Unlock the Power of Reusable Code: Creating Universal Web Components with Svelte
Why Web Components Matter
As developers, we strive to write code that is modular, reusable, and easy to maintain. Web components take this concept to the next level by allowing us to create custom HTML elements that can be used across different applications and frameworks. In this article, we’ll explore how to create universal web components using Svelte, a lightweight JavaScript framework.
What are Web Components?
Web components are custom HTML elements that encapsulate styling and functionality. They allow us to define a custom element, such as <custom-navbar />, and reuse it throughout our application without worrying about styling conflicts. This is made possible by the Shadow DOM, a self-contained DOM that renders separately from the main DOM.
Building Universal Web Components with Svelte
To get started, you’ll need:
- Basic familiarity with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Familiarity with CLI (terminal/command prompts)
- A text editor
- Some familiarity with Svelte (optional)
We’ll create two components: a simple card component that accepts three props (title, description, and image), and a styled button component that accepts a single prop (type). We’ll also explore how to bundle these components together and export them as a single file or separate files.
Creating a Universal Card Component
To create the card component, we’ll define the component props, styling, and markup in a Card.svelte file. We can then import and render it in other Svelte components.
Converting Custom Components to Universal Components
To convert our custom Svelte components to universal components, we’ll need to add an entry in the Svelte config file to generate custom elements. We’ll also need to give our tag a unique name and import our custom components in the Svelte main.js file.
Generating the Bundle File
Once we’ve completed the necessary steps, we can generate the bundle file by running a command in our CLI/terminal. This will create two files: build.js and build.map.js. We can then use these files to render our components in any web application.
Components Splitting
In some cases, we may want to generate our components individually rather than in a single build file. We can achieve this by modifying the rollup.config.js input and output exports.
Major Drawbacks
While creating web components with Svelte is relatively easy, there are some drawbacks to consider:
- No camel case in component props due to bugs
- Web components cannot be reused in Svelte without tagging them
- Limited browser support for the JavaScript customElement API
Get Started with LogRocket
LogRocket is a modern error tracking platform that helps you identify and resolve issues in your application. With LogRocket, you can:
- Get set up in minutes
- Install via npm or script tag
- Integrate with popular frameworks like Redux, NgRx, and Vuex
Learn More About Web Components and Svelte
If you’re interested in learning more about web components and the Svelte framework, check out these resources:
- Web components — MDN Web docs
- Svelte custom elements documentation
Join the Conversation
Would you be interested in joining LogRocket’s developer community? Share your thoughts on web components and Svelte in the comments below!