Frameworks & Platforms
Next.js, WordPress, Webflow, Shopify and the rest: what each one is and when it fits.
Angular
Angular is a full-featured TypeScript framework from Google for large web applications, with routing, forms, testing and dependency injection built in.
Astro
Astro is a web framework for content-focused sites that ships zero JavaScript by default and hydrates only the interactive components a page needs.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare is a global network that provides DNS, CDN, security (DDoS protection and a web application firewall) and edge hosting for websites.
Edge functions
Edge functions are small pieces of server code that run in data centres close to each visitor, so dynamic responses arrive with minimal delay.
Firebase
Firebase is Google's app platform offering a real-time database, authentication, hosting and serverless functions for web and mobile apps.
Framer
Framer is a design-first website builder where designers lay out, animate and publish sites from a canvas similar to a design tool, with AI page generation.
Hardcoded website
A hardcoded website is built directly in code, HTML, CSS and JavaScript or a framework, rather than assembled in a page builder, so it carries no platform or plugin overhead.
Headless CMS
A headless CMS stores and manages content but has no front-end of its own; it delivers content through an API to any site, app or device.
Headless commerce
Headless commerce separates an online store's front-end from its commerce engine, so products and checkout run on a platform while the storefront is fully custom.
Jamstack
Jamstack is an approach to building sites from pre-rendered pages served by a CDN, with dynamic features added through JavaScript and APIs.
Low-code
Low-code platforms build most of an application visually but let developers drop into code for the parts the visual tools cannot handle.
Netlify
Netlify is a hosting platform for static and Jamstack sites with Git-based deploys, forms, serverless functions and preview builds.
Next.js
Next.js is a React framework for building websites and web apps, adding routing, server rendering, static generation and API routes on top of React.
No-code
No-code tools let people build websites and apps visually, by dragging, configuring and prompting, without writing code.
Node.js
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that runs JavaScript outside the browser, used for servers, build tools and command-line programs.
Remix
Remix is a full-stack React framework built around web standards like forms and HTTP caching, now merged into React Router's framework mode.
Serverless
Serverless means running back-end code as small functions that the host starts on demand, so you pay for use and never manage a server.
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform that runs online stores: products, checkout, payments, inventory and themes, paid for monthly plus transaction and app fees.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a hosted website builder known for polished templates, used for portfolios, small businesses and simple online stores.
Supabase
Supabase is a hosted back-end built on Postgres that provides a database, authentication, file storage and APIs, often used as a quick back-end for web apps.
SvelteKit
SvelteKit is the application framework for Svelte, a component language that compiles to small, fast JavaScript instead of shipping a runtime library.
Vercel
Vercel is a hosting platform for front-end frameworks, especially Next.js, that deploys from Git and serves sites from a global edge network.
Vue
Vue is a progressive JavaScript framework for building interfaces from components; Nuxt is its full framework for server rendering and static sites.
Webflow
Webflow is a visual website builder and hosting platform that lets designers build responsive sites with real HTML and CSS concepts, plus a built-in CMS.
Wix
Wix is a hosted drag-and-drop website builder with templates, an app market and AI site generation, aimed at small businesses and beginners.
WordPress
WordPress is the most widely used content management system on the web: open-source software for publishing sites, extended with themes and plugins.