# Your library may already be in the browser

Lighthouse can now report the Baseline status of what a page uses. It is a good moment to check which libraries the browser already replaces.

- Language: en
- Published: 2026-10-26
- Tags: web, baseline, performance
- URL: https://devs7ud.io/en/blog/baseline-less-javascript-en
- Translation (ko): https://devs7ud.io/blog/baseline-less-javascript.md

## This week's web news is not a new framework. It is about taking things out.

When people say web news, they usually mean a new framework. This week was different. Three separate sources discussed taking things out.

One is a tool, one is a guide and one is a case. All three point in the same direction. They ask whether libraries are still doing work the browser already does.

## A tool, a guide and a case point one way

The tool first. On July 27, [Lighthouse gained a Baseline Features audit](https://web.dev/blog/baseline-lighthouse-features-audit). It sits in the Best Practices category, finds the web features a page uses, and reports whether each is Widely available, Newly available or Limited availability. It also detects features used by third-party scripts and browser extensions.

The guide. A [Smashing Magazine article](https://smashingmagazine.com/2026/08/how-baseline-can-help-ship-less-javascript/) from August 7 states that a typical mid-sized JavaScript app often carries 60KB to 90KB (minified and gzipped) of dependencies the platform can now handle. Examples include date and number formatting, HTTP requests, modals, tooltips, deep cloning and grouping arrays.

The monthly notes continue. web.dev published the June, July and [August Baseline digests](https://web.dev/blog/baseline-digest-aug-2026) in turn.

And one number. A [blog post](https://korindiehacker.bloffy.blog/en/removing-nextjs-got-my-blog-to-100-on-every-lighthouse-category) about removing Next.js and reaching 100 in every Lighthouse category scored 162 on Hacker News today.

## One blog's case

This is [one independent developer's write-up](https://korindiehacker.bloffy.blog/en/removing-nextjs-got-my-blog-to-100-on-every-lighthouse-category). The author moved the public pages of a static blog from Next.js to Hono, and every Lighthouse category reached 100.

According to the [GeekNews summary](https://news.hada.io/topic?id=36035), caching and image optimization still left the Next.js client runtime in place. An experiment using only server components did not improve the score either.

One caveat applies. This is a single blog. It does not show that changing frameworks raises a score. The author also wrote that the move was far more difficult than expected.

## From here on this is my view

Thinking of it as removal is daunting. Thinking of it as a second look is easier. Nobody is arguing for deleting libraries. The point is to ask whether each one is still needed.

Baseline provides the yardstick. If a feature is widely available, it can be left to the browser. If only some browsers support it, a library or a fallback is still the right choice.

A light start is enough. Run Lighthouse once, scan `package.json` from the top and ask one question: is the browser already doing this?

Changing frameworks is a separate matter. It is a large decision, so measurement comes first. Moving on the strength of one case's score means the cost arrives before the benefit.

## Also this week, not covered

- Coding-agent tools appeared repeatedly on GitHub Trending (TypeScript) this week. [`opencode`](https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode) gained 5,921 stars, [`t3code`](https://github.com/pingdotgg/t3code) 1,770 and [`gemini-cli`](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) 1,092
- [Next.js 16.5 canary](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/v16.5.0-canary.27) reached number 27 on October 24
- [tailwindcss](https://www.npmjs.com/package/tailwindcss) had 88,734,796 weekly downloads

### Sources

- [The Baseline Features audit is now available in Lighthouse](https://web.dev/blog/baseline-lighthouse-features-audit), web.dev, 2026-07-27
- [How Baseline Can Help You Ship Less JavaScript](https://smashingmagazine.com/2026/08/how-baseline-can-help-ship-less-javascript/), Smashing Magazine, 2026-08-07
- [August 2026 Baseline monthly digest](https://web.dev/blog/baseline-digest-aug-2026), web.dev, 2026-09-28
- [Removing Next.js Got My Blog to 100 on Every Lighthouse Category](https://korindiehacker.bloffy.blog/en/removing-nextjs-got-my-blog-to-100-on-every-lighthouse-category), Hacker News, 2026-10-26
- [Next.js를 제거하자 내 블로그의 모든 Lighthouse 항목이 100점을 기록함](https://news.hada.io/topic?id=36035), GeekNews, 2026-10-26