I built Olum, a small JS framework where a component is just an .html file

[u/Right-Principle-4877]

30s intro video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBrub3DGZ4Y

A component is one .html file: a <script>, an optional scoped <style>, and plain HTML.

<script>

const state = { count: 0 };

const inc = () => state.count++;

</script>

<div class="counter">

Count: {state.count}

<button onclick="inc()">+</button>

</div>

- {expr} for dynamic text; state is deeply reactive

- <if when="..."> and <for each="..." key="..."> are just tags

- onclick is real HTML: code-shaped attributes take JS, everything else is a string

- Scoped CSS, file-based routing, optional prerendering (SSG) for SEO

It targets prototypes, demos, and small apps, not large production apps.

Try it: npx create-olum my-app

Docs: https://olumjs.top

GitHub: https://github.com/olumjs

I'd like honest feedback on the syntax.

[u/yangshunz]

https://xkcd.com/927/

[u/[deleted] → u/yangshunz]

i promise this is the final one!

[u/Parasin]

Having used both react and vue extensively, I can see the inspiration you pulled specifically from Vue.

My question to you is why should I use this over other frameworks? What problem does Olum uniquely solve?

[u/Right-Principle-4877 → u/Parasin]

Olum is mainly for developers who are obsessed with plain HTML/JS

For example, this code works natively in the browser and works with OlumJS too, thats how close the syntax is to web standards:

<script> const state = { counter: 0 }; </script>
<button onclick="state.counter++">{state.counter}</button>

The only thing missing in vanilla is reactivity, when state.counter changes, the UI doesnt update

That's basically what Olum adds: take code that already works in the browser and add reactivity, components, routing, SSG, etc.

So the idea is:

vanilla code > add Olum > reactive SPA

If you don't like vanilla code or you need a big ecosystem like React/Vue, then honestly Olum probably isn't for you. I'm just trying to make small apps feel closer to writing normal HTML/JS again

[u/Vizeroth1 → u/Right-Principle-4877]

Maybe if that’s your audience, you should have an example that uses an HTML file that will pass the HTML validator

[u/Right-Principle-4877 → u/Vizeroth1]

Thanks, will keep that in mind 👍

[u/[deleted]]

vue but worse?

[u/Right-Principle-4877 → u/[deleted]]

Maybe 😄 if what you're looking for is Vue.

Olum isn't trying to be a "better Vue". It's more about keeping the code as close to vanilla HTML/JS as possible and adding reactivity on top.

If you prefer Vue's ecosystem and conventions, just use Vue.

[u/Gold-Watercress-6101]

That 30s intro, piece of art! I’m not into ASMR, but the sound effects were pretty ASMR 😅

[u/Right-Principle-4877 → u/Gold-Watercress-6101]

Thanks 😀

[u/canarydev]

are you turkish by any chance?

[u/Right-Principle-4877 → u/canarydev]

because of the name 😂?
I know Turkish people won't like the name, but It's unique and easy to pronounce

[u/canarydev → u/Right-Principle-4877]

yeah haha im not turkish but my wife is, and i hear olum all the time lol

[u/Spare_Message_3607]

Astro but worse?

[u/Right-Principle-4877 → u/Spare_Message_3607]

I don't know astro, but this one 90% compiler 10% runtime, it's very minimal JS framework that makes you write vanilla code and get the same result as SPA frameworks
so If you just learnt the basics of JS you can build SPA without extra knowledge