JavaScript is a Scripting programming language that is used to deploy complex features on web pages. Big Companies like Netflix, Walmart, and Paypal has used JavaScript to build their applications. Initially, JavaScript was only used for client-side development. However, these days JavaScript is used for server-side scripting as well. In simple words, we can say that JavaScript is a full-stack programming language. JavaScript has many frameworks and many programming styles, just like functional or imperative and event-driven as well.
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What is a JavaScript Framework?
JavaScript Frameworks are a collection of JS code libraries that provides pre-written JS code to developers as a framework for building websites and web applications.JS frameworks make JavaScript working smoother and more accessible. Some frameworks are designed to work underneath your site application code, whereas some frameworks use an incremental approach. It depends on how much of the framework you want to apply to your website or web application.
JS popular Frameworks are pretty famous for device responsiveness. The selection of JavaScript frameworks is based on project requirements and employer preferences. The following is the list of the best JS frameworks in 2021, along with their features and pros and cons.
1. Angular
Angular is an open-source framework operated by Google and is used to develop SPA, i.e., Single Page Application. It is one of the most efficient frameworks.
Features:
- Speed and Performance: Angular helps to create fast and dynamic content that mimics desktop applications. It includes code generation from templates and automatic code-splitting.
- Cross-Platform: Angular is used for building native apps using strategies of other frameworks. It can also be used to build desktop applications across Mac, Windows, and Linux.
- Productivity and Development: Angular uses powerful template syntax to build UI views. High-performance animation timelines are created with very little code with Angular APIs.
Pros:
- Angular is the most popular client-side framework.
- Angular allows the developers to use customizable directives and functions. It helps to use fewer lines of code.
- SAP is a significant advantage as it uses an index.html file; it will help update the code section once the page is loaded.
Cons:
- Angular.js is built on MVC; the developer can not use Angular unless he knows MVC concepts.
- The learning curve is steep for Angular as it contains a lot of details on how to use the framework properly.
- Angular provides many ways to do onething which might lead to confusion.
2. React
React is very popular within a brief period. React was developed in 2011 by Facebook. It is the most popular library of JavaScript and one of the best JavaScript frameworks as well. It helps to create dynamic User Interfaces with high traffic on web pages. It is best suited for making reusable UI components.
Features:
- Dynamic UI: React helps to develop dynamic websites and applications quickly. It has declarative views, which makes the code more readable and easy to debug.
- Virtual DOM: For every DOM object, there is one virtual DOM object. It makes things faster as the state of some objects changes; in real DOM, only that objects get changed by virtual DOM.
- React Native: React Native is used as a custom renderer for React. Native components are used as building blocks.
- JavaScript Syntax Extension: Using JSX, code becomes easy to understand as the syntax of JSX closely resembles HTML.
- One-Way Data: In React, everything is modular and component-based because the flow of data is unidirectional.
Pros:
- Virtual DOM transforms all the elements and their attributes as a node tree exactly like real DOM.
- Developers can reuse the code components so that they would not have to be built multiple times.
- The big community on React proposes new features constantly and also fixes the bugs.
Cons:
- It is challenging for a beginner to grab all the React features as new features are introduced daily.
- According to developers, the documentation of React.js is poor, and it could be done better.
3. Vue.js
This JavaScript framework was developed in the year 2016. The worth of Vue.js lies in the dual integration mode that is used for creating Single Page Application. It is best used for building front-end development of UI and cross-platform development.
Features:
- Template: The HTML-based templates are used to be compiled into virtual DOM for render functions.
- Virtual DOM: In Vue.js, virtual DOM works for every change done for the DOM in the form of JavaScript data structures. This method is efficient to see the changes in the real DOM.
- Complexity: Vue.js is a simple framework, and simple applications can be built-in just one day.
Pros:
- The HTML templates are used, and data travel two ways. That’s why HTML blocks to communicates fast.
- The framework provides flexibility for integration with other applications and frameworks.
- Vue.js is fast and with the help of server-side rendering, the page works faster on the client-side application.
- Vue.js is reactive just because of data binding and virtual DOM features.
Cons:
- The community is not much big for Vue.js and relatively small.
