OFF-TOPIC should I use Frontend framework or templating engine

[Raja]

Hi fastlaners,

I am currently working on building my own marketplace, because I am a mobile developer I had learn nodejs for backend.
while learning I came to know about the templating engine in express js.

I have no idea of the frontend framework like react or angular(I will learn if required).

I also came across an article which basically says that SEO of Server Side Rendering is better than Client-Side Rendering.


so generating Dynamic HTML pages with a templating engine is a good option, I believe.

should I skip learning frontend library like react and work with ejs?

my criteria here are:
1. easy to learn(within a week)
2. fast development time
3. Server-Side Rendering

PS time to market is important to me

what would you guys suggest?
@Tom H. @eliquid @Jon L

 

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[Odysseus M Jones]

day 105

I found the reason why I haven't gotten anywhere
1. focusing on the least important tasks.
2. spending too much time but unfocused(limit work time)


at the movement I have exams coming so won't be updating for a while.

had 1 week of Diwali vacation for a week, did node js(least imp task).

If I fail to do so please remind me on January 12 2021

 

[beswaax]

Hi fastlaners,

I am currently working on building my own marketplace, because I am a mobile developer I had learn nodejs for backend.
while learning I came to know about the templating engine in express js.

I have no idea of the frontend framework like react or angular(I will learn if required).

I also came across an article which basically says that SEO of Server Side Rendering is better than Client-Side Rendering.


so generating Dynamic HTML pages with a templating engine is a good option, I believe.

should I skip learning frontend library like react and work with ejs?

my criteria here are:
1. easy to learn(within a week)
2. fast development time
3. Server-Side Rendering

what would you guys suggest?
@Tom H. @eliquid @Jon L

You can learn React pretty fast. 1-3 weeks depending on your previous experience. You can use SSR with nextjs.js which is basically a React framework. Learning nextjs takes a few days.

 

[Raja]

Thanks mate for reminding me...

I am back strong with a plan that I don't intend to change.

 

[Raja]

You can learn React pretty fast. 1-3 weeks depending on your previous experience. You can use SSR with nextjs.js which is basically a React framework. Learning nextjs takes a few days.

Thanks beswaax,

But the most important question is, do i need to learn.

I could generate dynamic html with templating engine. Which i can do NOW.

 

[magnetix]

Thanks beswaax,

But the most important question is, do i need to learn.

I could generate dynamic html with templating engine. Which i can do NOW.

First do Server side rendering with templates and maybe add REST API. When you make enough cash with the idea and the customers will ask for it then you can hire someone with frontend framework knowledge. When server performance becomes issue you can replace node backend with say golang.

 

[alexkuzmov]

Hi fastlaners,

I am currently working on building my own marketplace, because I am a mobile developer I had learn nodejs for backend.
while learning I came to know about the templating engine in express js.

I have no idea of the frontend framework like react or angular(I will learn if required).

I also came across an article which basically says that SEO of Server Side Rendering is better than Client-Side Rendering.


so generating Dynamic HTML pages with a templating engine is a good option, I believe.

should I skip learning frontend library like react and work with ejs?

my criteria here are:
1. easy to learn(within a week)
2. fast development time
3. Server-Side Rendering

PS time to market is important to me

what would you guys suggest?
@Tom H. @eliquid @Jon L

A mix of the two is best.

It all comes down to performance.
Choosing what parts to render using a template engine and what parts using a frontend framework however comes down to experience and testing.
You need to identify bottlenecks that either method can solve better.

The initial layout, main menu, mandatory images, fonts, HTML structure and static for the page data is best to be pre-rendered.
Anything dynamic on the page such as product listing, sliders, team info, blog posts, categories, auth options and more is best handled by a frontend framework.

This way you get the best of both worlds.
Speed and SEO from the pre-rendered templates.
Functionality and flexibility from the framework.

 

[alexkuzmov]

First do Server side rendering with templates and maybe add REST API. When you make enough cash with the idea and the customers will ask for it then you can hire someone with frontend framework knowledge. When server performance becomes issue you can replace node backend with say golang.

This is not good advice.

1. REST API should be present from the get go.
We no longer have the luxury of serving all the data through templates.

2. Adding a frotnend framework at a later stage will be a waste of time nad resources.
This too must be integrated from the begining, ready to be used.

3. Server perfromance is a VAST topic and replacing node with golang will do NOTHING to impact performance.
It would be a meaningless action.

 

[Tom H.]

If you want server side rendering (for SEO?), then just use the templating engine. This would be my choice anyway, for ease and speed of development.

