3 minute read

Quick Answer

SolidJS achieves O(1) update complexity through fine-grained reactivity, eliminating Virtual DOM overhead entirely. Components are setup functions that execute once, with Signals creating direct DOM subscriptions. The framework delivers performance rivaling vanilla JavaScript (~7KB bundle) while maintaining a JSX-like developer experience. Ideal for data-intensive, real-time applications.

What is SolidJS?

SolidJS is a reactive JavaScript framework that compiles JSX to direct DOM manipulations. Unlike React’s re-render model, Solid components run once, establishing reactive dependencies that surgically update specific DOM nodes when state changes. This architecture eliminates the “waterfall” and “reconciliation” overhead inherent in Virtual DOM frameworks.

Version 1.9.10 Highlights

Key Features:

  • Fine-grained reactivity (Signals)
  • Component-less runtime (flat dependency graph)
  • SolidStart 1.0 meta-framework
  • Stores (proxied nested reactivity)
  • Built-in TypeScript support
  • No Virtual DOM

Release Date: November/December 2025 Maintainer: Ryan Carniato

Core Architecture

The Compilation Thesis

SolidJS compiles JSX directly to DOM operations:

Phase What Happens Result
Build JSX → Template cloning + reactive bindings Pre-optimized DOM
Runtime Signals subscribe directly to DOM nodes No VDOM diffing needed
Update Changed Signal → Update specific text node O(1) complexity

Bundle Size: ~7KB (gzipped) React Comparison: ~45KB base (without React components)

Reactivity Primitives

Signals (Atomic State):

const [count, setCount] = createSignal(0);
// Accessing count() creates subscription
// Only subscribed DOM nodes update

Stores (Nested State):

const [state, setState] = createStore({
  user: { name: 'John' }
});
// Proxies intercept get/set
// Property-level reactivity

Memos & Effects:

  • createMemo() (Computed values)
  • createEffect() (Side effects)

Component Model

The “Component-Less” Reality:

  • Components are organizational concepts
  • Once rendered, they cease to exist in memory
  • Application becomes flat graph of Signals → DOM nodes
  • Eliminates “Stale Closure” problem

Ecosystem

UI Libraries

  • Kobalte (Headless, accessible primitives)
  • Ark UI (State machine-based, a11y)
  • Hope UI (Styled, similar to Chakra UI)
  • Suid (Material UI port)

Meta-Framework

  • SolidStart 1.0 (Production-ready SSR)
  • Routing, data fetching, deployment adapters
  • Nitro engine (same as Nuxt)

Forms & Validation

  • Modular Forms (Reactive validation)
  • Valibot / Zod (Schema validation)

SolidJS vs React

Feature SolidJS React
Mechanism Fine-grained reactivity Virtual DOM diffing
Component Model Setup function (runs once) Render function (runs many)
State Primitives createSignal, createStore useState, useReducer
Effect Dependencies Automatic tracking Manual dependency arrays
DOM Updates Direct (O(1)) Reconciliation (O(n))
Bundle Size ~7KB ~40KB (React + DOM)
Mobile Capacitor (hybrid) React Native (native)

Best Use Cases

Ideal For

  1. Real-Time Data Dashboards
    • High-frequency updates (crypto tickers, telemetry)
    • Solid updates only changed text nodes
    • React re-renders entire component tree
  2. Edge/Serverless Apps
    • ~7KB bundle = instant cold starts
    • Cloudflare Workers optimization
    • Low-latency global deployment
  3. Embeddable Widgets
    • Chat widgets on WordPress sites
    • Lightweight DOM instructions
    • No heavy runtime overhead

Avoid For

  1. React Native Parity
    • Use React Native for native mobile
    • Solid’s mobile story: Capacitor (web view)
  2. Strict Corporate Standardization
    • If internal tooling is React-locked
    • Migration cost outweighs performance gains

Known Issues

CVE-2025-27109 (Security)

  • Issue: JSX expression XSS vulnerability
  • Versions Affected: Prior to v1.9.4
  • Status: Patched in v1.9.4+
  • Action Required: Update to v1.9.10+

Ecosystem Size

  • Smaller than React (fewer niche libraries)
  • May need to build custom components
  • Quality over quantity

Learning Curve

  • Destructuring props breaks reactivity
  • Must use props.name not const { name } = props
  • Control flow: <For> instead of .map()

Platform Support

Platform Support Details
Web ✅ True Primary target
Mobile ❌ False Use Capacitor (hybrid)
API ✅ True Via SolidStart server routes
Desktop ✅ True Via Tauri (lightweight)

Primary Platform: Web Runtime Environment: Universal

Deployment

  • Cloudflare Workers (Leading choice, optimized)
  • Bun (2-3x faster than Node.js)
  • Deno (Native support, JSR integration)
  • Node.js (Traditional, stable)

FAQ

Is SolidJS faster than React?

Yes. SolidJS eliminates Virtual DOM overhead, achieving O(1) updates vs React’s O(n). Benchmarks show 10-100x faster updates for large applications.

Can I use React libraries with SolidJS?

Not directly. Most React libraries depend on React’s lifecycle and hooks. Use Solid-specific alternatives or vanilla JS libraries.

What’s the difference between SolidJS and Svelte?

Both are compiler-based and eliminate VDOM. Solid uses explicit Signals ($state), Svelte 5 uses Runes ($state). Solid has slightly better performance; Svelte has larger ecosystem.

Should I learn SolidJS or React?

Learn React first (larger job market). Learn SolidJS if you need maximum performance or are building edge/real-time applications.

Conclusion

SolidJS v1.9 delivers mature, high-performance reactive programming. With SolidStart 1.0, it provides a complete Next.js alternative for teams prioritizing efficiency. The framework demands stricter understanding of reactivity but rewards with computationally faster applications and smaller bundles.

For performance-critical use cases (real-time dashboards, edge computing, embeddable widgets), SolidJS is the superior technical choice in 2026.

Last Updated: 2026-01-20 | Research Source: SolidJS Framework Research Report

Updated:

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