umbrella
A lightweight (<3kb) JavaScript library for DOM manipulation and event handling with a jQuery-like API.
What is umbrella?
Umbrella JS is a lightweight JavaScript library that provides jQuery-like functionality for DOM manipulation and event handling. It solves the problem of needing a simple, performant abstraction for common browser tasks without the bulk of larger libraries. Born from the question "You might not need jQuery, then what do you need?", it focuses on essential features like DOM traversal, editing, and event management.
Frontend developers building modern websites who want a minimal, chainable DOM library without jQuery's footprint. It's particularly suitable for projects where performance and bundle size are priorities.
Developers choose Umbrella JS for its extremely small size (<3kb), familiar jQuery-like API, and focus on core functionality. It offers a clean, modern alternative to jQuery for everyday DOM tasks without unnecessary features, making it faster to load and easier to understand.
Overview
:umbrella: Lightweight javascript library for DOM manipulation and events
Use Cases
Best For
- Adding simple interactivity to static websites without a heavy framework
- Migrating from jQuery to a lighter alternative in legacy projects
- Building lightweight prototypes or demos that need DOM manipulation
- Enhancing performance-critical applications where every kilobyte counts
- Handling form submissions and events with a clean, chainable API
- Educational projects teaching DOM manipulation without jQuery complexity
Not Ideal For
- Projects requiring extensive compatibility with Internet Explorer 10 or below, due to known, unfixed bugs with table elements and .serialize()
- Applications needing advanced jQuery features like animations, deferred objects, or a vast plugin ecosystem
- Large-scale single-page applications that benefit from a full framework with state management and component architecture
Pros & Cons
Pros
At under 3kb minified, it focuses on essential DOM manipulation and event handling without bloat, ideal for performance-critical web pages as highlighted in the README.
Provides chainable methods for DOM traversal and editing, easing migration from jQuery with examples like u('button').on('click', ...).
Supports multiple installation methods including CDN, npm, and ES modules, with straightforward setup documented in the Getting Started section.
Born from the 'You might not need jQuery' philosophy, it handles common tasks efficiently with a clean, modern abstraction for DOM work.
Cons
Officially supports IE11+ with known, wontfix bugs for IE10- affecting methods like .before() on table elements and .serialize() for multiple select options, as admitted in the README.
Lacks capabilities found in jQuery, such as animations, complex selectors, and deferred objects, which might necessitate additional libraries for some projects.
Has fewer plugins, community resources, and documentation compared to jQuery, which can slow down development and troubleshooting for complex needs.
Open Source Alternative To
umbrella is an open-source alternative to the following products:
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
preact⚛️ Fast 3kB React alternative with the same modern API. Components & Virtual DOM.
Hyperapp1kB-ish JavaScript framework for building hypertext applications
van🍦 VanJS: World's smallest reactive UI framework. Incredibly Powerful, Insanely Small - Everyone can build a useful UI app in an hour.
fre:ghost: Tiny Concurrent UI library with Fiber.
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