Today we will be talking about the recently launched JavaScript framework- Fresh, along with its features, advantages, drawbacks, and importance. Read on to know more about this unique framework.
What is FRESH?
Fresh is a recently launched next-gen web framework. Launched in June 2022, Fresh has been designed to enhance speed, reliability, and ease of use. This advanced JavaScript framework uses Preact to handle some of its JSX-style components.
Additionally, the Fresh runtime utilises Deno, a simple, modern, and secure TypeScript, JavaScript, and WebAssembly runtime.
Fresh runs on the Google V8 engine and is written in Rust. Also, it handles dependencies differently than Node.js. Users can use this full-stack web framework for building personal pages, blog sites, home pages, high-quality web applications such as Twitter, and much more.
Fresh-An SSR Framework
Fresh is a framework for SSR (Server Side Rendering). By default, it serves static HTML to the client without any JavaScript. Furthermore, this slim design lets users load their site very fast.
Features of the Fresh Framework
Fresh has several valuable features that make it an attractive choice for developers.
What is Deno Framework?
Deno is a TypeScript and JavaScript runtime engine based on Google’s JavaScript runtime engine V8. An alternative to Node.js, Deno consists of a single binary executable file. The program is independent of any external components. It works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Because Deno operates differently from Node, it requires a unique and exclusive framework; and Fresh provides that framework. Fresh is optimised for edge computing and provides Deno with a full-stack web framework, which extends the latter’s full-stack capabilities.
Fresh is available under the MIT License. It can be used to build production web applications and websites. The framework is fast because it relies on dynamic server-side rendering. Fresh is also ideal for use on edge with runtimes such as Deno Deploy, Supabase Edge Functions, and Netlify Edge Functions. Thus, rendering happens physically close to the user, minimising network latency.
How to Get Started with the Fresh Framework?
The Fresh framework is very simple to use. Follow the steps below to understand how to get started with the framework:
Routes and Islands-Two Significant Parts of the Fresh Application
An app’s routes determine how it responds to different requests. The response can come in the form of an API response, or it can come in the form of HTML for the front end.
Islands, on the other hand, are preact elements, an ultra-light version of React, that are delivered on the client side. Clients can receive these via routes. Fresh automatically handles island updates to minimise client load time.
Users can create new routes and islands by adding them to the routes and islands folders. Fresh does not ship the entire rendering infrastructure to the client. Thus, it is significantly faster than almost all client-side rendering frameworks, and many server-side rendering frameworks since most of the processing is done on the server side.
What are the Advantages of the Fresh Framework?
With Fresh, users can scale across different fields whilst following a library or framework that is easy to comprehend.
- The Fresh framework is lightweight.
- It performs well even on slow devices.
- Fresh is robust and has a simple design.
- It has a wide range of applications.
- Moreover, its overall performance is awe-inspiring due to its native browser features.
- It offers a simple, controlled styling for user testing, prototyping, and production.
- Fresh comes with an intuitive routing mechanism that eliminates some of the bloating issues associated with web frameworks.
- With Fresh, you can transition seamlessly between colour schemes and themes by changing the colour in the head tag.
- It reduces page loading times and handles errors elegantly.
- The best thing about Fresh is that no matter what you make, you can get the perfect styles and fantastic production values (while maintaining readable, elegant code).
The best thing about the Fresh framework is that no matter what you make, you can get the perfect styles and fantastic production values while maintaining readable and elegant code.
Challenges Faced by the Fresh Framework
The Fresh framework has its own set of challenges. Working with this framework is challenging due to Deno’s vast ecosystem. Another significant disadvantage is the lack of community. NPM (Node Package Manager) continues to have a much broader user base than Deno. Moreover, some NPM packages may not yet be consistent with Fresh.
Conclusion
Despite the challenges, the Fresh framework, with its minimalist approach, does seem like a significant move in the right direction, which is enough to justify putting up with Deno’s shortcomings. Moreover, with fewer drawbacks than the existing networks, the Fresh framework will likely do away with the weaknesses of several existing frameworks, such as speed issues and poor user experience.
Given the factors discussed above, it is reasonable to assume that the Fresh framework has more benefits than drawbacks. Fresh leverages innovative approaches and a cutting-edge set of features. It is more than just a front-end framework; it is a seamlessly integrated web-building framework. Using the Fresh framework, you can tailor responses, access the database, and deal with any request seamlessly.
Thanks for reading!