Million.js: Insight into an alternative for Virtual DOM

Oct 6, 2022by, Pooja S Kumar

Artificial Intelligence

What if someone comes and slaps you? You React. It’s natural. But for developers React has a different meaning. It’s their go-to framework for developing single-page web applications and websites. Most front-end specialists around the globe are taking advantage of the library for its tools, which has perhaps made it more convenient for user interface (UI) development.

So what makes React so special? Let’s dive into it.

React is well known for its Virtual DOM which enables developers to create web applications much faster. Unlike other conventional web applications that update all of their components in the Real DOM, Virtual DOM compares the previous states of the components and updates only the state of those components that need changes. Virtual DOM actually provides a model of what the UI would look like. Another important aspect of the Virtual DOM is that it renders everything at runtime.

Virtual DOM has been around for over a decade, yet many Virtual DOM frameworks still struggle with render speed at times. Does this mean that it’s time to think of an alternative for Virtual DOM?

This is where Million js enters the equation.

Million js? Yes, You heard it right.

Million.js is a fast, Compiler augmented Virtual DOM for performant Javascript libraries. Traditionally, Virtual DOM is confined to Client-Side Rendering (CSR). But Million, a lightweight Virtual DOM is designed to be augmented by Server Side Rendering. It is expected to be really fast i.e; 133% to 300 times faster than other Virtual DOMs.

So what is special about Million?

Million.js or Million is said to be a variant of Virtual DOM that uses a compiler and a runtime approach. It does all the unnecessary work on the compiler and the optimized output is put on runtime. This approach is considered to be significantly faster than rendering all the content during the runtime.

The Million Methodology

  • Reduce Execution time
    Since it already leverages the compiler, it can reduce the number of computations hence reducing the execution time.
  • Remove unnecessary tasks
    It has the capability to introspect its own task and remove unnecessary tasks if needed.
  • Optimize task execution order
    Tasks that are important for the performance of the website are executed first while less important tasks can be deferred for later.Due to its robust methodology and design principles Million aims to sport exceptional performance.

    Million vs Virtual DOM

    The main difference between Million and other Virtual DOMs is that it uses a compiler. In this way, it can optimize render speed and load time. It is very fast at rendering content and loading User Interfaces. Million is developer-friendly and easy to integrate. It can be a breakthrough in the stagnant virtual DOM space. By leveraging the compiler we can make a quantum leap in not only Virtual DOM rendering but UserInterface rendering in general.

    Is Million the next thing?

    Records and data that prove the above statement is inadequate. Million’s potential in complex composition techniques like static analysis to further reduce intermediate competitions is yet to be identified. We can say that Million js is just a kid in the playground and it requires constant training to master the game. If you have any projects regarding million.js, contact us.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Dexlock.

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