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marko-js/marko

★ 14,362JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · easy

TLDR

JavaScript web framework that extends HTML with loops, conditionals, and reactive components so pages render fast on the server and update live in the browser.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((marko))
    What it does
      Server-side rendering
      Reactive components
      HTML-like syntax
    Tech Stack
      JavaScript
      Node.js
      npm
    Use Cases
      Isomorphic web apps
      Reusable UI components
      Live-updating pages
    Audience
      Web developers
      JavaScript developers
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build a web page that renders as fast plain HTML on the server and then becomes interactive in the browser without a full reload.

USE CASE 2

Create reusable UI components in an HTML-like syntax that non-React developers can pick up quickly.

USE CASE 3

Build a live counter or list that updates automatically when data changes using only a few lines of Marko code.

USE CASE 4

Replace React or Vue in a Node.js project to get server-side rendering and reactivity with familiar HTML-style syntax.

Tech stack

JavaScriptNode.jsnpm

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

In plain English

Marko is a JavaScript framework for building web application interfaces. It extends standard HTML with extra capabilities so that developers can write dynamic, interactive pages using a syntax that looks mostly like regular HTML. The idea is that someone already familiar with HTML can pick it up without having to learn a completely different way of writing code first. The core additions Marko brings to HTML are things like conditionals (showing or hiding parts of a page based on conditions), loops (repeating sections for each item in a list), components (reusable chunks of interface that can be dropped anywhere), and a reactivity system (so that when data changes, the page updates automatically without a full reload). A small example in the README shows a button that tracks how many times it has been clicked: the counter updates live with only a few lines of code. Marko works both on the server and in the browser. This means a page can be built and sent from the server as plain HTML (which loads fast and is visible to search engines), and then the interactive parts can take over once the page is loaded in the visitor's browser. This combination is sometimes called isomorphic rendering. Getting started involves running a single command that creates a new project scaffold, after which documentation guides further setup. The package is distributed through npm, the standard JavaScript package registry, so it fits into existing JavaScript workflows without special tooling. The project originated at eBay and is maintained by an open source community. It has an active Discord server for questions, accepts pull requests on GitHub, and publishes updates on social platforms. The README links to a live online playground where you can try writing Marko code without installing anything.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Using Marko, create a component that displays a list of items from an array and automatically re-renders when a new item is added without refreshing the page.
Prompt 2
Build a Marko page that renders on the server and hydrates in the browser so the initial load is fast HTML even with JavaScript disabled.
Prompt 3
Convert this React component to Marko syntax, keeping the same props and reactive state behavior.
Prompt 4
Set up a new Marko project from scratch using the CLI scaffolding command and explain what each generated file does.
Prompt 5
Write a Marko component that fetches data from an API on the server side and passes it as props to a client-side interactive widget.
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