REACT JS, ANGULAR JS, VUE JS – THE 4W’S OF JAVASCRIPT

Picking out the right framework for web development holds the utmost importance. But before making any decision, it is necessary to know the options. The best ones include React JS, Angular JS, and Vue JS, and if you had to pick one, which one would it be? If that question is lingering in your mind, you are in for a treat with the following article. It explains the different suitable circumstances and audiences for the varying frameworks to help you make an informed decision. 

Frameworks aid faster web development without reinventing the wheel. The onus of choosing the correct JS framework lies on the developer, as it determines the final functionality and efficiency of the product. Such a question leads to a famous confusion- the choice between React JS, Angular JS, and Vue JS. 

But before making any choice, it is always better to clear the basics and understand the individual frameworks.

Brief

Before we get to the technicalities, let us quickly brush up on the foundation and learn the history of the three frameworks. 

React JS 

Jordan Walke, a software engineer at Facebook, created React JS typescript and called it “FaxJs.” While initially deployed on Facebook’s NewsFeed, it was later used for Instagram and has been open-sourced since 2013. 

React programming leverages a declarative paradigm that makes the development process flexible and efficient. Moreover, ReactJS efficiently updates and renders the right components during data changes. 

Websites Built with React JS examples: 

• Facebook
• Netflix
• Salesforce
• Asana 

Angular JS

AngularJS framework was a side project of Miško Hevery, a Google employee who wanted to make web development less complex for his internal projects. 

AngularJS is used to build dynamic single-page applications. Being a client-side framework, it supports multiple platforms, and all the functions and commands utilize HTML script code templates. 

Websites built with AngularJS examples: 

• IBM
• Upwork
• PayPal
• Forbes 

Vue JS

Evan developed Vue JavaScript in the process of making single-page applications. It uses adaptable architecture to focus on declarative rendering. 

This JavaScript framework streamlines web development that demands interactive and functional user interfaces. One fun fact that often intrigues individuals about Vue JS is the unique version names

 inspired by manga and anime, preferably from the science fiction genre. 

Websites built with Vue JS examples: 

• Behance
• Nintendo 
• Wizzair
• 9gag 

When should I use React JS, and when shouldn’t I? 

When to use React JS? 

• You require broader community support. 

A few roadblocks are a given regarding web building and development. But a reliable backing smoothens the process, and React JS offers the same. 

It has a massive community on GitHub Repository, with over 164k stars and 11M users. Moreover, Reactiflux is a community of more than 170000 React developers. Such a massive community makes it easier for developers to solve their queries.

• You need ease of testing. 

React JS requires little to no configuration for testing purposes. Moreover, its components can be tested using the node command line, which accelerates the testing time by a considerable amount. 

It is also easy to maintain as the React JS typescript testing can be written with the help of tools like Enzyme and Jest. 

• You need a mature user base. 

As established companies like Netflix and Facebook are using React UI library, you know that it is reliable and stable. The regular updates and releases are guaranteed, making React JS a trustworthy choice. 

When to not use React JS

On the other hand, React JS typescript might not prove to be a good choice in the following scenarios: 

• You have a limited time frame. 

React JS rendering function is time-consuming due to the presence of new and virtual DOMs. It is because the React frameworks are unaware of the data sources, leading to guesswork. Since the two versions are mutually independent, the rendering process can become slow. 

• You require powerful markup language. 

React JS can be wordy and lengthy since it is HTML mixed with JavaScript. While it is easier to learn, using stronger languages might demand more code and development time. 

• You need lighter applications. 

React JS comes with a lot of code, as the virtual DOM implementation needs a decent amount of code for performance optimization. Hence,  React JS shouldn’t be your choice for building lighter applications. 

When should I use AngularJS, and when shouldn’t I? 

When to use AngularJS 

• You need code documentation

AngularJS framework is said to have a clean coding system. Not only does it allow you to see the code, but it also shows the code written in the past that expedites the development process. 

• You need faster web development

Platforms like jQuery make it even easier to write codes in the Angular JS library. In a way, its model-view-controller fastens the web development process. 

• You need flexibility

Angular JavaScript offers front-end flexibility for faster web development. Along with that, it also offers proper separation of front-end and backend for the developer’s clarity. 

