Stimulus

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

Stimulus is a modest JavaScript framework that adds behavior to your HTML using data attributes. It doesn't render HTML or manage state — it just connects to existing markup and adds interactivity. It's the JavaScript framework for people who think most JavaScript frameworks do too much.

Real Talk

Stimulus is a JavaScript framework from Basecamp (part of Hotwire) that provides a structured way to enhance server-rendered HTML. Controllers are connected to DOM elements via data-controller attributes, with actions, targets, and values providing a convention for organizing JavaScript behavior.

Show Me The Code

<div data-controller="toggle">
  <button data-action="click->toggle#toggle">Show</button>
  <div data-toggle-target="content" class="hidden">Hello!</div>
</div>

When You'll Hear This

"Stimulus controllers are tiny and focused — one controller per behavior" / "We pair Stimulus with Turbo for an SPA-like experience without the SPA complexity"