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WildflowerJS Reactive JS, No BS*

A no-build reactive JavaScript framework, rooted in the web platform.
No build step. No dependencies. No lock-in.

<script src="wildflower.min.js"></script> ...and start building.

Back to Basics

The code you write is 100% web standard code. HTML stays HTML. JavaScript stays JavaScript. CSS stays CSS. No JSX, no templating language, no custom syntax to learn. If you know the web platform, you already know how to use this.

WildflowerJS extends the web platform. It doesn't replace it.

Your Development Simplified

Because you develop with 100% web standards, every tool in your existing chain already understands the code: IDE, browser DevTools, linter, formatter, screen reader, SEO crawler. Nothing to install, no custom file types, no sourcemaps. Save the file, refresh, and your change is live.

Just be a web developer.

Batteries Included: One Mental Model

Router, SSR, stores, computed properties, two-way binding, event modifiers, data pools, and TypeScript types, all built in, all speaking the same language. Learn data-bind once and you know binding everywhere: lists, pools, stores, forms. There's no five-library stack to keep in sync.

One script tag. Everything you need.

<div data-component="counter">
  <span data-bind="count"></span>
  <button data-action="increment">
    +1
  </button>
</div>

<script>
wildflower.component('counter', {
  state: { count: 0 },
  increment() { this.count++ }
})
</script>

How It Works

data-bind connects state to the DOM.

data-action connects events to methods.

this.count++ triggers a precise DOM update.

Mutate state. The DOM updates.

Two Reactivity Modes

data-list for automatic reactivity: mutate state, DOM updates. data-pool for explicit control: plain objects, zero proxy overhead, you say what changed.

Same template syntax. Different performance profile. From interactive forms to per-frame particle systems. You choose the right tradeoff for the job.

Try it. Right-click, inspect this demo. Every dot is a real DOM element.

See full demo →

Get Started View Demos
* Build Step

Zero Toolchain

Modern frameworks ask you to install a compiler, a bundler, a package manager, hundreds of fragile transitive dependencies, and a framework-specific file format, before you write a single line of your application.

WildflowerJS was built starting from a single principle: no build step, no tooling. Ever.

WildflowerJS asks you to add a script tag.

There's no CLI scaffolding step, no config files, no .vue/.jsx/.svelte source format. You don't debug through sourcemaps or wait on a build pipeline. Your project has zero dependencies.

Performance isn't a tradeoff. Build steps optimize bundle delivery, not the runtime work that follows it. WildflowerJS writes directly to the DOM, with no virtual DOM or reconciliation pass between state change and update, so it doesn't need a build step to be fast.

The framework is full-featured without the toolchain: router, SSR, stores, computed properties, transitions, pools. You don't need a toolchain to use any of it.

my-app/
  index.html
  app.js
  style.css
  wildflower.min.js

That's the entire project. No package.json.
No node_modules. No config files. Ship it.

Zero Install. Zero Attack Surface.

Every dependency you install is trust extended to a maintainer you've never met, running scripts on your dev machine and in your CI. A typical React + Vite + UI‑lib setup pulls in 300+ transitive packages before you write a feature.

Each one is a potential intrusion vector. NPM worms, OAuth chains compromising deploy platforms, postinstall hijacking: the supply chain is now where production code gets compromised, not the deploy. And signing isn't a backstop: Mini Shai‑Hulud (May 2026) compromised 170+ packages whose malicious versions carried valid SLSA Build Level 3 provenance, because the attestation came from build infrastructure the worm had already taken over.

WildflowerJS users don't have this attack surface, by construction. There is no npm install, no postinstall script, no transitive package graph. The framework is one file you copy or pin by hash.

As of v1.1, the same holds for building the framework itself. WildflowerJS bundles with a vendored rollup and terser pipeline pulled as three SHA‑512‑pinned tarballs: no npm install, no transitive packages, no postinstall scripts in the build path. The entire toolchain is three files you verify by hash.

Zero dependencies is the absence of a problem the rest of the industry has not properly addressed.

A typical React/Vue project:

  npm install
  ├── hundreds of packages
  ├── from hundreds of maintainers
  ├── postinstall scripts run on install
  └── tens to hundreds of MB of transitive code

WildflowerJS:

  <script src="wildflower.min.js"></script>
  └── 1 file.
      No transitive dependencies.

Zero Lock-in

WildflowerJS works with the DOM, not instead of it. There's no virtual DOM intercepting your code and no compiler rewriting your markup. The render cycle is yours.

That means Leaflet, DataTables, Chart.js, D3, Three.js, any library that touches the DOM, just works. No wrapper packages or framework-specific escape hatches required. Drop in a script tag and use it.