When to not use AngularJS

• You need SEO 

As the Angular JS framework does not store data on the source, it makes it challenging for bots to fetch the data defeating the idea and purpose of SEO. 

• You have a tight budget

Since AngularJS differentiates between front-end and back-end, you, as the website owner, will need to shell out more money. This may turn out to be costlier as compared to other frameworks since you will have to hire two different types of developers. 

• You have a short-term project

Angular JS UI is unsuitable if you have a short-term project deployable in a few weeks. A strong tool framework like Angular JS is not ideal in such circumstances. 

When should I use Vue JS, and when shouldn’t I?

When to use Vue JS

• You need more developers 

Since Vue JS does not have a steep learning curve, you might find it easier to get more Vue JS developers than other frameworks. 

• You need fewer restrictions

The combination of the modular approach with the “View” part makes it easier for programmers to solve problems. Moreover, fewer restrictions give the developers more freedom to develop the applications. 

• You need impeccable support

Despite being comparatively newer, Vue JS has a great community on GitHub. Along with that, the regular release cycles of updates come into use to stay ahead of the competition. 

When to not use Vue JS

• You have a larger project

Vue framework has been around for fewer years as compared to other JavaScript frameworks. This can raise questions about its overall functionality and efficiency. 

• You do not know Chinese

Since Vue JS is more popular with Chinese websites like Alibaba and Xiaomi, most of the forum discussions and instructions are only available in Chinese. 

• You require experienced developers

Circling back to the fact that Vue JS is comparatively young, it can be challenging to find experienced developers. 

React JS, Angular JS, & Vue JS – then and now 

All three frameworks- React JS, Angular JS, and Vue JS have come a long way since their inception. With regular updates and varying versions, all three have made it far easier for developers to indulge in web development in their way. 

For example, when React JS framework got open-sourced in 2013, many “early adopters” considered it to be a great step, only backward. But presently, it is being used by 3.6% of all the websites in the world (Javascript library). 

When it comes to the Angular JS framework is being used by more than 4 million websites in the world. Lastly, 0.7% of the websites are known to use the Vue JS framework. While that number is not as high as the other frameworks, it’s set to hold significant importance in the future. 

React JS is best for? AngularJS is best for? Vue JS is best for?

Before we get to the concluding answer, it is crucial to understand the most suitable applications for the varying frameworks. 

React JS framework is suitable for you if you require: 

• Single-page applications
• Mobile or hybrid applications 

AngularJS framework is suitable for you if you require: 

• Qualitative and dynamic web applications 

Vue JS framework is suitable for you if you require: 

• Single-page applications 
• Web interfaces

How to know which framework is best for web development?

As far as React JS vs. Angular JS vs. Vue JS is concerned, it is safe to say that all three frameworks have their sets of advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, it undoubtedly comes down to subjective requirements and projects. 

However, the following pointers will make it easier to choose the ideal framework for development: 

1. The complexity of the project 

Instead of making last-minute changes to the project, it is advised to choose a framework that can handle the complexities. 

For example, AngularJS is the best framework for complex projects. You can take the call as per your project requirements.

2. Timeframe of the project 

If your project has strict deadlines, go with a faster JS framework. For example, Angular JS and Vue JS provide speed as far as web development is concerned.

3. Community support 

Even the most experienced developer will have certain queries and roadblocks, so it is crucial to have a framework that offers reliable support. 

React JS remains unbeatable when it comes to that aspect. 

4. Maturity of the framework 

Frameworks that have been around for years will have more experienced developers making it easier to find a suitable developer that fits your requirements. 
In terms of experience, Angular JS and React JS are suitable alternatives.

Takeaway 

Choosing an exemplary framework is a prerequisite when it comes to web development. The right choice will help the developers fasten the process, while the wrong one will make the process extremely time-consuming. 

If you have a project in mind and are looking for the correct JS framework, why don’t you let the professionals at Creole Studios handle the stress? Not only will our experienced developers find the ideal framework for your application, but they will also give you the final product in no time while maintaining quality standards.

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Source: Creolestudios.com

WHY REACT JS IS BETTER THAN ANGULAR OR VUE JS?

