Preact, Performance, and the Future of Lightweight Frontends with Ryan Christian -JSJ 683

In this episode of JavaScript Jabber, we sit down with Ryan Christian, a core maintainer of Preact, to talk all things lightweight, performant, and practical in the JavaScript world. If you’ve ever wondered what makes Preact tick, why it continues to gain traction, and how it compares to the heavyweight champ React—this episode is for you.

We get into the nitty-gritty of what separates Preact from React, not just in size but in philosophy. Ryan sheds light on how Preact is engineered for performance, why it's not just a “React clone,” and how its compatibility layer makes it easy to drop into existing projects. Plus, we explore signals, class components, and what the upcoming Preact v11 has in store.

Episode Highlights

• [1:23] - Meet Ryan Christian: Preact core maintainer and open-source champion
• [4:10] - What is Preact, and how does it stack up against React?
• [10:15] - Preact’s tiny footprint and why size still matters
• [14:47] - Widgets, adoption, and why Preact powers ~6% of major sites
• [20:01] - Understanding Preact’s compatibility layer (PreactCompat)
• [25:40] - Hooks, signals, and modularity: build what you need, nothing more
• [31:10] - Why Preact won’t follow React into full-stack territory
• [37:22] - Server components, suspense, and what Ryan recommends instead
• [43:35] - Frameworks that pair well with Preact: Astro, Fresh, and Remix
• [47:55] - Sneak peek at Preact v11 and why it sticks with “classic” React experience

🔗 Links & Resources

• Preact Official Website
• Astro
• Fresh by Deno
• Remix
• Jason Miller’s VTalk on Signals (referenced)
• Google CrUX Report – for framework usage stats

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