# No Build Step

Modern web development often involves complex build pipelines: transpilers, bundlers, minifiers, watchers, and more. FolderWeb takes a different approach: **edit a file, refresh the page, see the result**.

## What This Means

**No npm install** – No package.json, no node_modules folder, no dependency hell

**No compilation** – Write PHP, HTML, CSS, and Markdown directly

**No watching** – No background processes monitoring file changes

**No bundling** – Files are served as-is, leveraging HTTP/2 multiplexing

**No transpiling** – Modern PHP 8.4+ and CSS work in all browsers

## The Development Flow

Traditional workflow:
```
Edit file → Save → Wait for build → Reload → See changes
```

FolderWeb workflow:
```
Edit file → Save → Reload → See changes
```

That's it. No waiting. No build errors. No cache invalidation headaches.

## But What About...

**Performance?** – PHP is fast. No JavaScript means pages load instantly. CSS is cacheable with MD5 versioning.

**Minification?** – HTTP/2 compression handles this. Serve from behind a CDN if needed.

**Modern CSS?** – CSS nesting, custom properties, oklch() colors, grid—all native, all supported.

**Development speed?** – Instant feedback loop beats any hot reload system.

## Why This Matters

Build steps add complexity. Every dependency is a potential breaking change. Every tool is another thing to learn, configure, and maintain.

FolderWeb will work the same way in 5 years, 10 years, even 20 years. Your content is just files. Your templates are just PHP. Your styles are just CSS.

**Simple lasts.**