file and run it in a modern browser or using a development server.
Competitor Comparisons
⚛️ Fast 3kB React alternative with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.
Pros of Preact
- Smaller bundle size and faster performance compared to React
- Full compatibility with React ecosystem through preact/compat
- Virtual DOM implementation for efficient updates
Cons of Preact
- Smaller community and ecosystem compared to React
- Some advanced React features may not be available or require additional setup
- Learning curve for developers transitioning from React
Code Comparison
Preact:
import { h, render } from 'preact';
const App = () => <h1>Hello, World!</h1>;
render(<App />, document.body);
HTM:
import { html, render } from 'htm/preact';
const App = () => html`<h1>Hello, World!</h1>`;
render(App(), document.body);
Key Differences
- HTM uses tagged template literals for JSX-like syntax without a build step
- Preact requires a build step for JSX compilation
- HTM can be used with various view libraries, while Preact is a standalone framework
- Preact offers a more complete React-like experience, while HTM focuses on lightweight templating
Use Cases
- Preact: Ideal for building full-fledged web applications with React-like architecture
- HTM: Suitable for smaller projects or when avoiding build tools is preferred
Community and Ecosystem
- Preact has a larger community and more third-party libraries
- HTM is more focused and has fewer resources, but is actively maintained
The library for web and native user interfaces.
Pros of React
- Extensive ecosystem with a wide range of libraries and tools
- Strong community support and frequent updates
- Robust performance optimization features like virtual DOM
Cons of React
- Steeper learning curve, especially for beginners
- Larger bundle size compared to HTM
- More complex setup and configuration
Code Comparison
React:
import React from 'react';
function Greeting({ name }) {
return <h1>Hello, {name}!</h1>;
}
HTM:
import { html } from 'htm/preact';
const Greeting = ({ name }) => html`
<h1>Hello, ${name}!</h1>
`;
Key Differences
- HTM uses template literals, while React uses JSX
- HTM has a smaller footprint and simpler setup
- React offers more advanced features and better performance for large applications
- HTM provides a more lightweight solution for smaller projects or quick prototyping
Use Cases
- Choose React for complex, large-scale applications with high performance requirements
- Opt for HTM when you need a simple, lightweight solution or want to avoid build steps
Both libraries have their strengths, and the choice depends on project requirements and developer preferences.
This is the repo for Vue 2. For Vue 3, go to https://github.com/vuejs/core
Pros of Vue
- Comprehensive framework with a full ecosystem (Vue Router, Vuex, Vue CLI)
- Extensive documentation and large community support
- Gentle learning curve for beginners
Cons of Vue
- Larger bundle size compared to HTM
- More opinionated structure, which may be limiting for some projects
- Requires compilation step for optimal performance
Code Comparison
Vue:
<template>
<div>
<h1>{{ title }}</h1>
<button @click="increment">Count: {{ count }}</button>
</div>
</template>
<script>
export default {
data() {
return { count: 0, title: 'Vue Example' }
},
methods: {
increment() { this.count++ }
}
}
</script>
HTM:
import { html, render } from 'htm/preact';
const App = () => {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
return html`
<div>
<h1>HTM Example</h1>
<button onClick=${() => setCount(count + 1)}>Count: ${count}</button>
</div>
`;
};
render(html`<${App} />`, document.body);
HTM offers a lighter-weight solution with no build step required, while Vue provides a more structured and feature-rich development experience. The choice between them depends on project requirements and developer preferences.
Cybernetically enhanced web apps
Pros of Svelte
- Offers a complete framework with built-in state management and reactivity
- Compiles to highly optimized vanilla JavaScript, resulting in smaller bundle sizes
- Provides a more intuitive and less boilerplate-heavy syntax for building components
Cons of Svelte
- Requires a build step, which can add complexity to the development process
- Has a smaller ecosystem and community compared to more established frameworks
- Learning curve may be steeper for developers accustomed to traditional frameworks
Code Comparison
Svelte component:
<script>
let count = 0;
function increment() {
count += 1;
}
</script>
<button on:click={increment}>
Clicks: {count}
</button>
HTM component:
import { html, Component } from 'htm/preact';
class Counter extends Component {
state = { count: 0 };
increment = () => this.setState({ count: this.state.count + 1 });
render() {
return html`
<button onClick=${this.increment}>
Clicks: ${this.state.count}
</button>
`;
}
}
Both Svelte and HTM offer ways to create reactive UI components, but Svelte's approach is more concise and requires less boilerplate. HTM, on the other hand, provides a lightweight solution for using JSX-like syntax without a build step, making it easier to integrate into existing projects.
