modern.js

modern.js is ByteDance's full-stack React framework. It bundles the pieces you'd otherwise wire together yourself: routing, server rendering, and an integrated backend layer. It's built on Rspack, the Rust bundler from the same team, so builds are fast. MIT licensed and completely free.

The pitch is "progressive." Start with a static site, add server rendering or a backend-for-frontend later without switching tools. The standout feature is the BFF layer, which lets you call backend functions straight from frontend code. Running it in production means owning and scaling a Node server yourself, same as any server-rendered app. Zero-config to start, real ops once you ship.

The honest comparison is Next.js, and that's the problem. Next.js has the ecosystem, the docs, and the Stack Overflow answers. modern.js is technically excellent, but the community leans ByteDance and China. Solo and small teams: pick the framework that has answers when you get stuck, which today is Next.js or Remix. Larger teams already standardized on Rspack and Rsbuild: this is worth a serious look.

The catch is mindshare. A great framework that nobody around you uses means you debug alone.