If you need a single page app, then don't worry about server side rendering for now. I think Vue.js might strive to be the most newbie friendly. React is easy to start with too, but you have to choose your dependencies.

 

[Raja]

If you want server side rendering (for SEO?), then just use the templating engine. This would be my choice anyway, for ease and speed of development.

If you need a single page app, then don't worry about server side rendering for now. I think Vue.js might strive to be the most newbie friendly. React is easy to start with too, but you have to choose your dependencies.

Yes, I want to optimize for seo from the get go.

Its not a single page application, its an marketplace where other people could also sell their products.

Nothing too complex, just a medium size app

 

[Raja]

A mix of the two is best.

It all comes down to performance.
Choosing what parts to render using a template engine and what parts using a frontend framework however comes down to experience and testing.
You need to identify bottlenecks that either method can solve better.

The initial layout, main menu, mandatory images, fonts, HTML structure and static for the page data is best to be pre-rendered.
Anything dynamic on the page such as product listing, sliders, team info, blog posts, categories, auth options and more is best handled by a frontend framework.

This way you get the best of both worlds.
Speed and SEO from the pre-rendered templates.
Functionality and flexibility from the framework.

Thanks alex for the sound advice.

Sorry but I am not very experienced with web technology.

Can you point me to something specific, I am planning to hire a developer after some time but for MVP I have to do it myself.

I researched next js + mongodb will get everything done.

 

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[Tom H.]

Yes, I want to optimize for seo from the get go.

Its not a single page application, its an marketplace where other people could also sell their products.

Nothing too complex, just a medium size app

Then forget about React and the rest. All you need is to render pages dynamically on the server using whatever web framework you choose, Express is fine if that's what you already use. Create a traditional web app, where each new screen involves the browser loading a new page as rendered by the server. After the first version, you may find parts of the pages that you'd like to update without loading a new page (e.g. updating a notification counter), you can sprinkle in AJAX for this functionality after the first version is complete, and you don't need a frontend framework for this, just a few JS snippets, which will be part of the Express template.

 

[alexkuzmov]

Thanks alex for the sound advice.

Sorry but I am not very experienced with web technology.

Can you point me to something specific, I am planning to hire a developer after some time but for MVP I have to do it myself.

I researched next js + mongodb will get everything done.

Well, believe me, this is a matter of red hot debate in the dev communities.
Or the "what is best" war.

Again I would advocate the use of "best of both worlds".

Now noSQL databases have key advantages over RDS, but they appear in specific usage such as performance and scaling(broadly speaking).
Whereas RDS (obviously if structured correctly) are easy to maintain, have no redundancy and can be much easily used to produce various statistics to improve a business.
Statistics are very important.

Unfortunately I dont think that Next JS had the option to use MariaDB, which is a RDS.
Instead you have MySQL, which is also good.
Dont use MongoDB for str8 up storage of data.
Unless you plan to store and retrieve vast quantities of unstructured data, just dont bother with MongoDB.

By using NextJS with MySQL you get the benefits of the RDS.
To mitigate its shortcomings, you (at a later stage) must couple it with a noSQL database such as Redis so that you also get those benefits as well.

Store the data in MySQL, cache it in Redis and you get a hybrid which can handle monster load.

NB: Now the next thing I`m going to write is quite advanced, but just remember it, you dont have to understand it for now.
MySQL as any RDS suffers from its natural limit on INSERT queries which become slower and slower the more data and indexes you have.
Make sure to split your databases, dont just use one.
You said that you are working on a market place?
Well, each store -> new MySQL database.
Just figure out how to use more than one with your code and split split split.
That way you not only avoid those limits but you can host the DBs on different servers to mitigate load issues.

Data storage is again a vast topic.

------

In summary.
NextJS with Mysql and addon Redis at a later stage.
NextJS has the ability to make templates so the hybrid between frotnend framework and pre-rendered code is built in.

 

[jsk29]

Before any of this, have you validated your idea (met MJ's commandment of Need)?

Eg. A simple landing page promoting your marketplace with a pre sign-up offer to collect emails

You don't want to spend months learning a new tech stack and building a marketplace only to end up with zero users.

Highly recommended:
Rob Walling's (free) Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding ebook

 

[Raja]

Before any of this, have you validated your idea (met MJ's commandment of Need)?

Eg. A simple landing page promoting your marketplace with a pre sign-up offer to collect emails

You don't want to spend months learning a new tech stack and building a marketplace only to end up with zero users.

Highly recommended:
Rob Walling's (free) Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding ebook

the commandment of need is indirectly validated.

competitors exist and their products are selling.

also, thank you for sharing the book, I will surely read it.