- Vue.js is much flexible, and it might be the reason for complications in the project when projects are complex.
4. Ember.js
Ember.js has a quite wide application area, and this is the reason for its popularity. Ember was developed in 2015. It provides two-way data binding, and better handling of complex UIs.Ember.js is better used for large web applications’ fast delivery.
Features:
- Model-view-view model: Scalable single-page applications can be developed based on the MVVM patterns.
- Convention: Ember generates large blocks of code. To achieve specific app behavior, the code can be configured using a naming scheme.
Pros:
- Ember comes with Ember-CLI supports many powerful tools.
- Ember has a big community for good support and solutions.
- In Ember, it is easy to inspect objects and debug them.
Cons:
- The fast updates in the framework make the learning curve steep. It is not easy for developers to learn Ember.
- Ember.js is not suitable for large and big projects; it better supports small and medium-sized projects.
- Ember does not support a lot of customization in the project.
5. Meteor
Meteor is an open-source isomorphic framework. It is not just a set of JavaScript Libraries but also a complete package that contains everything needed to build a good application. Meteors covers a good portion of software development. It is written using Node.js. It is best suited for cross-platform code, i.e., Android, iOS, Web.
Features:
- Latency: The response time is short in Meteor.js. The changes will be updated in the time response is returned from the server.
- Performance: This framework contains ready-made packages. These packages speed up the development process.
- Language: In Meteor, you will find the same APIs across server and client. It uses one language for all, i.e., JavaScript.
Pros:
- Meteor framework provides full-stack development for web applications.
- Only one language is used for all development, front-end, back-end, and database.
- The packages and libraries are up to date.
Cons:
- The only back-end option for Meteor is MongoDB, yet it contains data integrity issues.
- It provides complex integration with other frameworks.
- With a poor internet connection, there will be no synchronization between the front-end and the back-end.
6. Node.js
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform, and server-side JavaScript run-time environment. It contains properties of JAVA like threading, packaging, or loops. It is best for data-intensive, highly scalable, and real-time apps. Node.js is the best JavaScript framework of all time.
Features:
- Open Source: For Node.js applications, better features could be added with different models being an open-source framework.
- V8 JavaScript Engine: The Node.js library is fast for code execution as it is built on the V8 JavaScript engine of Google Chrome.
- Single-Threaded: The framework follows a single-threaded model along with event looping.
- Asynchronous APIs: The server makes the calls to APIs one after the other while using a notification mechanism to generate a response while moving to another. This process makes the framework work fast.
Pros:
- Node.js can easily integrate with other frameworks.
- For agile development, this is a good option as it is easy to learn.
- Node.js can produce highly scalable services with fast Performance.
- Node.js can provide full-stack development.
- It has a significant library source, doesn’t need to build from scratch.
Cons:
- Node.js can be a cause of delay because of its single-threaded nature. It can not handle heavy computations.
- APIs are unstable.
7. Polymer
Google has developed the Polymer. It is an open-source JavaScript library that creates reusable components for the web for easy development. It is one of the topmost JavaScript frameworks that has been introduced in recent times. It is best suited for highly customizable and scalable, thus complex web applications.
Features:
- Custom Elements: Polymer has user-defined naming schemes. One can name components in HTML with any name they like.
- Template Customization: Every element has its template in regards to styles and behavior.
Pros:
- Polymer is a very easy-to-use framework of JavaScript.
- Polymer JS supports data binding both ways.
- Cross-browser compatibility is a much-needed feature.
- In polymer, the front-end is developed by a feature-driven approach.
- It has a growing library, thus helps in the fast and easy development of custom mobile applications.
Cons:
- For complex action, polymer might be slow as it works on the browser.
- There is no server-side rendering.
- Polymer JS does not have good documentation.
8. Mithril
It is a client-side javaScript framework. Mithril is used for the development of Single Page Applications. It provides XHR utilities and routing out of the box. It is best suited for the development of web applications with a full-stack solution.
Features:
- Dependency: Mithril has no dependency on any other library as it is 7kb.
- View Layer Paradigm: The Mithril is a declarative framework, not the procedural where custom code is written at the view level.
