For years, jQuery was everywhere.

If you were building websites in the 2010s, there was a good chance you were writing something like:

$("#menu").hide();

or:

$.ajax({
  url: "/api/users",
  success: function(data) {
    console.log(data);
  }
});

Today, jQuery isn’t nearly as dominant. But it didn’t disappear.

So what actually happened?

1. jQuery solved real problems

jQuery became popular because JavaScript used to be much more frustrating to work with.

Different browsers behaved differently, especially Internet Explorer.

jQuery provided a consistent API for things like:

• DOM manipulation
• Event handling
• AJAX requests
• Animations
• Element selection
• Cross-browser compatibility

Instead of writing verbose browser-specific code, developers could use a simple API.

$(".button").click(function() {
    alert("Clicked!");
});

That simplicity was revolutionary at the time.

2. Browsers got much better

This is probably the biggest reason jQuery lost its dominance.

Modern browsers standardized many APIs that developers previously needed libraries to simplify.

For example, instead of relying on:

$.ajax()

developers can use the native:

fetch()

Instead of relying on jQuery selectors and DOM utilities, modern JavaScript provides:

document.querySelector()

and:

document.querySelectorAll()

The platform itself caught up.

3. JavaScript became much more powerful

JavaScript has changed dramatically.

Modern JavaScript includes features such as:

• let and const
• Arrow functions
• Classes
• Modules
• Promises
• async/await
• Template literals
• Destructuring
• Spread syntax
• Optional chaining

For example:

const users = await fetch("/api/users")
    .then(response => response.json());

Many tasks that once encouraged developers to reach for a library can now be handled directly by the language and browser.

4. React, Angular and Vue changed the game

Then came modern frontend frameworks and libraries.

Meta Platforms introduced React, while Angular and Vue became popular alternatives.

These tools encouraged a different way of building interfaces.

Instead of manually manipulating the DOM:

$("#username").text("Lawson");

you could describe what the UI should look like based on application state.

React, for example, popularized component-based development:

<UserProfile user={user} />

The developer focuses more on state, components and application structure than manually changing individual DOM elements.

5. Single-page applications changed frontend development

Traditional websites often looked like this:

HTML → JavaScript → DOM manipulation

Modern applications increasingly became:

Components → State → Rendering

Applications such as dashboards, social networks, web apps and SaaS platforms needed more sophisticated architecture.

jQuery wasn’t really designed for managing huge application state and complex component systems.

Frameworks and libraries filled that gap.

6. Mobile development also changed

The rise of responsive design and mobile-first development changed frontend priorities.

Then came technologies such as:

• React Native
• Flutter
• Ionic
• Progressive Web Apps

Developers increasingly wanted reusable components and application architectures that could work across platforms.

jQuery wasn’t designed for that world.

7. jQuery is still alive

This is where the story gets interesting.

jQuery isn’t dead.

It is still maintained and remains present in many existing websites and applications.

Millions of older websites were built with it, and many organizations have no reason to completely rewrite working systems.

You can still encounter jQuery in:

• WordPress sites
• Legacy enterprise applications
• Older plugins
• CMS platforms
• Internal business systems
• Older e-commerce websites

The important distinction is:

jQuery went from being the default choice to being one choice among many.

8. The ecosystem also moved forward

Modern frontend development now commonly involves combinations of:

JavaScript / TypeScript
        ↓
React / Vue / Angular
        ↓
Next.js / Nuxt / Angular frameworks
        ↓
APIs + Backend + Databases

Developers also have powerful browser APIs available without jQuery.

Things like:

fetch()

localStorage

querySelector()

addEventListener()

classList

are now standard parts of web development.

9. Should you learn jQuery today?

If you’re learning web development from scratch, modern JavaScript should come first.

Learn:

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. JavaScript
4. DOM APIs
5. Fetch/API concepts
6. TypeScript
7. A modern framework such as React, Vue or Angular

Then learn jQuery if your work requires it.

However, knowing basic jQuery can still be valuable because you may encounter it when maintaining an existing project.

The real lesson

jQuery didn’t fail.

The web platform evolved.

jQuery became incredibly successful partly because browsers and JavaScript were missing useful features. As those capabilities became standardized, developers needed less abstraction.

Then modern frameworks solved a different problem: building large, stateful applications.

So the evolution looks roughly like this:

JavaScript was difficult
        ↓
      jQuery
        ↓
Browsers + JavaScript improved
        ↓
Less need for jQuery
        ↓
Complex web apps appeared
        ↓
React / Vue / Angular
        ↓
Modern frontend ecosystem

In one sentence:

jQuery didn’t disappear—it became less necessary.

And that’s one of the most important lessons in software development:

A technology can be hugely successful and still become less relevant when the platform underneath it gets better.

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