---

name: reactivity description: "Compile-time JS philosophy"

Rich Harris JavaScript Philosophy

Applying Rich Harris' "compile-time over runtime" philosophy from Svelte and Rollup. The best runtime code is no runtime code.

---

Core Philosophy

Shift Work to Compile Time

"Frameworks are not tools for organizing your code. They're tools for organizing your mind."

The virtual DOM was a necessary hack, not a permanent solution. Compile-time analysis can eliminate runtime overhead entirely.

// Runtime framework (React)
// Ships entire diffing algorithm to browser
function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
  return <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>{count}</button>;
}

// Compile-time framework (Svelte)
// Compiles to surgical DOM updates - no diffing needed
<script>
  let count = 0;
</script>
<button on:click={() => count++}>{count}</button>

// Svelte output: direct DOM manipulation
// button.textContent = count;

Ship Less JavaScript

Every byte of JavaScript has a cost:

1. Download time
2. Parse time
3. Compile time
4. Execute time

The fastest JavaScript is JavaScript you don't ship.

Reactivity Should Be Automatic

// Manual reactivity (React) - you track dependencies
useEffect(() => {
  document.title = `Count: ${count}`;
}, [count]);  // You must remember to add count

// Automatic reactivity (Svelte) - compiler tracks dependencies
$: document.title = `Count: ${count}`;
// Compiler knows count is a dependency

---

Bundling Philosophy (Rollup)

Tree Shaking Done Right

// utils.js
export function used() { return 'used'; }
export function unused() { return 'unused'; }

// main.js
import { used } from './utils.js';
console.log(used());

// Rollup output: unused() is completely eliminated
// Other bundlers often can't remove it

Why Rollup is better at tree-shaking:

• ES modules only (no CommonJS ambiguity)
• Static analysis of imports/exports
• No side-effect assumptions unless marked

Code Splitting Philosophy

// Split on routes, not components
// Users load what they need when they need it

// Dynamic imports at route boundaries
const routes = {
  '/dashboard': () => import('./routes/Dashboard.svelte'),
  '/settings': () => import('./routes/Settings.svelte'),
};

---

Framework Trade-offs

Virtual DOM Costs

Operation	Virtual DOM	Compiled (Svelte)
Create element	Create VDOM node + diff + create real	Create real element
Update text	Create VDOM + diff + update real	Update real element
Memory	VDOM tree + real DOM	Real DOM only
Bundle size	Framework runtime + app	App only

When Virtual DOM Makes Sense

• Highly dynamic UIs where everything changes constantly
• When developer experience outweighs performance
• When team already knows React/Vue

When Compile-Time Wins

• Performance-critical applications
• Bandwidth-constrained environments
• Simple to moderate interactivity
• When bundle size matters

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Svelte Patterns

Component Design

<!-- Props with defaults -->
<script>
  export let name = 'World';
  export let count = 0;
</script>

<!-- Reactive declarations -->
<script>
  let a = 1;
  let b = 2;
  $: sum = a + b;  // Automatically updates
  $: console.log(`Sum is ${sum}`);  // Reactive statement
</script>

<!-- Direct DOM binding -->
<input bind:value={name}>
<input type="number" bind:value={count}>

Stores for Shared State

// stores.js
import { writable, derived } from 'svelte/store';

export const count = writable(0);
export const doubled = derived(count, $count => $count * 2);

// Component usage - $ prefix auto-subscribes
<script>
  import { count, doubled } from './stores.js';
</script>

<button on:click={() => $count++}>
  {$count} × 2 = {$doubled}
</button>

---

Build Optimization Rules

1. Analyze Before Optimizing

# Visualize bundle
npx rollup-plugin-visualizer
npx source-map-explorer bundle.js

2. Question Every Dependency

// Before adding lodash for one function:
import { debounce } from 'lodash';  // 70KB

// Consider:
function debounce(fn, ms) {
  let timeout;
  return (...args) => {
    clearTimeout(timeout);
    timeout = setTimeout(() => fn(...args), ms);
  };
}  // 200 bytes

3. Prefer Native Over Polyfill

// Check browser support before polyfilling
// Modern browsers have:
// - fetch, Promise, async/await
// - Array methods (map, filter, find)
// - Object methods (entries, values, assign)
// - Template literals, destructuring, spread

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When to Apply

Scenario	Apply Harris Philosophy
New project, performance matters	Yes - consider Svelte
Bundle size optimization	Yes - tree-shaking analysis
Framework selection	Yes - evaluate compile-time options
Existing React codebase	Partially - bundling insights
Server-side rendering	Yes - SvelteKit considerations

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Source Material

• "Rethinking Reactivity" (talk)
• "The Truth About Virtual DOM" (blog)
• Svelte documentation and tutorials
• Rollup documentation
• Rich Harris on Twitter/talks