Because your code is standard HTML and JavaScript, you're never locked in. Your skills transfer and your code is more portable. If you outgrow the framework, your knowledge doesn't expire.

This also means your "ecosystem" is all of the world of vanilla JS. Without compromises or hacks.

<!-- Use any library directly -->
<div data-component="map-view">
  <div id="map" style="height: 400px"></div>
</div>
wildflower.component('map-view', {
  state: { lat: 51.505, lng: -0.09 },
  init() {
    // Leaflet works as-is. No wrappers.
    this._map = L.map('map')
      .setView([this.lat, this.lng], 13);
    L.tileLayer('https://{s}.tile.osm.org'
      + '/{z}/{x}/{y}.png').addTo(this._map);
  }
})

Precise Reactivity

When you write this.count++, WildflowerJS updates the single DOM node bound to count. Nothing else is touched. There's no tree diffing or reconciliation pass to figure that out.

This isn't a tradeoff. You get fine-grained updates and a simple mental model. Change a property, the bound element updates. That's the entire reactivity model.

Other frameworks ask you to learn signals, accessors, memos, effects, and subscription lifecycles to achieve what WildflowerJS does with a property assignment.

wildflower.component('dashboard', {
  state: {
    users: 1420,
    status: 'healthy'
  },
  computed: {
    summary() {
      return this.users + ' users, ' + this.status;
    }
  },
  refresh() {
    this.users = 1421;
    // Only the elements bound to 'users'
    // and 'summary' update. Everything
    // else on the page is untouched.
  }
})

One Reactivity Model. Everywhere.

Components, Stores, and Plugins all share the same reactive foundation. State, computed properties, and methods work identically no matter where they live. Learn it once, it works the same way in a UI component, a global store, or a framework plugin.

Other frameworks make you learn a different system for each layer. React components use hooks, but stores need Redux or Zustand, which are completely different APIs. Vue components use reactive data, but Pinia stores have their own patterns. Every layer is a new mental model.

In WildflowerJS, there's one model. A store is a component without a template. A plugin is an entity that extends the framework itself, adding directives, lifecycle hooks, and services. The same this.count++ triggers the same reactivity everywhere.

This unlocks patterns other frameworks can't express. A store can run headless physics simulations with tick(), feeding data into a component that renders it through a pool, all using the same reactive primitives, no glue code required.

// Component: reactive UI
wildflower.component('cart', {
  state: { items: [] },
  computed: {
    total() { return this.items.length; }
  }
})

// Store: global shared state
wildflower.store('user', {
  state: { name: '', role: 'guest' },
  computed: {
    isAdmin() { return this.role === 'admin'; }
  }
})

// Plugin: extends the framework
wildflower.plugin({
  name: 'notifications',
  state: { items: [], unreadCount: 0 },
  computed: {
    hasUnread() { return this.unreadCount > 0; }
  },
  add(msg) { this.items.push(msg); this.unreadCount++; }
})
// Access globally: wildflower.$notifications.add(...)

// Same state. Same computed. Same methods.

Data Pools

Every framework wraps collection items in reactive proxies, whether the item needs it or not. WildflowerJS gives you a choice: data-list for push reactivity (automatic), data-pool for pull reactivity (explicit control, zero proxy overhead).

Pools render plain objects with the same template syntax as lists. Mutate the object, call markDirty(), and only that item updates. Full CRUD, selection, bulk operations, all faster than the push-reactive path.

And because pools use pull-based rendering, they scale to simulations, games, particle systems, and data visualizations at native frame rate. Use cases that would choke a virtual DOM. No other framework has anything like this.

<div data-component="user-table">
  <tbody data-pool="users" data-key="id">
    <template>
      <tr>
        <td data-bind="name"></td>
        <td data-bind="status"
            data-bind-class="status === 'active'
              ? 'badge success'
              : 'badge inactive'"></td>
      </tr>
    </template>
  </tbody>
</div>
wildflower.component('user-table', {
  pools: { users: {} },

  init() {
    // Populate: plain objects, no proxies
    data.forEach(u => this.pools.users.add(u));
  },

  // Optional: add tick() and the same pool
  // renders every frame. Same template, same
  // data, different rendering frequency.
  // That's the only difference between a
  // display table and a particle system.
})

Built for AI-Assisted Development

Because WildflowerJS is standard HTML and JavaScript, AI code assistants already know how to write it. There's no custom syntax to hallucinate or compiler quirks to work around. The code an AI generates runs exactly as written, with no build step between generation and execution.

We go further. WildflowerJS ships an AI-optimized reference page with patterns, anti-patterns, and examples designed for code generation context windows. Our llms.txt file follows the llms.txt convention for machine-readable documentation.

