Surplus is fast because it doesn't have many features that available in many other libraries. For example, component model with lifecycles.

In this benchmark, "select row" should be the best case scenario for library like this, but even in such scenario it is slower than some vdom libraries.

Have you tried to build a components library, or have you seen any component libraries that is built on top of a framework that doesn't provide lifecycle hooks for components? Something like https://ant.design/docs/react/introduce or https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric#/components

They have virtually nothing in common. Web components are essentially just new DOM events, albeit more restricted.

I started this thread by mentioning Surplus, which has no lifecycles because it operates directly on the DOM, and so React's lifecycle callbacks have no use.

If you think so, then there is really nothing to discuss ;)

"Overcomplication" is in the eye of the beholder. You can't tell your client that his wanting a map in the contact page is "overcomplicating a conceptually simple process". At some point, if a system's restrictions are too strict for the sake of simplicity/beauty/etc, then it ceases to be useful in the real world.