Introducing Backlit: Lit SSR for Drupal, Hold the Node

Two years ago I wrote about server rendering Lit web components with Drupal . The approach worked, but it required a Node.js HTTP service running alongside Drupal in a container. That meant Docker/Podman, networking between containers, and an extra process to manage. It was a proof of concept, and it felt like one. Well, introducing Backlit -- a Drupal module that server-renders Lit web components with Declarative Shadow DOM . No Node.js, no containers, no external services. Two lines to install, zero infrastructure to maintain. What Backlit does If your Drupal site uses Lit web components (from a design system, a custom theme, or anywhere else), those components normally render client-side: the browser downloads JavaScript, defines the custom elements, and paints the shadow DOM. Until that happens, users see a flash of unstyled content or an empty box. Backlit moves that rendering to the server. When Drupal finishes building a page, Backlit pipes the HTML through a binary that injects