You-Dont-Need-jQuery
A reference of plain JavaScript equivalents for common jQuery methods, for modern browsers.
- Stars
- 20.1k
- Forks
- 1.7k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 8 days ago
- Type
- Learning resource
What it is
This project is a collection of examples showing how to do common jQuery tasks, such as selecting elements, changing styles, manipulating the DOM, making Ajax calls, and handling events, using built-in browser JavaScript instead. Each entry pairs a jQuery snippet with a native equivalent. The README says the snippets target current evergreen browsers and that the alternatives are not completely equivalent in all cases, so testing is recommended.
- Look up the native replacement for a jQuery selector such as $('.class') or $el.find('li')
- Replace jQuery class toggling with el.classList.toggle
- Replace jQuery attribute and data-* access with getAttribute or dataset
- Check how to traverse siblings, parents, and closest ancestors without jQuery
Great for
- Front-end developers who already know jQuery and want to see native replacements
- Developers maintaining a site that only needs to support modern browsers
- Students learning what the DOM and browser APIs can do without a library
- Developers deciding whether a jQuery dependency is still worth keeping
Not ideal for
- Projects that must support Internet Explorer, since the README says IE fallbacks were removed and points to an older IE-compatible version instead
- Anyone expecting drop-in, guaranteed-identical behavior, since the README warns the alternatives are not completely equivalent in all scenarios
- Teams already built on React, Angular, or Vue who need framework-level solutions rather than raw DOM snippets
How to get it
- 1
Read it online
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/camsong/You-Dont-Need-jQuery - 2
Run it
- Open the README on GitHub and browse the Table of Contents
- Find the jQuery method you currently use, such as Query Selector or CSS & Style
- Compare the jQuery snippet with the native snippet
- Test the native code in your target browser before replacing jQuery
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the notes about document.querySelectorAll returning a static NodeList versus getElementsBy* returning a live HTMLCollection
- Use the linked translations if you prefer reading in another language
- Check the Browser Support section to confirm your target browsers before adopting a snippet
- Note the getComputedStyle example, which returns resolved values such as rgb() rather than hex colors
Downloads
Strengths
- Covers many common jQuery methods side by side with native code
- Explains differences in behavior, such as querySelector returning null when nothing matches
- Released under the MIT license
Trade-offs
- It is a set of examples, not a library, so you must copy and adapt the code yourself
- The README notes some native alternatives are not fully equivalent to jQuery, so behavior may differ in edge cases
- The README is truncated in the provided text, so coverage of later sections such as Ajax, Events, and Animation could not be fully verified here
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You-Dont-Need-jQuery (this) | 20.1k | Learning resource | beginner | 8 days ago | Front-end developers who already know jQuery and want to see native replacements |
| youmightnotneedjquery | 14.1k | Learning resource | beginner | 2.3 years ago | Front-end developers maintaining older sites that still use jQuery |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.