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Modern CSS Outperforms and Replaces Single-Page Applications

Modern CSS and browser APIs enable native page transitions, outperforming SPAs.

From Hacker News Original Article Hacker News Discussion

Modern CSS features like the View Transitions API and Speculation Rules now enable smooth, native page transitions without resorting to JavaScript-heavy single-page applications (SPAs). This challenges the long-held belief that SPAs are necessary for app-like navigation and interaction on the web.

Why it matters: Native CSS transitions eliminate the need for bulky JavaScript routing, improving performance, SEO, and user experience.

The big picture: Browsers increasingly reward simple, declarative multi-page sites over complex client-side routed SPAs.

Stunning stat: Next.js marketing sites often ship 1–3MB of JavaScript and take 3.5–5 seconds to become interactive; modern MPA alternatives can achieve ~1 second TTI with zero JS routing overhead.

Commenters say: Many agree SPAs are overused for sites that don’t need them, praise new CSS APIs, but stress SPAs remain crucial for highly interactive apps with live data. Some highlight accessibility and UX benefits of SPAs, while others call for frameworks embracing native platform features.