Mithril vs Marko: A Comprehensive Comparison

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In the world of frontend development, Mithril and Marko represent two distinct approaches to building web applications. While Mithril offers a lightweight, hyperscript-based approach with functional components, Marko introduces a unique template-first approach with powerful streaming capabilities and compile-time optimizations. Let’s explore their differences and use cases.

Core Concepts

Mithril and Marko take fundamentally different approaches to building web applications:

Mithril uses a lightweight hyperscript-based approach with functional components and manual redraw triggers
Marko employs a template-first approach with powerful streaming capabilities and compile-time optimizations

Reactivity and State Management

Declare State

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function Name() {
  let name = "John";

  return {
    view: () => m("h1", `Hello ${name}`),
  };
}

Marko

<let/name = "John"/>
<h1>Hello ${name}</h1>

Update State

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function Name() {
  let name = "John";
  name = "Jane";
  return {
    view: () => m("h1", `Hello ${name}`),
  };
}

Marko

<let/name = "John"/>
<effect() { name = "Jane" }/>
<h1>Hello ${name}</h1>

Computed State

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function DoubleCount() {
  let count = 10;
  let doubleCount = count * 2;
  return {
    view: () => m("div", doubleCount),
  };
}

Marko

<let/count = 10/>
<const/doubleCount = count * 2/>
<div>${doubleCount}</div>

Templating

Minimal Template

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function HelloWorld() {
  return {
    view: () => m("h1", "Hello World"),
  };
}

Marko

<h1>Hello world</h1>

Styling

Mithril

import "./style.css";
import m from "mithril";

export default function CssStyle() {
  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "div",
        m("h1.title", "I am red"),
        m("button", { style: { fontSize: "10rem" } }, "I am a button")
      ),
  };
}

Marko

<h1.title>I am red</h1>
<button style={ fontSize: "10rem" }>I am a button</button>
<button class=scopedButton>I am a style-scoped button</button>

<style>
  .title {
    color: red;
  }
</style>
<style/{ scopedButton }>
  .scopedButton {
    font-size: 10rem;
  }
</style>

Loop

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function Colors() {
  const colors = ["red", "green", "blue"];
  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "ul",
        colors.map((color, idx) => m("li", { key: idx }, color))
      ),
  };
}

Marko

<ul>
  <for|color| of=["red", "green", "blue"]>
    <li>${color}</li>
  </for>
</ul>

Event Click

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function Counter() {
  let count = 0;
  const incrementCount = () => (count = count + 1);
  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "div",
        m("p", `Counter: ${count}`),
        m("button", { onclick: incrementCount }, "+1")
      ),
  };
}

Marko

<let/count = 0/>
<p>Counter: ${count}</p>
<button onClick() { count++ }>+1</button>

DOM Reference

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function InputFocused() {
  let value = "";
  return {
    view: () =>
      m("input", {
        oncreate: ({ dom }) => dom.focus(),
        type: "text",
        value,
        oninput: (e) => (value = e.target.value),
      }),
  };
}

Marko

<input/inputElement>
<effect() { inputElement().focus() }/>

Conditional

Mithril

import m from "mithril";
const TRAFFIC_LIGHTS = ["red", "orange", "green"];

export default function TrafficLight() {
  let lightIndex = 0;
  let currentLight = () => TRAFFIC_LIGHTS[lightIndex];

  const nextLight = () => (lightIndex + 1) % TRAFFIC_LIGHTS.length;

  const instructions = () => {
    switch (currentLight()) {
      case "red":
        return "STOP";
      case "orange":
        return "SLOW DOWN";
      case "green":
        return "GO";
    }
  };

  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "div",
        m("button", { onclick: nextLight }, "Next light"),
        m("p", `Light is: ${currentLight()}`),
        m("p", "You must ", m("span", instructions()))
      ),
  };
}

Marko

static const TRAFFIC_LIGHTS = ["red", "orange", "green"];
<let/lightIndex = 0/>
<const/light = TRAFFIC_LIGHTS[lightIndex]/>

<button onClick() { lightIndex = (lightIndex + 1) % TRAFFIC_LIGHTS.length }>
  Next light
</button>
<p>Light is: ${light}</p>
<p>
  You must
  <if=light === "red">STOP</if>
  <else-if=light === "orange">SLOW DOWN</else-if>
  <else>GO</else>
</p>

Lifecycle

On Mount

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function PageTitle() {
  return {
    view: () => m("p", `Page title: ${document.title}`),
  };
}

