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Blitz.JS: The Next Best JS Framework

Blitz.JS: The Next Best JS Framework

JavaScript Frameworks

According to a developer’s survey, JavaScript is the most commonly used language. The developers use JavaScript, HTML, and CSS as the core technologies when developing a web application. Various other development environments utilize the JavaScript platform, such as Adobe Acrobat, Node.js, and Apache CouchDB.

Furthermore, the JavaScript frameworks help develop mobile applications, desktop environments, and games. The purpose of using the best frameworks is to optimize any application development by reducing the repetition of work. The choice of a suitable framework depends upon the specific project feature, the features of the framework, and the framework documentation. One such JavaScripts framework, Blitz, is getting popular nowadays due to its beneficial qualities that are elaborated ahead.

What is Blitz?

Blitz is a full-stack JavaScript Platform inspired by Ruby on Rails and built on React and Next.js. Blitz is getting popular with developers as it covers a wide range of technologies, from connecting a database to developing a complete front end. Moreover, using Blitz does not need GraphQL, REST API calls, authentication, and authorization. Blitz works on the Zero-API concept, which means it does not need to have an API layer for the front end. Following is the detailed concept to better understand the zero-API data layer.

What is the Zero-API Concept?

The Blitz framework works on a fascinating approach known as the Zero-API concept. The framework allows sending and receiving data to the front end without an intermittent API data layer. The framework helps access the database directly and prevents any deployment needed to connect the front and the back end. Removing the need for an API data layer saves much cost while creating an application.

Moreover, Blitz allows API abstraction through a compilation step. This feature helps write functions known as the Blitz queries or mutations. These functions run on the server instead of fetching data from the backend. They automatically generate the frontend API layer after building a project. Furthermore, the Blitz uses hooks made of React Query to create a robust end-to-end data layer.

Advantages of Using Blitz

The Blitz platform benefits developers by providing multiple valuable features. Blitz helps the developers in various aspects, such as enabling database migrations and frontend forms, accelerating the development process by using scaffolding code structure, being cost and time-efficient, and providing simplified integrations of the third-party dependencies by using simple one-line commands. Blitz allows developers to use various functionalities and features for building a full-stack Next.js application. Following are some of the features of the Blitz.js framework:

Authentication
Typesafe Data layer
Recipes
Code Scaffolding
Application Development
Route Manifest

Authentication

Authentication and authorization are the most tricky parts while creating any full-stack application. Blitz allows setting default authentications. Blitz provides a platform for session management which allows working with an identity provider. It includes the self-hosted email or password and third-party services. Blitz provides authentication to prevent potential security vulnerabilities and will enable developers to work efficiently by providing cost and time efficiency.

Moreover, Blitz offers using Prisma 2 as default which helps define the schema declaratively for migrating the database or using any database client. Furthermore, Blitz provides packages such as Prettier, ESLint, Jest, and Husky for features such as lining, formatting, testing, and githooks.

Typesafe Data Layer

Blitz framework uses Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) in place of GraphQL and REST APIs. There is no need to fetch any data from the front end as the platform allows importing server code directly into the client components. The API abstraction into the compilation step eliminates any traditional React application structure. Blitz also helps generate code from Prisma or any other database accordingly. Moreover, if the application needs to use REST or GraphQL API, the framework does not prevent using them. It just provides more efficient ways of fetching data.

Recipes

Recipes are the one-line commands in Blitz that allow adding any code to a specific project by using an MDX recipe on npm or through a git repository. These recipes enable installing and configuring any third-party code through a simple single command. Some predefined formulas add npm dependencies and codes to any application. Installing and configuring any third-party code is tricky, and Blitz recipes help narrow down the essential steps. Following are some examples of using Blitz recipes:

Examples

Following is the command to install Tailwind, a popular CSS framework. Tailwind provides time and cost efficiency when maintaining and styling the application code. The following recipe code installs Tailwind in the desired application:

blitz install tailwind

Similarly, there is Chakra UI which is a modular component library. Chakra UI helps build a complex React application by providing necessary building blocks to the developers. Following is the recipe code to install the Chakra UI:

blitz install chakra-ui

Moreover, these powerful recipes can add and modify any code or functionality in the application that the developer requires. The developers can compose these recipes just like the React components.

Code Scaffolding

Code generation and code scaffolding are the two main techniques that help reduce the writable amount of code and help write an efficient application. Code scaffolding means the platform provides an initial structure of the required code by the developers. The developers can then work on the design and customize it according to their requirements. Blitz also provides a wide range of commands which are beneficial for scaffolding any code in the application. The framework allows prototypes and templates for applications and customized templates to help the developers build efficient applications.

Route Manifest

Blitz helps fill the gaps that Next.js lacks; therefore, it comes with built-in Route Manifest functionality, allowing users to refer to any page by using the page name instead of the location. This functionality helps improve the application’s expressiveness and simplifies moving pages to desired locations. The following simple example explains using the Route Manifest functionality:

export default function ProductsPage() {
 import { Link, Routes } from "blitz"
 <Link href={Routes.ProductsPage({ productId: 123 })} />
 <Link href={`/products/${123}`} />

In conclusion, Blitz.JS is one of the most famous emerging JavaScript frameworks. It provides developers with a framework that does not require any other tool or an API to build a web application, as it covers everything from authentication to authorization. Although this framework needs more modification and enhancements, it still provides exciting features that appeal to the developers.