I'm a backend engineer with a solid grasp on my field, but I struggle with frontend development. While using pre-built component libraries like React has been straightforward, I'm at a loss when it comes to building a website from scratch without them. Are there any recommendations for libraries that can help me create stylish UIs? If not, what are some effective ways to design a good-looking and user-friendly webpage? Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
I'm curious why you're hesitant to use component libraries. They can save a ton of time and often provide everything you need. If it's about needing specific behaviors or if you're tied to a framework like Spring or Laravel, I get that—but many libraries have pretty customizable options!
If you're looking to get started with building a UI without relying on component libraries, you can definitely achieve a lot using just HTML and CSS. For dynamic behavior, incorporating JavaScript is essential, but it doesn’t always have to be complicated. Keep it simple, and you can create a solid foundation pretty quickly!
But if you need specific functionality, that’s where JavaScript comes in, and it can feel overwhelming adding all that code just for one effect.
It's mainly because I sometimes need customized functionality that libraries don't offer, especially if I'm doing server-side rendering with something like Blazor.