Marko

<let/pageTitle = ""/>
<effect() { pageTitle = document.title }/>
<p>Page title: ${pageTitle}</p>

On Unmount

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function Time() {
  let time = new Date().toLocaleTimeString();

  const timer = setInterval(() => {
    time = new Date().toLocaleTimeString();
    m.redraw();
  }, 1000);

  return {
    view: () => m("p", `Current time: ${time}`),
    onremove: () => clearInterval(timer),
  };
}

Marko

<let/time = new Date()/>
<lifecycle
  onMount() { this.timer = setInterval(_ => time = new Date(), 1000) }
  onDestroy() { clearInterval(this.timer) }
/>
<p>Current time: ${time.toLocaleTimeString()}</p>

Component Composition

Props

Mithril

import m from "mithril";
import UserProfile from "./UserProfile.js";

export default function App() {
  return {
    view: () =>
      m(UserProfile, {
        name: "john",
        age: 20,
        favouriteColors: ["green", "blue", "red"],
        isAvailable: true,
      }),
  };
}

Marko

<UserProfile
  name="John"
  age=20
  favouriteColors=["green", "blue", "red"]
  isAvailable
/>

Emit to Parent

Mithril

import m from "mithril";
export const AnswerButton = ({ attrs: { onYes, onNo } }) => ({
  view: () =>
    m(
      "div",
      m("button", { onclick: onYes }, "YES"),
      m("button", { onclick: onNo }, "NO")
    ),
});

Marko

<let/isHappy = true/>
<p>Are you happy?</p>
<AnswerButton
  onYes() { isHappy = true }
  onNo() { isHappy = false }
/>
<p style={ fontSize: 50 }>${isHappy ? "😀" : "😥"}</p>

Slot

Mithril

import m from "mithril";
import { FunnyButton } from "./FunnyButton.jsx";

export default function App() {
  return {
    view: () => m(FunnyButton, "Click me!"),
  };
}

Marko

<FunnyButton>Click me!</FunnyButton>

Slot Fallback

Mithril

import m from "mithril";
import FunnyButton from "./FunnyButton.jsx";

export default function App() {
  return {
    view: () => m("", m(FunnyButton), m(FunnyButton, "I got Content")),
  };
}

Marko

<FunnyButton/>
<FunnyButton>I got content!</FunnyButton>

Form Input

Input Text

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function InputHello() {
  let text = "Hello world";
  const handleChange = ({ target: { value } }) => (text = value);

  return {
    view: () =>
      m("", m("p", text), m("input", { value: text, onchange: handleChange })),
  };
}

Marko

<let/text = "Hello world"/>
<p>${text}</p>
<input value:=text/>

Checkbox

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function IsAvailable() {
  let isAvailable = false;
  const onUpdate = () => (isAvailable = !isAvailable);

  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "",
        m("input", {
          id: "is-available",
          type: "checkbox",
          checked: isAvailable,
          onchange: onUpdate,
        }),
        m("label", { for: "is-available" }, "Is available")
      ),
  };
}

Marko

<input#is-available
  type="checkbox"
  checked:=input.isAvailable
/>
<label for="is-available">Is available</label>

Radio

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function PickPill() {
  let picked = "red";
  let pills = ["red", "green", "blue"];
  const handleChange = ({ target: { value } }) => (picked = value);

  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "",
        m("", `Picked: ${picked}`),
        pills.map((pill) =>
          m(
            ".",
            m("input", {
              id: pill,
              checked: picked == pill,
              type: "radio",
              value: pill,
              onchange: handleChange,
            }),
            m("label", { for: pill }, pill)
          )
        )
      ),
  };
}

Marko

<let/picked = "red"/>
<const/handleChange(event) {
  picked = event.target.value;
}/>

<div>Picked: ${picked}</div>
<input#blue-pill
  type="radio"
  checked=picked === "blue"
  value="blue"
  onChange=handleChange
/>
<label for="blue-pill">Blue pill</label>

<input#red-pill
  type="radio"
  checked=picked === "red"
  value="red"
  onChange=handleChange
/>
<label for="red-pill">Red pill</label>

Select

Mithril

import m from "mithril";
const colors = [
  { id: 1, text: "red" },
  { id: 2, text: "blue" },
  { id: 3, text: "green" },
  { id: 4, text: "gray", isDisabled: true },
];

export default function ColorSelect() {
  let selectedColorId = 2;

  const handleSelect = ({ target: { value } }) => (selectedColorId = value);

  return {
    view: () =>
      m(
        "select",
        { value: selectedColorId, onchange: handleSelect },
        colors.map(({ id, text, isDisabled }) =>
          m("option", { key: id, id, disabled: isDisabled, value: id }, text)
        )
      ),
  };
}

