JavaScript frameworks are becoming crucial due to the heavy use of JavaScript. Various JS frameworks are open source; therefore, you should inspect the features of multiple frameworks before selecting the final one.
This blog post will provide you with a list of the top 5 JavaScript frameworks and their features that help you determine the framework to use in your next application.
What is a JavaScript Framework?
A JS framework is a set of JS code libraries. It is a tool that makes working with JavaScript smoother and more manageable. Along with that, JS frameworks facilitate a programmer to code a device-responsive application. It is one of the reasons behind the popularity of JavaScript web development frameworks.
It simplifies the process of developing JS-based applications. Like other frameworks, JS frameworks come with a set of rules and guidelines that may help any developer make complex applications faster and more efficient.
By developing an application with a framework, you can avoid repeatedly writing the same features code. JavaScript frameworks are popular among junior to senior-level programmers.
What Makes a JS Framework Different From a JS Library?
It could be considered a common topic of discussion in the software community. The key difference between both terms is that libraries include functions that an application can call to perform a task, whereas a framework defines how a developer designs an application.
If we talk about JS libraries, they are the collection of code designed for particular use cases. For instance, jQuery is a JS library that streamlines the DOM traversal syntax, animation, event handling, and other common tasks.
In contrast, JS frameworks are built to accomplish various functions and form the backbone of a web application.
Top 5 JavaScript Frameworks For Website Development
AngularJS
It is one of the efficient, powerful, and open-source JavaScript frameworks. It tops the list when we talk about developing single-page applications. This framework is focused on building sophisticated and efficient SPAs. It made a good name among the developer’s community because of its high speed and amazing performance.
This JS framework uses the concept of data binding, which automatically synchronizes the data between the client and the database that helps developers from having to define requests and responses whenever a user interacts with UI.
Features of AngualrJS
The core features of AngularJS are given as follows –
- Data-Binding – Using AngualrJS, you don’t have to write any special code to bind data to the HTML controls. It automatically synchronizes the data between model and view components.
- Services – AngularJS comes with various built-in services like $http for making a XMLHttpRequests.
- Model View Whatever (MVW) – AngularJS supports MVC or Model-View-Whatever (MVW) architecture. MVW is a design pattern to divide an application into different parts called Model, View, and Controller, each with different responsibilities.
- Dependency Injection – A built-in dependency injection subsystem in AngularJS helps the developer easily create, test, and understand the applications.
- Directives – One of the unique functionalities of AngularJS are directives that make it unique among other frameworks. AngualrJS includes built-in directives like ngModel, ngBind, etc.
ReactJS
ReactJS is a fast, reusable, and scalable framework to build interactive user interfaces (UIs). It is capable of supporting enterprise applications with ease. A team of Facebook developers develops it.
The goal of using ReactJS is to create sophisticated and easy-to-use UIs for web applications. It creates efficient memory data structures in an organized manner that updates and computes the changes in the browser. It enables app developers to use each module within the application on both server-side and client-side, ultimately decreasing development time.
Features of ReactJS
The core features of ReactJS are given as follows –
- JSX Based Design Architecture – JSX stands for ‘JavaScript XML’ that is a markup syntax very similar to HTML. It makes writing the react components easier by making syntax like HTML injected into the web page.
- Component-Based – In React, a web page’s component is divided into small components to create user interfaces. Each part of the application visual would be encapsulated in a self-contained module called a component.
- Declarative UI Library – React updates efficiently and render the right components when data changes. Moreover, declarative views make it easy to read and debug the code.
- Virtual DOM – A virtual DOM object represents the original DOM object. When any change happens in the web application, the complete UI is re-rendered in the virtual DOM representation.
- Performance – ReactJS is a good performer, making it better among other frameworks. One of the major reasons behind it is the virtual DOM, as it compares the new data with the original DOM and automatically updates the view.
Vue.js
It is another open-source progressive JS framework to build UIs. It is also the most user-friendly framework for both programmers and non-programmers. It is a front-end JS framework that helps you quickly and efficiently develop SPAs and PWAs.
It is easy to learn and comes with good documentation that makes it best for beginners. It can be learned in a few days if you have prior familiarity with front-end web programming. It is a much more reliable platform to develop cross-platform.
Features of Vue.js
The core features of Vue.js are given as follows –
- CSS Transitions and Animations – While adding/updating or removing HTML elements from the DOM, VueJS provides various ways to apply a transition to them.
- Templates – VueJS offers HTML-based templates that are compiled into Virtual DOM Render functions. These templates bind the DOM to Vue instance data. One can use the templates of the render functions, and for that, they need to replace the template with the render function.
- Directives – VueJs has built-in directives like v-if, v-else, v-bind, v-model, etc., that allow us to perform multiple actions on the front-end.
- Virtual DOM – Similar to the other frameworks such as React, Ember, etc., VueJS also uses Virtual DOM. The changes do not happen to the DOM; instead, a replica is created that is present in the form of JS data structures.
Any change will be made to the JavaScript data structures, and the latter is compared to the original data structure. The user will see modifications reflected in the actual DOM. It is cost-effective and good in terms of optimization.
- Components – These are the vital feature of VueJS that help to create custom elements that can be used in HTML.
Ember.js
It is an open-source JS client-side framework that is used to develop web applications. It lets to create client-side JS applications by offering a complete solution that contains an application flow and data management.
Ember.js is best in creating scalable single-page web applications. It is suitable for long-lived projects and a recommended framework for projects that need a web application with a desktop-like UI and experience.
Features of Ember.js
The core features of Ember.js are given as follows –
- Routing – Ember.js has a built-in router that includes asynchronous data loading with query parameters and dynamic URL sections. Along with that, it also supports nested URLs.
- Testing – Though, by default, a completely equipped modern test harness is built in every application. Ember.js supports unit tests, application tests, and rendering tests.
- Easy Upgrades – Ember.js has fast and straightforward upgrades.
- Build Pipeline – There is a built-in development environment that enables test runner, auto-reload, and fast rebuilds.
- Performance – Ember is built on one of the fastest rendering engines, i.e., Glimmer. It compiles templates to a highly-performant virtual machine.
Node.js
Node.js is an open-source and server-side JS runtime platform that runs on multiple platforms. It is built on Google Chrome’s JS Engine (V8 Engine).
It works with a microservices architecture and is best to build scalable network applications. It uses an event-driven, asynchronous, non-blocking I/O model, making it efficient and lightweight.
It also provides a rich library of various JS modules that simplifies web applications development.
Features of Node.js
The core features of Node.js are given as follows –
- Very Fast – Node.js library is very fast in executing the code as it is built on Chrome’s V8 JS Engine.
- Single-Threaded but Highly Scalable – With event looping, Node.js uses a single-threaded model. Node.js uses a single-threaded program, and the same program can provide service to a large number of requests compared to traditional servers such as Apache HTTP Server.
- No Buffering – Node.js applications never buffer any data. These applications output the data in chunks due to the callback function concept. So, the user quickly receives more data, as it does not have to wait to complete the entire operation.
- Caching – Node.js supports the caching of modules. When a module in Node.js is requested for the first time, it is cached into the application memory. Caching allows the applications to load the web pages faster and respond easily to the user.
- Performance – Node.js is created on chrome’s V8 JS engine that compiles the JS code into machine code and makes it easier and faster to implement.
Conclusion
Before finalizing the proper JS framework for your business, first consider your business requirements, the type of application you are working with, the size of your team, skillset and experiences, and the flexibility you require with the framework.
Moreover, you can also connect with a JavaScript development company that will thoroughly analyze our business requirements and provide you with the best framework to keep you ahead in the market.
