JS Frameworks: A brief overview

Before coming to the list of frameworks let us first have a clear understanding what actually a framework is.

Many times beginners are confused about what a framework actually does. So, a framework can be thought as a reusable design platform, which can provide support for various scripting and programming languages. It is a bunch of code that is written by developers and distributed to make our development life simple.

It prevents the developers from writing unnecessary, redundant code as it provides support for it. Reusability also is a key feature as it enables the developer to write a function once and reuse it many times. Therefore, it saves a lot of time.

Here, the framework allows the developer to work on the client’s requirement and use the readily available features offered by it to overcome the hurdles that come while developing the client’s project.

So, we should really thank frameworks for making our life easier.

JavaScript Frameworks

Now, I assume that you have got enough knowledge what frameworks can really do. So, let’s move ahead into our topic of discussion about various javascript frameworks.

Before discussing the types of frameworks, I would like to clarify that everyone has his/her own choice. Some can be comfortable with one framework while others might have a different choice. I will be discussing the top 4 frameworks, but you can find more amazing frameworks around the web. So, choose wisely and get yourself started!

1. Angular.js

Angular.js is an open-source framework which is super-powered by Google. Its applications are mainly found in startups and medium-sized companies due to its support for rapid development and simplified testing. It also offers a cool feature of two-way data binding. This feature automatically changes the view whenever the model changes and vice-versa.

Pros

• It has a very well documented architecture.
• Two-way data binding with an awesome DOM programming interface.
• Since it is maintained by Google we can expect awesome updates.
• Its community size is quite large, thus we can get more support.
• The models in Angular.js are plain old JavaScript objects that make our code easy to test, maintain and reuse.

Cons

• The learning path is a bit difficult.
• The websites developed using this framework might take more time to render in the browser due to DOM elements.
• Scopes in angular is a bit complex to understand.
• In order to use the framework effectively, a good background knowledge is required.

Important things you should know!

Official website: https://angularjs.org/

Companies/Apps in use: PayPal, Lego, Netflix, Freelancer.

2. React.js

Although there have been many discussions about deciding whether React is a JavaScript framework or a library. Since the official site regards it as a library, so the discussion gets over. But, due to its amazing fan base I have included react on my list as well.

React was developed by Facebook in the year 2013. The stunning UI of Facebook and Instagram have been built using React. It’s mainly used to build web and mobile user interfaces. That is why it is considered as a view layer instead of a framework.

Pros

• Despite being new, its growth rate is quite fast.
• We can use many tools with ease along with React.
• The virtual DOM speeds up updates and provides a compatible event model for different browsers.
• Due to React components, the reusability of code becomes easier.

Cons

• In some cases, we have to spend a lot of time in finding the difference between the virtual and current DOM.
• If you are a JS developer, then template syntax and the DOM creation process can make you feel odd.
• You need to have some experience in order to use additional required libraries for your project.

Important things you should know!

Official website: https://reactjs.org/

Companies/Apps in use: Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Khan Academy, Yahoo

3. Vue.js

Vue.js which was initially released in the year 2014 got its stable version Vue 2.0 in the year 2016. It took the amazing features of React, Angular, and Ember and combined them into one package to form Vue. As it has been designed to be incrementally adaptable, it can be used in projects with different JS libraries. Just like angular, Vue provides the feature of two-way data binding.

This open-source framework is mainly used to build user interfaces. But is not all what it can do, it can also function as a web application framework and help in developing high-end single page applications.

Pros

• This framework is simple enough to learn.
• Its documentation is simple and understandable.
• Another plus for this framework is its size. Due to its small size, you can easily download it and get yourself going.
• It is quite flexible and gives liberty to the user to write his template in HTML file, JavaScript file, and pure JavaScript file using virtual nodes.

Cons

• As compared to other frameworks Vue is new, hence its community support is not up to the mark.
• As it is developed by Chinese-American, there is a language barrier. You can find code written in Chinese in many community libraries.

Important things you should know!

Official website: https://vuejs.org/

Companies/Apps in use: Xiomi, Alibaba, Grammarly, EuroNews, Facebook’s newsfeed.

4. Ember.js

Ember is an open-source framework which was introduced in the year 2011. This framework is mainly used for web but it is also used to develop mobile and desktop applications. This framework becomes a good candidate for startups looking to build complex web apps. It has a big and active community which allows great support for developers. Just like angular it also supports two-way data binding.

Pros

• This framework is also easy to learn and understand.
• The biggest advantage of this framework is its active community which provides great support.
• Ember is being constantly updated and more features are added quite often.
• It provides a good stable performance.
• It provides quick load and run speeds.

Cons

• As compared to other frameworks, its size is larger.
• Since changes to the frameworks are done frequently, one can easily find outdated docs and tutorials.
• No server-side rendering support for Ember.
• Sometimes the framework is not able to process quick changes to the code.

Important things you should know!

Official website: https://www.emberjs.com/

Companies/Apps in use: Discourse, LinkedIn, Capgemini, Live Nation, Twitch.tv

Conclusion

All the above frameworks are used to smoothen the development process. Most of them are used to help a developer, to build user interfaces that can run smoothly.

The list of good frameworks can go on and you cannot limit yourself to the above 4. You can find more amazing JS frameworks that can do your specific work. The above list can help you in getting started if you are finding difficulties in choosing one.

Till then, Happy learning!