Remix Reimagined: V3 Will Drop React for a Fork of Preact

Write for InfoQ

Two years after shipping Remix v2, the Remix team recently announced working on Remix v3, with a new set of principles charting its path. Remix v3 will drop React for a fork of Preact as part of its effort to own most of its stack and feature only minimal, critical dependencies. Remix will also optimize for LLMs, build on Web APIs, eschew build processes, and demand composable abstractions.

The Remix team explained the motivation behind the new release in the following terms:

This isn’t just a new version — it’s a new direction. One that’s faster, simpler, and closer to the web itself.

To do that, we need to own the full stack — without leaning on layers of abstraction we don’t control. That means no critical dependencies, not even React. We’re starting with a fork of Preact, a mature virtual DOM library already used heavily at Shopify, Google, and countless others.

This major shift comes after many of Remix’s features were merged into React Router v7, freeing up the Remix team to rethink the framework from the ground up, focusing on simplicity, performance, composability, and a closer alignment with web standards. Remix identified a set of four principles underlying their development efforts: model-first development, prioritize Web APIs, runtime over build steps, and avoid dependencies.

Developer reactions on platforms like Reddit and Hacker News have been mixed. Despite a noticeable amount of criticism, some developers, including prominent figures in the open-source community, praised the team’s ambition to address the growing complexity in the web ecosystem. Tanner Linsley, creator of TanStack, commented:

I think it’s great that they’re going out on a limb here. They no longer need to worry about money (thanks Shopify) and they’re attempting to rethink fundamentals, and they have a large existing audience to test their new theories quickly. Only good things can come from research like this, regardless if it succeeds or not.

Another user added:

This is how progress is made. They aren’t wrong... the current environment is a damn mess. I applaud anyone attempting to do anything about it.

Other users were left unimpressed by model-first development as a founding principle, attributing it speculatively to Shopify’s influence. Shopify acquired Remix in 2022 and mandated the use of AI by its employees. One Reddit user complained:

Principle 1: Model-First Development Is there anyone who hasn’t taken VC money that [cares] about LLMs? Why is that your first principle?

A preview release of Remix v3 is not yet available. The Remix team will update the community on their progress at the upcoming Remix Jam conference.

Remix is a full-stack web framework created by Michael Jackson and Ryan Florence, the original authors of the popular library React Router. While Remix first launched as a paid product, it became completely free and open-source for all users in November 2021. Remix then positioned itself as a powerful alternative to other React frameworks like Next.js.

Related Topics:

• Development
• Frameworks
• Web Development
• JavaScript

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