Is Vaadin Elements meant to be used with the Vaadin Framework?

Question

Vaadin seems to be pushing in 2 directions:

• Vaadin Framework (Java - Server-side)
• Vaadin Elements (Javascript - Client-side)

Are they meant to be used together now.. or in the future? Or just 2 separate, unrelated product offerings?

For example, is the Vaadin Grid Element (not to be confused with Vaadin 7's Java Grid), meant to be used in 'Java-land'?

I found this Server-side Elements post, which talks about creating/manipulating Javascript Web Components from the Server-side. Is this what we are meant to use? Or is there something else coming to simplify component usage in Java?

..I feel I'm missing something.

Answer 1

There was an announcement by Joonas Lehtinen (Vaadin's CEO) that clarified this. In short:

Web Components will shortly be fully supported by most ever-green browsers. [...] This provides us with two opportunities:

1) Web components are a perfect rendering model for Vaadin Framework. Imagine using any web components by any vendor from server-side Java, just like you use server-side Components today. [...]

2) We will be able to share the components we build with other frameworks. Anyone could use Vaadin’s components - not just Java developers [...] We have already started to release some of these components as in the form of Vaadin Elements.

Read the full blog post here: https://vaadin.com/blog/-/blogs/framework-roadmap-connecting-the-dots