Is Jamstack Really Dead? Or Just Evolving with the Times?

Jamstack, once hailed as the future of web development, is stirring up debate again. The term, which stands for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup, became synonymous with building fast, secure, and scalable websites. But as we move through 2024, the question on everyone’s mind is: Is Jamstack dead, or has it simply evolved into something else?

The Shift in Jamstack’s Relevance

Jamstack was more than just a buzzword—it was a movement. It gave developers a fresh way to approach web development, emphasizing speed, security, and scalability. However, as Brian Rinaldi, one of the pioneers of the Jamstack movement, recently pointed out in his article, the term itself seems to be losing traction. This decline was highlighted when Netlify decided to shut down the Jamstack Community Discord, a space that once buzzed with activity and innovation. Even Netlify, the company that popularized Jamstack, is now shifting its focus toward the broader concept of a “composable web”, reflecting its move away from the original Jamstack terminology.

Rinaldi’s perspective isn’t isolated. Many in the industry, including Swyx, an early Netlify employee, have echoed similar sentiments. Swyx mentioned in a tweet, “I missed that Jamstack is officially dead now. First mention of it on the Netlify page is now in the footer. It was always a ridiculous term but… man, end of an era.” This shift signifies that even the key players in Jamstack’s rise are acknowledging its transformation into something broader and less defined. He further elaborated on this in his blog post discussing the evolution of web development architectures.

Anthony Campolo, another Jamstack advocate, sees this trend but offers a different take. In his discussion, he argues that while the term “Jamstack” might be fading, the principles behind it are as relevant as ever. Campolo suggests that the real issue lies in the term’s evolution from a clear set of architectural guidelines to a more vague and generalized concept. This shift has led to a fragmentation of the community, with developers increasingly focusing on specific tools rather than embracing Jamstack as a holistic approach.

The Enduring Legacy of Jamstack

Despite the decline in the term’s usage, the core principles of Jamstack—like improved performance, enhanced security, cost efficiency, and a better developer experience—are still shaping modern web development. The rise of serverless computing, static site generation, and full-stack JavaScript frameworks all have roots in the Jamstack philosophy. These concepts continue to thrive, even if they’re no longer labeled as Jamstack.

Consider Shopify, one of the most prominent e-commerce platforms globally. Shopify’s move to decouple its storefront from its backend services and expose them as APIs through Shopify’s Storefront API, is a prime example of Jamstack’s enduring influence. Matt Biilmann, the creator of the term, mentioned in a tweet, “Jamstack won so much that it became less useful as a community term, since basically all modern web frameworks ended up being built around self-standing front-ends talking to APIs and services.” This comment underlines how deeply Jamstack principles have permeated modern web development, making the term itself almost redundant.

Another example is Vercel, a popular platform for deploying front-end applications. Vercel’s growth and the popularity of frameworks like Next.js, which integrates seamlessly with serverless functions and static site generation, showcase how Jamstack’s ideals continue to drive innovation, even if the term is less frequently used. Similarly, tools like Eleventy allow developers to build static sites with flexibility, further proving that the principles behind Jamstack are far from obsolete.

Paul Scanlon aptly remarked, “Jamstack was a movement. If you weren’t around before it, folks might not know how big of a deal it is/was. Things shifted so much that Jamstack is now just web development.” This illustrates that the approach once considered revolutionary has become mainstream, indicating not the death of Jamstack, but its assimilation into the broader web development narrative.

Is Jamstack Dead or Just Evolving?

So, is Jamstack dead? Not really. The architecture it represents—using decoupled frontends, APIs, and static assets—is still powerful and relevant. What’s fading is the term itself, as its principles have become so integrated into modern web development that a separate label is no longer necessary.

As Matt Biilmann noted, Jamstack’s success in influencing web development practices has made the term less distinct. The principles it championed—decoupling front-ends, leveraging APIs, and using static assets—have become so widespread that they’re now standard practice, rather than the exception.

Even platforms like Wix and Squarespace have adopted Jamstack-like approaches by offering more decoupled and API-driven solutions, demonstrating how these concepts have permeated even the most user-friendly web development tools.

Conclusion: The Future of Jamstack Principles

In 2024, while we might not talk about Jamstack as much, the ideas it introduced are still very much alive. The community might be more fragmented, and the terminology might have evolved, but the need for fast, secure, and scalable web architectures remains unchanged.

As we continue to refine the complex stacks that have emerged, the essence of what Jamstack stood for will persist. The term might fade, but its impact on how we build the web will continue to influence developers for years to come. The death of the term doesn’t mean the death of the ideas it represents—in fact, it often signals their integration into a new, broader understanding of best practices in web development.

For developers looking to understand the modern web landscape, it’s essential to recognize that while the terminology may change, the underlying principles of building efficient, scalable, and secure websites are here to stay. Whether you call it Jamstack, the composable web, or something else entirely, the architecture that powers the modern internet continues to evolve, adapting to new challenges and opportunities as they arise.

What are your thoughts on the evolution of Jamstack? Do you think the term still holds relevance today, or has it seamlessly integrated into modern web development practices? Share your opinions and experiences in the comments below!