Why I Stick with SvelteKit: A Personal Reflection on My Web Development Stack

I’ve been reflecting lately on why I continue to use SvelteKit with TailwindCSS and TypeScript for my website and templates, particularly when it seems like the entire web development world has moved to React. It’s a question that pops up occasionally—usually when I’m scrolling through job listings or reading yet another “React vs Everything Else” debate—but the answer has become increasingly clear to me.

The Simplicity That Just Works

The primary reason I stick with SvelteKit is refreshingly straightforward: it’s just not as complex as React. When I look at React code, with its hooks, context providers, and the seemingly endless parade of concepts you need to grasp before you can build anything meaningful, I feel a bit overwhelmed. SvelteKit, by contrast, feels intuitive. Components are components. State is state. You write HTML that looks like HTML, CSS that looks like CSS, and JavaScript that feels like JavaScript.

This isn’t to say React is inherently wrong—clearly millions of developers find it perfectly workable. But for my needs, SvelteKit’s approach of “less magic, more clarity” resonates deeply. I can focus on building rather than wrestling with architectural decisions that feel unnecessarily complex for what I’m trying to achieve.

The Overuse Factor

There’s also something to be said about React’s ubiquity that puts me off. It feels… overused, frankly. Not in the sense that it’s a bad tool—it’s obviously powerful and well-supported—but in the way that every project, regardless of complexity or requirements, seems to default to React. It’s become the safe choice, the one that ticks all the boxes on corporate checklists.

I appreciate that SvelteKit occupies a different space. It’s thoughtful, deliberate, and isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. The community feels more focused on crafting elegant solutions rather than building the next enterprise-scale application framework. There’s something refreshing about working with a tool that prioritises developer experience without the baggage of needing to serve every possible use case.

The Commitment I’ve Made

Perhaps most practically, I’m simply too invested in SvelteKit now to consider switching. My website, my templates, my understanding of how to build web applications—it’s all built around this ecosystem. The idea of migrating everything to React feels not just daunting, but pointless. Why would I abandon a stack that works perfectly well for my needs?

This isn’t about being stubborn or resistant to change. It’s about recognising that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere, especially when you’ve already cultivated something that grows well in your particular garden. SvelteKit handles everything I need it to handle, from static site generation to dynamic routing to server-side rendering. The performance is excellent, the build times are quick, and the development experience remains pleasant.

The Perfect Trio

The combination of SvelteKit, TailwindCSS, and TypeScript has proven particularly harmonious. TailwindCSS eliminates the CSS headaches that used to plague my projects—no more wrestling with specificity or wondering why styles aren’t applying correctly. TypeScript catches errors before they become problems and makes refactoring considerably less terrifying. Together, they form a stack that feels both powerful and approachable.

I’ve tried other combinations over the years, but this particular trio strikes the right balance between productivity and maintainability. The learning curve was gentle, the documentation is solid, and the ecosystem, while smaller than React’s, contains everything I actually need.

Why This Matters

In a field that’s constantly pushing toward the next big thing, there’s value in recognising when you’ve found something that simply works for you. React dominates the job market and the conversation around web development, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for every project or every developer.

SvelteKit gives me exactly what I need: a straightforward way to build fast, maintainable websites without the complexity overhead that comes with larger frameworks. It’s not about being contrarian or avoiding popular tools—it’s about choosing the right tool for my particular circumstances and preferences.

Moving Forward

Will I ever switch to React? Perhaps, if a project specifically requires it or if the landscape changes dramatically. But for now, I’m quite content with my choice. SvelteKit continues to evolve and improve, TailwindCSS keeps making styling more enjoyable, and TypeScript ensures I don’t break things as often as I used to.

Sometimes the best choice isn’t the most popular one—it’s the one that lets you build what you want to build without getting in your way. For me, that’s SvelteKit, and I’m perfectly happy to keep swimming against the current on this one.