A rugged, minimal framework for composing JavaScript behavior in your markup.
Pros of Alpine
- Lightweight and easy to learn, with a gentle learning curve
- Integrates seamlessly with existing HTML, requiring minimal changes
- Offers a comprehensive set of directives for common UI interactions
Cons of Alpine
- Limited to DOM manipulation and basic interactivity
- May become unwieldy for large, complex applications
- Lacks advanced features like virtual DOM or component-based architecture
Code Comparison
Alpine:
<div x-data="{ open: false }">
<button @click="open = !open">Toggle</button>
<span x-show="open">Content</span>
</div>
HTM:
import { html, render } from 'htm/preact';
const App = ({ open }) => html`
<div>
<button onClick=${() => setOpen(!open)}>Toggle</button>
${open && html`<span>Content</span>`}
</div>
`;
render(html`<${App} open=${false} />`, document.body);
Alpine focuses on enhancing existing HTML with directives, while HTM uses a template literal syntax to create components. Alpine is more suited for adding interactivity to static HTML, whereas HTM is better for building component-based applications with a virtual DOM.
Lit is a simple library for building fast, lightweight web components.
Pros of lit
- More comprehensive framework with additional features like reactive properties and lifecycle callbacks
- Better performance for complex applications due to its efficient rendering system
- Larger community and ecosystem, with more resources and third-party libraries available
Cons of lit
- Steeper learning curve compared to htm's simplicity
- Larger bundle size, which may impact load times for smaller applications
- More opinionated approach, potentially limiting flexibility in some scenarios
Code Comparison
htm:
import { html, render } from 'htm/preact';
const App = ({ name }) => html`
<h1>Hello ${name}!</h1>
`;
render(html`<${App} name="World" />`, document.body);
lit:
import { LitElement, html } from 'lit';
class MyElement extends LitElement {
static properties = { name: {} };
render() {
return html`<h1>Hello ${this.name}!</h1>`;
}
}
customElements.define('my-element', MyElement);
Both htm and lit provide ways to create web components using template literals, but lit offers a more structured approach with its LitElement base class and property system. htm focuses on simplicity and flexibility, while lit provides a more comprehensive framework for building complex applications.
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HTM (Hyperscript Tagged Markup)
htm
is JSX-like syntax in plain JavaScript - no transpiler necessary.
Develop with React/Preact directly in the browser, then compile htm
away for production.
It uses standard JavaScript Tagged Templates and works in all modern browsers.
htm
by the numbers:
ð£ < 600 bytes when used directly in the browser
âï¸ < 500 bytes when used with Preact (thanks gzip ð)
ð¥ < 450 byte htm/mini
version
ð 0 bytes if compiled using babel-plugin-htm
Syntax: like JSX but also lit
The syntax you write when using HTM is as close as possible to JSX:
- Spread props:
<div ...${props}>
instead of<div {...props}>
- Self-closing tags:
<div />
- Components:
<${Foo}>
instead of<Foo>
(whereFoo
is a component reference) - Boolean attributes:
<div draggable />
Improvements over JSX
htm
actually takes the JSX-style syntax a couple steps further!
Here's some ergonomic features you get for free that aren't present in JSX:
- No transpiler necessary
- HTML's optional quotes:
<div class=foo>
- Component end-tags:
<${Footer}>footer content<//>
- Syntax highlighting and language support via the lit-html VSCode extension and vim-jsx-pretty plugin.
- Multiple root element (fragments):
<div /><div />
- Support for HTML-style comments:
<div><!-- comment --></div>
Installation
htm
is published to npm, and accessible via the unpkg.com CDN:
via npm:
npm i htm
hotlinking from unpkg: (no build tool needed!)
import htm from 'https://unpkg.com/htm?module'
const html = htm.bind(React.createElement);
// just want htm + preact in a single file? there's a highly-optimized version of that:
import { html, render } from 'https://unpkg.com/htm/preact/standalone.module.js'
Usage
If you're using Preact or React, we've included off-the-shelf bindings to make your life easier. They also have the added benefit of sharing a template cache across all modules.
import { render } from 'preact';
import { html } from 'htm/preact';
render(html`<a href="/">Hello!</a>`, document.body);
Similarly, for React:
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import { html } from 'htm/react';
ReactDOM.render(html`<a href="/">Hello!</a>`, document.body);
Advanced Usage
Since htm
is a generic library, we need to tell it what to "compile" our templates to.
