Am I the only one who still thinks any kind of build process does not belong in web development?

If I'm making a typical website, all I'm using is a few PHP files, a single CSS file and maybe some JavaScript.

There are no build steps. No minification. No compilation. No frameworks.

I just can't understand even using Rails for web dev.

Minification... how many times have I seen devs claiming that adding a whole toolchain for saving a few kilobytes is crucial to performance and simultaneously failing to serve assets with proper compression and cache headers ? Heck, how many times have I seen "web" devs with no basic understanding of the HTTP protocol ?

And they look at me like I'm the lunatic when I tell them their 3 text fields 2 buttons "app" is over-engineered and needs no build step.

FWIW, vanilla rails don't give you any build step.

>I just can't understand even using Rails for web dev.

Some people are building real web applications, not PHP toys. I get not wanting to keep up with the latest JS insanity, but simple MVC frameworks are popular for a reason.

I've been a web developer for over 20 years. I remain totally unconvinced of the need for frameworks.

A build process totally makes sense -- for WASM apps.