And for structured app generation, our Universal App Manifest lets you describe an entire application as a JSON schema (components, state, computed properties, methods, templates) and have an AI generate the working code from the manifest, mediated through framework-specific idiom files.

You: "Build me a todo app with
WildflowerJS"

AI reads llms.txt or ai-assistant.html
     ↓
Generates standard HTML + JS
     ↓
<div data-component="todo-app">
  <input data-model="newItem">
  <button data-action="addItem">
    Add
  </button>
  <ul data-list="items">
    <template>
      <li data-bind="text"></li>
    </template>
  </ul>
</div>
     ↓
Open in your browser. It works, and you can read and understand the code.

Advanced Configurable Templates CORE+

Template hierarchy resolution, conditional rendering, ancestor targeting, async registration, and SSR support for configurable component templates.

This page covers advanced configurable template patterns. For the basics — defining templates, reactive binding, actions, lists, and fallbacks — see Configurable Templates.

Template Hierarchy Lookup

When a component uses data-use-template, the framework searches up the component hierarchy for a matching data-item-template. The closest ancestor wins.

<!-- Grandparent defines a default template -->
<div data-component="app-shell">
    <template data-item-template="listItem">
        <div class="p-2 border-bottom">
            <span data-bind="label"></span>
            <small class="text-muted ms-1">(default)</small>
        </div>
    </template>

    <div class="row">
        <!-- Left panel: Uses grandparent's template -->
        <div class="col-6">
            <h5>Default Template</h5>
            <div data-component="item-list-a">
                <div data-list="items">
                    <template data-use-template="listItem"></template>
                </div>
            </div>
        </div>

        <!-- Right panel: Parent overrides the template -->
        <div class="col-6">
            <h5>Custom Template</h5>
            <div data-component="custom-wrapper">
                <!-- This template shadows the grandparent's -->
                <template data-item-template="listItem">
                    <div class="p-2 bg-light border rounded mb-1">
                        <strong data-bind="label"></strong>
                        <span class="badge bg-success ms-2">custom</span>
                    </div>
                </template>

                <div data-component="item-list-b">
                    <div data-list="items">
                        <template data-use-template="listItem"></template>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
// App shell just provides structure
wildflower.component('app-shell', {
    state: {}
})

// Custom wrapper provides an override template
wildflower.component('custom-wrapper', {
    state: {}
})

// Both lists have the same data
wildflower.component('item-list-a', {
    state: {
        items: [
            { label: 'Item One' },
            { label: 'Item Two' },
            { label: 'Item Three' }
        ]
    }
})

wildflower.component('item-list-b', {
    state: {
        items: [
            { label: 'Item One' },
            { label: 'Item Two' },
            { label: 'Item Three' }
        ]
    }
})
Live Preview

Conditional Templates with data-show

Combine data-with with data-show to conditionally display templates:

<div data-component="user-selector">
    <template data-item-template="selectedUserCard">
        <div class="card border-primary">
            <div class="card-header bg-primary text-white">
                Selected User
            </div>
            <div class="card-body">
                <h5 data-bind="name"></h5>
                <p class="text-muted mb-0" data-bind="email"></p>
            </div>
        </div>
    </template>

    <div data-component="user-picker">
        <div class="mb-3">
            <button class="btn btn-primary me-2" data-action="selectAlice">Alice</button>
            <button class="btn btn-primary me-2" data-action="selectBob">Bob</button>
            <button class="btn btn-secondary" data-action="clearSelection">Clear</button>
        </div>

        <!-- Only shown when selectedUser exists -->
        <div data-use-template="selectedUserCard"
             data-with="selectedUser"
             data-show="selectedUser"></div>

        <div class="text-muted" data-show="!selectedUser">
            No user selected
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
wildflower.component('user-selector', {
    state: {}
})

wildflower.component('user-picker', {
    state: {
        selectedUser: null
    },

    selectAlice() {
        this.selectedUser = {
            name: 'Alice Chen',
            email: 'alice@example.com'
        }
    },

    selectBob() {
        this.selectedUser = {
            name: 'Bob Smith',
            email: 'bob@example.com'
        }
    },

    clearSelection() {
        this.selectedUser = null
    }
})
Live Preview

Multiple Templates in One Component

A single component can use multiple parent-defined templates for different parts of its content:

<div data-component="article-layout">
    <!-- Define multiple templates -->
    <template data-item-template="articleHeader">
        <div class="border-bottom pb-3 mb-3">
            <h2 data-bind="title"></h2>
            <div class="text-muted">
                By <span data-bind="author"></span> |
                <span data-bind="date"></span>
            </div>
        </div>
    </template>