You can bind htm
to any function of the form h(type, props, ...children)
(hyperscript).
This function can return anything - htm
never looks at the return value.
Here's an example h()
function that returns tree nodes:
function h(type, props, ...children) {
return { type, props, children };
}
To use our custom h()
function, we need to create our own html
tag function by binding htm
to our h()
function:
import htm from 'htm';
const html = htm.bind(h);
Now we have an html()
template tag that can be used to produce objects in the format we created above.
Here's the whole thing for clarity:
import htm from 'htm';
function h(type, props, ...children) {
return { type, props, children };
}
const html = htm.bind(h);
console.log( html`<h1 id=hello>Hello world!</h1>` );
// {
// type: 'h1',
// props: { id: 'hello' },
// children: ['Hello world!']
// }
If the template has multiple element at the root level
the output is an array of h
results:
console.log(html`
<h1 id=hello>Hello</h1>
<div class=world>World!</div>
`);
// [
// {
// type: 'h1',
// props: { id: 'hello' },
// children: ['Hello']
// },
// {
// type: 'div',
// props: { class: 'world' },
// children: ['world!']
// }
// ]
Caching
The default build of htm
caches template strings, which means that it can return the same Javascript object at multiple points in the tree. If you don't want this behaviour, you have three options:
- Change your
h
function to copy nodes when needed. - Add the code
this[0] = 3;
at the beginning of yourh
function, which disables caching of created elements. - Use
htm/mini
, which disables caching by default.
Example
Curious to see what it all looks like? Here's a working app!
It's a single HTML file, and there's no build or tooling. You can edit it with nano.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<title>htm Demo</title>
<script type="module">
import { html, Component, render } from 'https://unpkg.com/htm/preact/standalone.module.js';
class App extends Component {
addTodo() {
const { todos = [] } = this.state;
this.setState({ todos: todos.concat(`Item ${todos.length}`) });
}
render({ page }, { todos = [] }) {
return html``;
}
}
const Header = ({ name }) => html``
const Footer = props => html``
render(html``, document.body);
</script>
</html>
â¡ï¸ Try this on CodeSandbox â¶
How nifty is that?
Notice there's only one import - here we're using the prebuilt Preact integration since it's easier to import and a bit smaller.
The same example works fine without the prebuilt version, just using two imports:
import { h, Component, render } from 'preact';
import htm from 'htm';
const html = htm.bind(h);
render(html`<${App} page="All" />`, document.body);
Other Uses
Since htm
is designed to meet the same need as JSX, you can use it anywhere you'd use JSX.
Generate HTML using vhtml:
import htm from 'htm';
import vhtml from 'vhtml';
const html = htm.bind(vhtml);
console.log( html`<h1 id=hello>Hello world!</h1>` );
// '<h1 id="hello">Hello world!</h1>'
Webpack configuration via jsxobj: (details here) (never do this)
import htm from 'htm';
import jsxobj from 'jsxobj';
const html = htm.bind(jsxobj);
console.log(html`
<webpack watch mode=production>
<entry path="src/index.js" />
</webpack>
`);
// {
// watch: true,
// mode: 'production',
// entry: {
// path: 'src/index.js'
// }
// }
Demos & Examples
- Canadian Holidays: A full app using HTM and Server-Side Rendering
- HTM SSR Example: Shows how to do SSR with HTM
- HTM + Preact SSR Demo
- HTM + vhtml SSR Demo
Project Status
The original goal for htm
was to create a wrapper around Preact that felt natural for use untranspiled in the browser. I wanted to use Virtual DOM, but I wanted to eschew build tooling and use ES Modules directly.
This meant giving up JSX, and the closest alternative was Tagged Templates. So, I wrote this library to patch up the differences between the two as much as possible. The technique turns out to be framework-agnostic, so it should work great with any library or renderer that works with JSX.
htm
is stable, fast, well-tested and ready for production use.
Top Related Projects
⚛️ Fast 3kB React alternative with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.
The library for web and native user interfaces.
This is the repo for Vue 2. For Vue 3, go to https://github.com/vuejs/core
Cybernetically enhanced web apps
A rugged, minimal framework for composing JavaScript behavior in your markup.
Lit is a simple library for building fast, lightweight web components.
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot