Philosophy of the SharePoint Framework

The philosophy of the SharePoint Framework takes many cues from past missteps of the add-in model and full-trust solution model. As developers have been moving to a more lightweight approach using script injection, embedded HTML within a script editor web part, and similar models, the SharePoint Framework aims to provide a unified and consistent way to create customizations in SharePoint.

All development for the SharePoint Framework is modern client-side development. This does not imply that nothing can be implemented on the server side. It merely means that most SharePoint customizations tend to be functionality that can be encapsulated on the client-side quite easily. For those features that require server-side logic, it can be implemented outside SharePoint; typically using a serverless platform such as Microsoft Azure Functions, Azure API apps, or similar concepts.

The modern approach also means that the SharePoint Framework will evolve over time. This, of course, is not a promise on our part, as we've already seen several development frameworks and approaches for SharePoint in the past decade. But this seems to be a commitment by Microsoft, that this time the framework is here to stay and will evolve based on industry needs, requirements, and shifts.

The SharePoint Framework's philosophy also includes a lightweight approach to implementing solutions. Existing logic, APIs, and functionality from other frameworks and platforms can be used as needed. The SharePoint Framework brings in the toolset and capabilities to better customize the overall user experience of SharePoint, rather than dissecting the internal workings of SharePoint in order to achieve something that the user can experience.

We need the SharePoint Framework and its controlled approach to custom code to avoid the problems of the past. These problems include complex migrations or upgrades, as the code was stored within the content or in multiple document libraries as JavaScript files. The SharePoint Framework will remedy these challenges by providing packaging, deployment, distribution, and version control for your code.