Most Popular JS Frameworks Overview

JavaScript is a multi-paradigm language. It supports event-driven, functional, and imperative, including object-oriented and prototype-based, programming styles. JavaScript was initially used only for client side. These days JavaScript is used as a server-side programming language as well. To summarize in just one simple sentence — JavaScript is the language of the web.

JavaScript's Rich and Functional World

The JavaScript world is a rich environment with dozens of tools, libraries, and frameworks. But, with lots of options comes a lot of confusion. It really is a double-edged sword.

While you get lots of space for creativity and experimentation, sometimes you are unsure about what library or framework to choose.

The front-end framework you choose can make or break your project in the long run.

In this article, we will look at some of the most popular JavaScript frameworks, and how they fare against each other. We’ll examine five different perspectives of these frameworks, which eases the process of deciding on your next JavaScript framework.

Whether you are choosing from one of these popular JavaScript frameworks, or something more esoteric, you should take each of these aspects into consideration. So, without ado, we will go ahead and take a look at the most popular JavaScript frameworks for 2020!

VUE

Vue.js is an open-source JavaScript environment designed to simplify and streamline user interface design. The framework, also the ideal blend of Angular and React, has proven itself to be the perfect choice for developing a lightweight, two-way data binding application to the angle structure and server rendering of the React JS framework. Vue.js was nominated as the most popular JavaScript interface on GitHub with 118 thousand stars last year.

Vue.js may seem like an ideal JavaScript structure for software development, but it also has its pros and cons.

Pros

1. A quick set of popularity: in just a few years since its inception, many enterprises have added Vue.js to their technical stack.
2. Quick Setup: Vue has built-in data binding and an MVC model (model, view, controller), which makes configuration much easier compared to Angular.js and React.js.
3. Easier integration: the platform supports easier integration with HTML elements.
4. Small learning curve: compared to the Angular JS Framework, Vue is much easier to learn, understand, and use.

Cons

1. Few resources: the structure is still too young to find useful solutions on the Internet and self-study.
2. Small community engagement: Vue.js is new to the market and has less community support than Angular and React technologies.

You can also read more about the framework Vue.js in our article here

REACT

Supported by Facebook, Instagram and other well-known organizations, React is one of the best JavaScript frameworks for the past five years. Also, React.js or React JS, more than 38% of developers worldwide use the front end infrastructure. Netflix, Flipboard, PayPal and the BBC are the first organizations to use React. Let's take a look at all the pros and cons of React.

Pros

1. Lots of documentation and online resources: thanks to Facebook support, there are many opportunities to use a ton of documentation and online resources for learning and using the Javascript framework for React.
2. Fast, flexible, efficient and lightweight technology: The JS system is widely recommended for its efficiency, small block size, flexibility and a quicker approach to work due to its simple component model and server-side rendering functionality.
3. A transition between versions: migration between versions is usually very simple, Facebook provides “codemods” to automate a huge part of the process. 4. Feels great when working with ES6 / 7 ReactJS, can take on any load.
4. The structure has a component architecture that revolutionized web application development and influenced other technologies.
5. DOM allows you to combine HTML, XHTML or XML documents follow certain criteria, most often into a tree, so React is excellent for web browsers when analyzing various elements of web applications.

Cons

1. Assembly tools are needed: this JavaScript infrastructure may not work correctly without adequate build tools or may display incompatibility with other libraries and codes due to high DOM.
2. Big learning curve: Unlike Vue, React takes more time to learn concepts and implement. React JS requires a massive amount of knowledge in how to integrate the user interface into the MVC structure.
3. Lack of streamlined documentation: the super-fast exchange of solutions in ReactJS leaves no room for streamlining the documentation, the documents are placed a bit chaotic, since many developers individually enter them into the database without any systematic approach.

ANGULAR

Angular.js is a full-featured front-end JavaScript environment supported by Google and other famous corporations. This structure is known for its potential capabilities like fast code generation, two-way data binding, and testing parts of an application. Although hundreds of companies and developers enjoy using the Angular front end Javascript framework, there are pros and cons of this technology.

