Fresh

Development

Definitions

  1. A web framework for Deno that uses the 'islands architecture' to ship zero JavaScript to the client by default. Fresh renders pages on the server using Preact (a lightweight React alternative) and only hydrates designated interactive 'island' components, keeping the rest as static HTML. It requires no build step: TypeScript and JSX are compiled on the fly by Deno's runtime. Fresh comes with built-in file-system routing, middleware, and a Tailwind CSS plugin. Developed by the Deno team, it showcases what web development looks like when you embrace server-side rendering, minimal client JavaScript, and a modern runtime. Fresh is particularly suited for content-heavy sites that need occasional interactivity without the weight of a full SPA framework.

    In plain English: A web framework for Deno that sends plain HTML by default and only adds JavaScript for the specific interactive parts of your page. No build step needed.

    Example: Our docs site uses Fresh. The entire page is server-rendered HTML except for the interactive code playground, which is a hydrated island.