- Hidden Performance: there are no hidden performance costs during the implementation of the MVC pattern because of on-demand tooling.
Pros:
- The learning curve is minimal because of the short, understandable documentation.
- It contains compatible templates.
- Mithril has no dependencies because of its short size.
Cons:
- The database that Mithril supports is MongoDB.
- Mithril can not use NoSQL database support.
9. Backbone.js
Backbone.js is a lightweight framework and easy-to-understand as well. It is one of the famous frameworks of JavaScript. It is suitable for Single Page Applications. It is used for structuring JavaScript code in an MVC model. It helps in achieving complex functionalities with less code.
Features:
- Backbone Objects: Events provide the capability to the backbone objects for binding and creation of custom events.
- Models, Views: Models contain the significant parts of the logic, and Views has a reason for presenting the model’s data.
- Collections: Collections are used to define multiple instances at one time.
- Routers: Routers help to connect the client-side to action and events in the application.
Pros:
- Backbone helps to explore JavaScript code techniques.
- It has an underscore utility library.
- Code is organized systematically and puts together afterward.
- Backbone does not require storing data in DOM.
Cons:
- The learning curve is steep for Backbone.
- Backbone requires time for the developer to learn how to code in Backbone.
10. Aurelia
Aurelia is one of the JavaScript frameworks that can implement any interface. It is a client-side framework. Aurelia is used to making asynchronous and more robust web applications. It mainly works on business logic.
Features:
- Integration: The framework can integrate with other tools easily.
- Building blocks: Aurelia has building blocks as components, and these components are made up of JavaScript and HTML views.
- Web Standards: There are no unnecessary abstractions and only the web standards.
- License: Aurelia is licensed under MIT and is an open-source framework.
Pros:
- Aurelia is one of the cleanest frameworks.
- It is not much time-consuming and easy for developers to use.
- It provides easy integration with other tools.
- Aurelia sticks to web standards and follows them.
Cons:
- The Aurelia community is not much significant.
- Aurelia doesn’t provide reasonable documentation for the framework.
11. Svelte
Svelte is more of a tool rather than a framework. It is considered to be a radical approach in building UIs. Svelte transfers the work in the browser in the compilation stage.
Features:
- Fast bundles: The framework is quite reasonable as it contains small bundles, but they are fast.
- Core Features: Svelte provides a syntax for outputting the data for reacting to events.
- Compiler: Svelte uses a certain kind of syntax as well as components like styles and markups.
Pros:
- Svelte produces a very optimized code.
- Coding in Svelte is less time-consuming, and there are no client-side dependencies.
- Svelte can be used with other projects as well.
Cons:
- Svelte does not allow to build off a client-side, single-page app.
- It has a quite small community to learn with.
12. Redux
In the domain of React and React Native, Redux is a quite popular library in JavaScript. It is suitable for developing applications that are consistent and can be tested quickly.
Features:
- State Change: State can be changed by sending out an action.
- One JavaScript Object: In redux, multiple properties are applied on only one big JavaScript object.
Pros:
- Redux is easy to learn, just like writing HTML.
- It helps to avoid complicated errors and bugs.
- DOM elements are not bound to functionality on Redux.
Cons:
- The developer community is not strong enough for proper growth.
13. Next.js
Zeit has developed Next.js framework is created by Zeit. It allows creating server-side rendering by using React.
Features:
- Server Rendering: In Next.js, React components are rendered on the server-side before sending the HTML to the client-side.t.
- Compatibility: This framework is compatible with JavaScript, Node, and React environments.
- Routing: There is an automatic routing in Next.js for the URL mapped. No configuration is required.
Pros:
- The most significant advantage is the easiness of using Next.js.
- It offers file system-based routing and friendliness to SEO.
Cons:
- Conversion of one server-side app to Next.js is quite a difficult task.
- This framework is not supporting back-end development.
Conclusion:
JavaScript frameworks are there to simplify the development process. In the article, we have covered the 13 best JavaScript frameworks with their brief details. We can not decide on one best framework as the features of web development change with time very quickly. Moreover, the decision of one best JavaScript framework depends upon a developer’s preferences and project requirements.
