Creating a new JavaScript project still feels like assembling a small toolchain by hand. You pick a linter, a formatter, a bundler, a test runner, a TypeScript setup, a package manager, and a Node version. Every choice adds another config file to maintain.

At the start it feels lightweight. The repo is empty and the template works. The real cost shows up months later, when all of these tools drift in different directions. You spend more time keeping the toolchain alive than building features.

What a typical JavaScript project looks like

This is a realistic view of the meta files you usually end up with.

my-js-app/
  package.json
  pnpm-lock.yaml

  tsconfig.json
  tsconfig.build.json

  vite.config.ts
  vitest.config.ts

  .eslintrc.cjs
  .eslintignore

  .prettierrc
  .prettierignore

  .babelrc
  postcss.config.cjs
  tailwind.config.cjs

  .nvmrc
  .npmrc
  .editorconfig

  src/
    main.tsx
    App.tsx

Each tool has its own defaults, versioning strategy, and breaking changes. You end up being the integration layer that keeps them aligned. A small lint rule update creates diff noise. A bundler upgrade breaks a transform plugin. TypeScript emits new errors. None of this improves the product. It is scaffolding work that grows over time.

How Rust approaches the same problem

Rust takes a different path. There is a single toolchain. One entry point. One project model. Most projects never need more than this.

my-rust-app/
  Cargo.toml
  Cargo.lock

  src/
    main.rs

Formatting, linting, building, testing, and packaging come from the same ecosystem. Cargo, rustc, rustfmt, and Clippy move together. The defaults are strong. The conventions are shared. You rarely have to configure the basics and the upgrade path is predictable because the tools are designed as a coherent unit.

Fragmentation slows developers down

Tooling fragmentation also hurts mobility inside an organization. Every repo ends up with its own flavor of eslint rules, tsconfig layers, bundler plugins, test setups, and node versions. When an engineer switches repos, it feels like entering a different ecosystem. The editor behaves differently. The build behaves differently. The mental model resets. This slows teams down and turns internal mobility into friction instead of leverage.

Why unified tooling with solid defaults matters

The problem in JavaScript is not choice. It is uncoordinated choice.

A unified toolchain with:

• one CLI entry point
• good defaults
• a single project model
• one place for configuration
• clear extension points

removes most of the overhead that teams deal with today. It lets you focus on the code instead of the machinery around it. Rust and dotnet show that you can have flexibility without scattering your project across a pile of configs from tools that do not know about each other.

Why bigger repos are not the answer

A pattern I have seen over the years is teams trying to escape this problem by merging repos. The idea is simple. Put everything in one place and standardize the tooling across the workspace. It works to a point, but it also hides the real issue. The problem is not code location. The problem is how easy it is for the JavaScript ecosystem to drift. When every part of the toolchain is pluggable and swappable, teams will naturally diverge, even inside one giant repo.

What we actually need is fewer decisions. Stronger defaults. A more consistent ecosystem. When the stack moves as a unit, you do not care if your code sits in ten repos or one. The experience becomes predictable and engineers can switch projects without losing productivity.

Where JavaScript needs to evolve

The ecosystem does not need fewer tools. It needs more coherent ones.

• Defaults that match modern workflows
• Upgrades that move in sync
• Tools that understand each other
• High level frameworks that hide most of the complexity
• Escape hatches for the small set of teams that truly need them

JavaScript will always offer more choice than other ecosystems. The goal is not to remove that freedom. The goal is to avoid making every team rebuild a toolchain from scratch.