htmx: The Anti-JavaScript Framework Taking Over in 2026

htmx proves that you don't need a heavy JavaScript framework to build dynamic web applications. By extending HTML with powerful attributes, htmx enables server-rendered UIs that feel like SPAs.

Why htmx?

• No JavaScript build step required
• Works with any backend language
• Smaller bundle size (~14KB gzipped)
• Progressive enhancement by default

Core Concepts

<!-- Load content on click -->
<button hx-get="/api/users" hx-target="#users" hx-swap="innerHTML">
  Load Users
</button>
<div id="users"></div>

<!-- Form with loading indicator -->
<form hx-post="/api/contact" hx-indicator=".loader">
  <input name="email" type="email" required>
  <button type="submit">
    <span class="loader" style="display:none">...</span>
    Submit
  </button>
</form>

<!-- Infinite scroll -->
<div hx-get="/api/posts?page=2" hx-trigger="revealed" hx-swap="afterend">
  Post content here...
</div>

htmx with Laravel

// routes/web.php
Route::get("/users", function () {
    $users = User::paginate(10);
    return view("partials.users", compact("users"));
});

When to Use htmx

htmx is great for:

• Server-rendered applications
• Adding interactivity to existing apps
• Teams without frontend specialists
• Performance-critical pages