Marko

static const colors = [
  { id: 1, text: "red" },
  { id: 2, text: "blue" },
  { id: 3, text: "green" },
  { id: 4, text: "gray", isDisabled: true },
];
<let/selectedColorId = 2/>

<select onChange(event) { selectedColorId = event.target.value }>
  <for|{ id, isDisabled, text }| of=colors>
    <option value=id disabled=isDisabled selected=id === selectedColorId>
      ${text}
    </option>
  </for>
</select>

Web App Features

Render App

Mithril

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <body>
    <div id="app"></div>
    <script type="module" src="./main.jsx"></script>
  </body>
</html>

Marko

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <App/>
</html>

Fetch Data

Mithril

import m from "mithril";

export default function App() {
  let isLoading = false;
  let error = null;
  let users = [];

  async function fetchUsers() {
    isLoading = true;
    try {
      const { results } = await m.request(
        "https://randomuser.me/api/?results=3"
      );
      users = results;
    } catch (err) {
      error = err;
    }
    isLoading = false;
  }

  return {
    oninit: fetchUsers,
    view() {
      if (isLoading) return m("p", "Fetching users...");
      if (error) return m("p", "An error occurred while fetching users");
      return users.map((user) =>
        m(
          "li",
          { key: user.login.uuid },
          m("img", { src: user.picture.thumbnail, alt: "user" }),
          m("p", `${user.name.first} ${user.name.last}`)
        )
      );
    },
  };
}

Marko

<await(fetch("https://randomuser.me/api/?results=3").then(res => res.json()))>
  <@placeholder>
    <p>Fetching users...</p>
  </@placeholder>
  <@catch|error|>
    <p>An error occurred while fetching users</p>
  </@catch>
  <@then|{ results: users }|>
    <ul>
      <for|{ picture, name }| of=users>
        <li>
          <img src=picture.thumbnail alt="user">
          <p>${name.first} ${name.last}</p>
        </li>
      </for>
    </ul>
  </@then>
</await>

Performance and Bundle Size

Mithril

Extremely lightweight (~10KB gzipped)
Fast virtual DOM diffing
Built-in routing and XHR
Minimal API surface

Marko

Compile-time optimizations
Streaming rendering
Partial hydration
Automatic code splitting
Small runtime footprint

Learning Curve

Mithril

Simple and straightforward API
Minimal concepts to learn
Functional programming approach
Excellent documentation

Marko

Template-first approach
Unique syntax to learn
Built-in streaming capabilities
Growing documentation and community

Conclusion

Choose Mithril if you:

Need a minimal, lightweight framework
Prefer functional programming
Want built-in routing and XHR
Value simplicity and performance
Are building small to medium applications

Choose Marko if you:

Need streaming server rendering
Want compile-time optimizations
Need partial hydration
Value template-first development
Are building large, scalable applications

Both frameworks excel in different scenarios:

Mithril is perfect for lightweight applications that need performance and simplicity
Marko shines in applications that need streaming capabilities and compile-time optimizations

The choice between Mithril and Marko often depends on your specific needs:

Use Mithril for small to medium projects that need performance and simplicity
Use Marko for applications that need streaming capabilities and compile-time optimizations

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Mithril vs Marko: A Comprehensive Comparison

Table of Contents

Core Concepts

Reactivity and State Management

Declare State

Mithril

Marko

Update State

Mithril

Marko

Computed State

Mithril

Marko

Templating

Minimal Template

Mithril

Marko

Styling

Mithril

Marko

Loop

Mithril

Marko

Event Click

Mithril

Marko

DOM Reference

Mithril

Marko

Conditional

Mithril

Marko

Lifecycle

On Mount

Mithril

Marko

On Unmount

Mithril

Marko

Component Composition

Props

Mithril

Marko

Emit to Parent

Mithril

Marko

Slot

Mithril

Marko

Slot Fallback

Mithril

Marko

Form Input

Input Text

Mithril

Marko

Checkbox

Mithril

Marko

Radio

Mithril

Marko

Select

Mithril

Marko

Web App Features

Render App

Mithril

Marko

Fetch Data

Mithril

Marko

Performance and Bundle Size

Mithril

Marko

Learning Curve

Mithril

Marko

Conclusion

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