Even though Web Components have been the talk of being a necessity for developers to create reusable and encapsulated UI components for web applications, in totality, developers can’t embrace it entirely due to the issues around tooling and integration. This is where the Custom Elements Manifest (CEM) comes in: a JSON format that provides structured metadata for Web Components. CEM wishes to make it all simpler, from development to discovery, documentation, and integration within IDEs, making a much smoother developer experience.

In this article, let’s dig deep into how Custom Elements Manifest works, why it is a game-changer for the development of web components, and how it can power modern tools. We will also see various cases that elucidate how CEM helps enhance the experience for both developers and users.