    <template data-item-template="articleBody">
        <div class="lead mb-4" data-bind="summary"></div>
        <div data-bind="content"></div>
    </template>

    <template data-item-template="articleFooter">
        <div class="border-top pt-3 mt-4 text-muted small">
            Tags: <span data-bind="tags"></span> |
            <span data-bind="readTime"></span> min read
        </div>
    </template>

    <div data-component="article-content">
        <div data-use-template="articleHeader" data-with="header"></div>
        <div data-use-template="articleBody" data-with="body"></div>
        <div data-use-template="articleFooter" data-with="footer"></div>
    </div>
</div>
wildflower.component('article-layout', {
    state: {}
})

wildflower.component('article-content', {
    state: {
        header: {
            title: 'Getting Started with Configurable Templates',
            author: 'Jane Developer',
            date: 'January 7, 2026'
        },
        body: {
            summary: 'Learn how to create flexible, reusable components.',
            content: 'Configurable templates let parent components control presentation while child components manage data...'
        },
        footer: {
            tags: 'javascript, components, patterns',
            readTime: 5
        }
    }
})
Live Preview

Explicit Ancestor Targeting

When multiple ancestors define templates with the same name, the closest ancestor wins by default. If you need to skip closer ancestors and target a specific one, use the @componentName syntax:

<!-- Grandparent has a template -->
<div data-component="grandparent">
    <template data-item-template="cardTemplate">
        <div class="grandparent-style"><span data-bind="name"></span></div>
    </template>

    <!-- Parent also has a template with the same name -->
    <div data-component="parent">
        <template data-item-template="cardTemplate">
            <div class="parent-style"><span data-bind="name"></span></div>
        </template>

        <div data-component="child">
            <!-- For single object -->
            <div data-use-template="cardTemplate@grandparent" data-with="item"></div>

            <!-- For lists -->
            <div data-list="items">
                <template data-use-template="cardTemplate@grandparent"></template>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
Note: The component name after @ must match exactly the data-component attribute value of the target ancestor.

Async Template Registration

Templates are normally registered when a component initializes. For templates loaded dynamically after initialization, use rescanItemTemplates():

// After dynamically adding templates to the DOM
const parentElement = document.querySelector('#my-component')
const newTemplates = wildflower.rescanItemTemplates(parentElement)
console.log('Newly registered templates:', newTemplates)
// Output: ['asyncCard', 'asyncRow']
Rescan behavior: Only newly discovered templates are registered and returned. Templates that already exist are skipped (no duplicates). The itemTemplateReady event fires once per new template found.

Template Ready Event

Components can listen for the itemTemplateReady event when templates become available:

// Listen for new templates on a component
document.querySelector('#my-component').addEventListener('itemTemplateReady', (e) => {
    console.log('Template ready:', e.detail.templateName)
    console.log('Component:', e.detail.component)

    // Re-render lists that were waiting for this template
    e.detail.component.state.items = [...e.detail.component.state.items]
})

SSR Support

When using configurable templates with server-side rendering, the framework automatically adds data-wf-used-template markers to rendered items. This enables proper hydration on the client:

<!-- Server-rendered output includes template markers -->
<div data-list="users">
    <template data-use-template="userCard"></template>
    <!-- Rendered items include which template was used -->
    <div class="user-card" data-index="0" data-wf-used-template="userCard">...</div>
    <div class="user-card" data-index="1" data-wf-used-template="userCard">...</div>
</div>

If a fallback template was used (parent template not found), the marker indicates this:

<!-- Marker shows fallback was used -->
<div class="default-item" data-wf-used-template="userCard:fallback">...</div>

Reference

Attribute Location Description
data-item-template="name" Parent component Defines a named template that descendant components can use
data-use-template="name" Child component References an ancestor's template for rendering
data-with="path" With data-use-template Binds template to a specific state path (for single objects outside lists)
data-use-template="name@component" Child component References a specific ancestor's template (skips closer ones)
data-template-fallback="name" Sibling of data-use-template Fallback template if the named template isn't found
data-wf-used-template="name" Rendered items SSR marker indicating which template was used (auto-generated)

JavaScript API

Method Description
wildflower.rescanItemTemplates(element) Re-scan a component for newly added templates. Returns array of new template names.

Events

Event Detail Description
itemTemplateReady { templateName, component } Fired when a new template is registered via rescanItemTemplates()
Prefix support: All attributes also support the data-wf- prefix. For example: 
<template data-wf-item-template="userCard">...</template>
<template data-wf-use-template="userCard"></template>
<div data-wf-use-template="userCard" data-wf-with="user"></div>
Lifecycle & Cleanup: Templates registered during component initialization are automatically cleaned up when the component is destroyed. No manual unregistration is required.
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