{% respimg “https://bryanlrobinson.com/images/jamstack-2020.svg”, “Three JAMstack things to watch in 2020 graphic”, “(max-width: 640px) 640px, 900px” %}

In the second half of 2019, I took my passing interest in the JAMstack and solidified it as one of my main focuses. I’m excited about the prospect of what lies in store in 2020.

I was asked by Brian Rinaldi to answer a few questions on Stackbit’s blog about where I think the JAMstack is headed in 2020.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview where I talk about the importance of the ecosystem maturing in 2020:

I think 2020 is going to be a crucial year for long-term growth of the JAMstack. We’re seeing great growth amongst companies created for use on the JAMstack, but I see 2020 as a proving ground of profitability for them. Whether venture capital funded or bootstrapped, it’s important for there to be a thriving ecosystem of solutions out there so that agencies, enterprise and application developers feel comfortable making the conversion.

With that in mind, here are three movements to watch in the JAMstack in 2020.

1. Service-ception: Services that help meld your services together

Yo, I heard you like Services, so I put some Services in your Services!

One of my favorite aspects of the JAMstack is how many amazing services are out there for almost anything you need to do. We have a lot of great static site generators (SSGs), serverless databases, form handlers and more. The key is increasing developer (and non-developer) experience in using all these things together.

The JAMstack has seen some amazing companies doing work in this space of stitching things together.

1. Netlify and FaunaDB announced a partnership to make working with a serverless database super simple. It was so simple that even I could handle it!
2. Stackbit is a company that is attempting to help you bundle your theme, host, SSG and more into one easy-to-use package. With a few clicks you’ve got everything you need. This may be one of the first steps to seeing adoption outside of just developers for the JAMstack.
3. TakeShape is a company with a lot of ambition. They’ve got a CMS and an SSG. They also have a beta project called “Mesh.” The Mesh allows you to combine multiple APIs into one GraphQL interface. There’s a ton of promise in this idea. Currently, it’s compatible with their CMS’s API and the Shopify API. Keep an eye on this idea, though.

2. The JAMstack will take a larger role in the charge for accessibility in JavaScript

Accessibility is key to the on-going future of the web. Without it, we exclude large amounts of people from our sites and apps.

In the JAMstack community, there are a lot of great voices advocating for accessibility. It’s really great to see.

The thing to keep an eye on in 2020, is how Gatsby is hiring amazing devs that have accessibility as a key skill or passion. It makes perfect sense when you realize Marcy Sutton is their Head of Learning.

What excites me about Gatsby as a company being highly interested and vocal about accessibility is how they’re positioned to bring best practices back into the React and JS communities.

3. A DIY movement reinvigorated

The JAMstack is a great place to be a DIYer. Building things yourself is a path to great satisfaction. With little-to-no cost to build and host small applications, the JAMstack is really a no-brainer for a DIY or Indie movement.

There was definitely movement in this space in 2019, but expect more in 2020. I think, we as a tech community, are realizing that trusting big corporations to do a lot for us, hasn’t panned out the way we wanted. We’re seeing an internet that is increasingly monetized. That looks to be more and more of a problem every day.

Let’s take back some of our tools. The dream of the 90s is alive in the JAMstack.

• Charlie Owen on Webrings
• Max Böck on IndieWeb Link Sharing
• Max Böck on Syndicating Content
• My post from early last year on Fan Sites
• My post on Creating a bookmarking application

Looking forward to 2020

Just like my post on CSS concepts to learn for 2020, there’s so much to be hyped about in 2020 for the JAMstack.

Along with the series I mentioned in the intro from Brian Rinaldi, I also asked guests from That’s My JAMstack for what they were looking forward to in 2020.

I’m excited to play with all the new tools, services and concepts in the JAMstack. Join me and you’ll be in for a fun new year.

What are you most looking forward to in the JAMstack in 2020? Let me know on Twitter.