The Satisfying Decline of jQuery
🔹 The Rise of jQuery
Back in the mid-2000s, front-end web development was messy:
- Different browsers behaved inconsistently.
- Simple tasks like DOM selection, AJAX calls, and animations required lots of verbose JavaScript.
In 2006, John Resig released jQuery, a lightweight JavaScript library with the slogan:
👉 “Write less, do more.”
It quickly became the most popular JavaScript library in the world because it:
- Normalized cross-browser quirks.
- Made DOM manipulation effortless.
- Introduced chaining for cleaner code.
- Simplified AJAX requests and event handling.
🔹 jQuery’s Golden Era (2008–2015)
jQuery was everywhere:
- 90%+ of top websites used it.
- Major CMS platforms (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla) bundled it by default.
- Thousands of plugins extended its capabilities (sliders, modals, validation, etc.).
For many developers, jQuery was their first real taste of JavaScript.
🔹 Evolution of jQuery
Over time, jQuery added:
- Animations with
.animate() - AJAX utilities like
$.ajax()and later$.getJSON() - Plugins ecosystem for widgets and UI effects
- jQuery UI and jQuery Mobile for richer interfaces
It wasn’t just a library — it was the front-end standard.
🔹 The Beginning of Decline
By the mid-2010s, the web evolved:
- Native JavaScript improved
document.querySelectorAll()replaced$('.selector').fetch()replaced$.ajax().addEventListener()replaced.on().- CSS3 transitions replaced many
.animate()needs.
- Modern frameworks emerged
- AngularJS (2010), React (2013), and Vue (2014) introduced component-driven architectures.
- State management, virtual DOM, and reactive UIs made jQuery’s imperative style look outdated.
- Performance issues
- jQuery manipulation was slower than modern Virtual DOM updates.
- Large, dynamic apps needed more than DOM tweaks — they needed stateful components.
🔹 The Eventual Decline
By 2020, usage of jQuery had dramatically dropped in modern projects:
- New frameworks made it obsolete for SPA (Single Page Applications).
- Developers realized loading a ~90KB library just for DOM manipulation wasn’t worth it.
- GitHub and npm stats show React, Vue, and Angular eclipsed jQuery in downloads and contributions.
Yet, jQuery didn’t vanish completely. It still lingers because:
- Legacy projects depend on it.
- WordPress themes & plugins often bundle it.
- It’s still quick for prototyping small features.
🔹 Why Its Decline is “Satisfying”
jQuery served its purpose during a chaotic time in web history. Its decline isn’t sad — it’s proof of progress. The web grew up:
- Browsers standardized.
- JavaScript evolved.
- Developers moved toward modern, scalable architectures.
The decline of jQuery shows how the web community solved problems once and for all — no more hacks, just native solutions.
✅ Summary
- Birth (2006): Solved cross-browser headaches, simplified DOM and AJAX.
- Golden Era (2008–2015): Dominated front-end development.
- Decline (2015 onward): Native JS + modern frameworks replaced it.
- Legacy (Today): Still used in older projects and CMS platforms.
jQuery didn’t “die.” It paved the way for modern front-end development — and bowed out gracefully.
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