Pros

1. Two-way data binding.
2. Mobile approach to web development.
3. Support PWA.
4. Stable and long-term support for Google.
5. Universal MVVM module, allows you to separately operate in one section of the application, using the same data set.
6. Interdependence of functions, because of their connectedness with components and modules.
7. RXJS, lightning fast compilation, less than 2.9 seconds, modified start HttpClient.

Cons

1. The problem with the drainage of the battery: applications created using the framework system Javascript, known for excessively discharging the battery of the device.
2. Poor optimization: Angular.js based applications require more optimization to solve low-performance problems.
3. Big learning curve: Angular shows a high learning scale, you need more time to master this structure.
4. Integration errors: may occur during the transition from the old version to the new one.
5. Difficult programming language: although Angular uses TypeScript 2.4.

EMBER

Ember.js has been used in the design of many complex websites, like Kickstarter, Heroku, and LinkedIn. Ember.js is ideal for developing complex web applications, and the string system of templates with which it is delivered contributes to a significant reduction in load time. The front end JavaScript Framework also focuses on scalability so that developers can quickly work with both mobile and web applications.

Pros

1. Ember Data Library: this is one of the best libraries for API level requests and data retrieval in the local app store.
2. Ember CLI: an idea stolen from Rails, but this feature makes Ember.js very convenient.
3. Many extensions (ember addons) that can be easily added to the application using a single terminal command (ember install). The centralized repository of all add-ons along with the search is also enjoyable.
4. Built-in testing tools: standard ember-cli comes with QUnit.

Cons

1. Ember Data: suitable for standard REST API requests only.
2. Many ember addons: ports existing in the jQuery library.
3. Relationship with jQuery: it would be much more convenient if Ember would use axios or a standard sample to create ajax requests.
4. A huge learning curve: first you need to learn Javascript, then Ember, this can take a lot of time, especially from scratch.
5. No server-side rendering.
6. No Redux. Enough said.

BACKBONE

Backbone is an MV* framework. Backbone partly implements an MVC architecture, as Backbone’s View part carries out the responsibilities of the Controller.

Backbone has a strong dependency on the jQuery and the Underscore library that gives us many helper functions for convenient cross-browser work with JavaScript. Unlike many other full-fledged JavaScript frameworks, Backbone attempts to reduce complexity to avoid performance issues. More specifically, you won't get performance problems because of two-way data binding or built-in loops like in AngularJS.

Pros

1. View: the view part of Backbone apps, Backbone views implement component logic, how model data is rendered to the browser, similar to a Controller in MVC, you can bind views and models so that the view will change whenever model data is altered. Backbone view can use third-party templating engines like Mustache and Underscore.js.
2. Collection: which are just arrays of similar models, if your app has different types of users, each user type will be represented by a separate model, and all user models can be iterated over in Backbone collections.
3. Events: a class that let's implement and use events, both custom, and built-in, and bind various events to Backbone models, collections, routes, and views.
4. Router: an interface that maps URLs to different components of an app, Backbone's router depends on the history object to work with browser history.
5. REST: a simple API that we can use to synchronize the front end and back end more specifically, to request persistent model data and collections from the server.

Cons

1. Backbone parts are not sufficient to develop an advanced client-side app: another way, Backbone is almost always used with additional JavaScript libraries.
2. Backbone’s view layer can’t render itself to the DOM: This is where Marionette and Thorax come into, they let make Backbone views to the DOM.
3. Work with Backbone: it’s almost inevitable that also need to learn Marionette, Chaplin, or Thorax.

Summary

Our team's favorite is Vue.js, one of those selected here. But the real answer depends entirely on the project. Do you need the most popular JavaScript framework? Probably no. How about the biggest and the biggest or the smallest and the lightest? These factors may or may not matter.

Each developer has his own opinion, but we all need to understand one thing that cannot find the best structure among the JavaScript frameworks. Choosing the most appropriate structure depends entirely on the needs of a project. Thus, it is to consider the pros and cons of all the above frameworks and decide which one to start a project with.