From HTML to JSX: the silent revolution of the web

Imagine browsing the Internet without websites, without links, without images. A digital world made only of static lines of text, of code.

Strange, huh?

Yet, before HTML, the web didn’t even exist.

No home pages, no social networks, no e-commerce. Just scattered documents, difficult to consult and zero interaction.

Then, one man had an idea. Tim Berners-Lee.

In 1989, in the CERN laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland, Berners-Lee invented a way to link documents together with a simple click: the HyperText Markup Language was born, our beloved HTML. With just 18 tags, it paved the way for a digital revolution that continues today.

The ’90s

In the ’90s, HTML evolves rapidly:

HTML 2.0 (1995): introduces forms, allowing users to interact with websites, a pivotal step in the evolution of the web.

HTML 3.2 (1997): tables arrive and support for Java, paving the way for more complex layouts.

HTML 4.01 (1999): CSS are born, and finally content and graphics are separated. The web starts to become more beautiful (and more readable for search engines).

But we are still far from the dynamic web we know today.

The 2000s

With the Internet boom, the first social platforms and web apps are born. But there’s a problem: traditional HTML is no longer enough.

To add interactivity, developers start using Flash, JavaScript and all kinds of plugins. Powerful solutions, but often heavy and not very accessible.

Something better was needed. And that’s where HTML5 arrives in 2014. And it changes everything.

With HTML5, the web has undergone a real transformation, making pages richer and more interactive. One of the main changes is the introduction of semantic tags, like ‘article’, ‘section’ and ‘nav’. These elements not only improved code organization, but also made the web more accessible and optimized for search engines, contributing to clearer and more intuitive navigation.

Another big step forward was abandoning Flash, thanks to the introduction of native multimedia support. The ‘video’ and ‘audio’ tags allowed integrating multimedia content directly into web pages, without the need for external plugins, improving performance and user experience.

HTML5 also opened the doors to advanced graphics with the ‘canvas’ tag, which made it possible to create interactive animations and games directly in the browser, without additional software. This gave a new dimension to the web, allowing developers to explore new creative possibilities.

Finally, the powerful APIs introduced by HTML5, such as geolocation, Web Storage for storing data on the client side and push notifications, have made web applications much more dynamic and interactive. These tools have allowed developing advanced user experiences, similar to those of native apps, greatly increasing the functionality of the web.

The web becomes an ecosystem increasingly similar to native apps: mobile-first optimization, because nowadays we browse more from smartphones than from PCs.

And so HTML5 made the web faster, more accessible and more powerful. But the story doesn’t end here.

JSX: when HTML meets JavaScript

Now, in recent years, there has been a new paradigm shift: HTML has remained the base language of the web, but modern JavaScript frameworks have taken it to the next level. And that’s where JSX comes in, the markup language used in React.js.

JSX looks like HTML, but conceptually it is not.

function Welcome(props) {
  return 'h1'Hello, {props.name}!'/h1';
}

Behind the scenes, JSX is transformed into pure JavaScript. This allows developers to create dynamic interfaces with less code and more efficiency.

We at HeroHubs also use JSX for some of our projects, leveraging its flexibility to build modern, scalable and performant web interfaces.

Today, most modern web applications (from Facebook to Netflix) use JSX and React to offer smooth and responsive user experiences.

And now, what awaits us?

Keep in mind that the web will never stop evolving.

HTML6? Maybe it won’t have this name, but new updates are already underway.

The future is preparing for significant evolutions. In addition to improvements in security and performance, greater integration with artificial intelligence is expected. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are erasing the boundary between sites and native apps, offering increasingly fluid experiences. Furthermore, WebXR technology could bring HTML into the metaverse, adapting to augmented and virtual reality.

From the first website in 1991 to modern web apps, HTML has transformed the way we communicate, work and interact online.

We at HeroHubs know this well: every project we develop is rooted in this evolution. Whether it’s web platforms, advanced e-commerce or business apps, we create tailor-made solutions with the most innovative technologies.