[Fergusonb]

I've been actively developing a commercially deployed SvelteKit application, and I'd like to share some thoughts on my experience.

What initially drew me to SvelteKit was its simplicity. After setting up the project, I could work on one HTML/JS/CSS file at a time, leveraging the benefits of a modern framework without the accompanying complexity. This approach reminded me of the early days of web development, where dropping HTML files into an Apache server was all it took to get things running.

However, it's disheartening to see Svelte shifting away from that straightforward paradigm. From the outset, Rich Harris positioned Svelte's ease of use and simplicity as its key selling points. The current version of SvelteKit isn't bad per se, but I found myself preferring the earlier iterations. Back then, I didn't have to deal with constructs like `+page` for routing. I could place Svelte files wherever I wanted, and they would render seamlessly, all while enjoying the advantages of a modern framework.

This change adds layers of complexity that weren't necessary before, potentially moving away from what made Svelte appealing in the first place. I picked it up because I already knew what I needed to know.

[barnabee]

I also can’t get along with SvelteKit.

Astro + Svelte seems nice enough if you need it but for most of what I do, plain Svelte 5 is great.

[sureglymop]

I also use Astro + Svelte. It's nice but I wouldn't say it's less complex than sveltekit. But I just like being able to introduce dynamic components and server side functionality gradually into a base static site.