2018 was a productive year. React Hooks debuted at React Conf, the Vue 3 RFC began public review, and TypeScript's adoption in large projects continued to rise. Looking ahead to 2019, I see a few directions worth watching.
React Hooks Will Change the Way We Write Code
React 16.8 is set to officially release Hooks in Q1 2019. This isn't a minor change — it will influence the paradigm of the entire React ecosystem.
// Before: class components
class Counter extends Component {
state = { count: 0 };
increment = () => this.setState({ count: this.state.count + 1 });
render() {
return <button onClick={this.increment}>{this.state.count}</button>;
}
}
// 2019: function components + Hooks
function Counter() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
return <button onClick={() => setCount((c) => c + 1)}>{count}</button>;
}
Prediction: by year's end, most newly written React components will use functions + Hooks.
Vue 3 Composition API Goes Live
The Vue 3 Composition API RFC was published publicly in late 2018. In 2019, it's expected to enter the alpha stage. The core idea is to replace the options object with function-based composition, solving logic reuse problems in large-scale projects.
TypeScript Goes Mainstream
The 2018 State of JS survey showed TypeScript satisfaction at an all-time high. Vue CLI 3 has made TypeScript a first-class option, and Create React App ships with a TypeScript template built-in. The upgrade is no longer a question of "should we use it?" but "when do we migrate?"
WebAssembly Becomes Practical
Figma used WebAssembly to achieve high-performance rendering in the browser. While most frontend engineers won't be writing Wasm directly, understanding its use cases (video encoding, CAD rendering, cryptography libraries) is increasingly important.
Engineering: The Goal Is to Eliminate Configuration
Create React App, Vue CLI 3, and Angular CLI all point toward the same goal: developers no longer need to configure webpack manually. Quality framework abstractions = faster project startup + more consistent team configuration.
2019 Roadmap
| Direction | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| React | Learn Hooks, gradually migrate existing components |
| Vue | Follow Vue 3 RFC, familiarize yourself with Composition API |
| TypeScript | Enforce it in new projects. Learn Generics, Mapped Types |
| Engineering | Master webpack performance analysis tools |
| Performance | Get familiar with Core Web Vitals metrics |
Summary
The theme for 2019 is "better developer experience": Hooks make React components more concise, the Composition API makes Vue logic clearer, and TypeScript makes refactoring safer. Outlooks are outlooks — but first, we need to consolidate the knowledge from 2018 into real skills.