Part 2 / Concepts / What is SvelteKit?
SvelteKit is a framework for building extremely high-performance web apps. Whereas Svelte is a component framework, SvelteKit is an app framework (or 'metaframework', depending on who you ask) that solves the tricky problems of building something production-ready:
- Routing
- Server-side rendering
- Data fetching
- Service workers
- TypeScript integration
- Prerendering
- Single-page apps
- Library packaging
- Optimised production builds
- Deploying to different hosting providers
- ...and so on
SvelteKit apps are server-rendered by default (like traditional 'multi-page apps' or MPAs) for excellent first load performance and SEO characteristics, but can then transition to client-side navigation (like modern 'single-page apps' or SPAs) to avoid jankily reloading everything (including things like third-party analytics code) when the user navigates. They can run anywhere JavaScript runs, though — as we'll see — your users may not need to run any JavaScript at all.
If that sounds complicated, worry not: SvelteKit is the framework that grows with you! Start simple and add new features as they come. This tutorial will go over the core concepts, while the Advanced SvelteKit tutorial teaches you how to tackle more complex use cases.