 It’s common knowledge that web pages are primarily built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript programming languages (the three fundamental building blocks of the web). Specifically, HTML creates elements on web pages, such as menus, texts, and boxes. While CSS is utilised to style, design, and place those elements on web pages. And lastly, JavaScript, which facilitates the interaction with, and manipulation of these elements. The theme of our discussion will revolve around JavaScript; in particular React.Js and its superiority over Angular and Vue.Js.

In summary, React JS is better than Angular or Vue JS because of its superior Virtual DOM capabilities, its robust community support, rich documentation, its light-weight attributes, manageable learning curve, and its flexibility to allow mobile functionality with React Native’s.

JavaScript: The Glue Language

To set a precedence for our case justifying React’s dominance, we’ll recap some basics. JavaScript has often been identified as a glue language, used for assembly of other components. Out of the three web building blocks, HTML and CSS are less complex (though mainly used for static design purposes). However, for developers who create dynamic web content, JavaScript is a priority, which indicates why it’s much larger and more complicated than its contemporaries. Essentially, becoming the de facto standard employed on most web pages.

Consequently, over the last decade, multiple front-end frameworks have been engineered on top of JavaScript to ease the development and maintenance of websites. Resultantly, as of 2020, the most popular of these front-end JavaScript frameworks were React and Vue, then Angular.  

Since we have briefly established that JavaScript and JavaScript-based frameworks and libraries are critical tools for web development. So, to set the context for our blog, let’s backtrack briefly and outline the history and development of JavaScript.

The History of Web Technologies & Browsers

The first web browser was developed and released in December 1990 with Tim Berners-Lee serving as the lead developer. He simultaneously developed and released the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), the application protocol for the World Wide Web for indexing and navigation of web sites.

Later, the inaugural graphical web browser, Mosaic, was released in 1993. Similarly, in the same year, HTML was developed. This was a few years before JavaScript was created, while CSS was released in 1996, one year after JavaScript. These three languages later famously formed a technology stack dubbed “the triad of technologies that Web developers must learn”.

The Development of JavaScript

One of the famous follow-ups to the Mosaic browser was the Netscape Navigator browser, released in 1994. In 1995, the developers of the then-popular Netscape, hired Brendan Elch, a programmer, to create a new dynamic scripting language for web pages and client-side manipulation of data.

In response to the market, Netscape saw the need to create dynamic websites instead of being limited to HTML. Unfortunately, most early websites employed only HTML, and thus were computationally inefficient.  So, Netscape was compelled to devise a simple web scripting language targeted for DOM (document object model) manipulation. The project was consequently inspired by the functionality and syntax of Java – though they’re fundamentally different despite a minor syntactic resemblance.

Officially released in March 1996, JavaScript eventually enabled new functionality on web pages that HTML alone could not. For example, responding to user input, showing pop-up windows and changing colors of elements. Netscape was later acquired by America Online (AOL) who also owned Mozilla, which contributed to JavaScript’s exponential growth as an internet standard.

The Emergence of XML, AJAX, and the Single Page Applications

Later in the early 2000s, web users were frustrated with slow server responses and long data transmission times. These were further aggravated by the low-speed Internet connections that marked the era. The led to the development of the AJAX technology stack (Asynchronous XML and JavaScript)

In this regard, XML is a markup language similar to HTML, though used for data representation instead of content display. XML became relevant within JavaScript with the creation of the AJAX stack.

Often described as a collection of several technologies, bundled together as a whole, AJAX comprises of XHTML, CSS, DOM, XML, XLST, XML HttpRequest, and JavaScript. And within AJAX, JavaScript binds all the other tools together. Consequently, AJAX provided a way to update parts of an HTML page without downloading its entire content.

Single Page Applications

Generally, all of the JavaScript frameworks adopt single page application principles. In practice, a Single Page Application (SPA) is an application comprised of individual components, that are loaded into memory upon a first-page visit, and can then be replaced or updated independently, so the entire webpage doesn’t have to be reloaded on every user action.

Furthermore, with SPAs, components can be reused, and thus the amount of code needed is dramatically reduced. The first single-page application was implemented in 2002, with JavaScript intended as one of the target languages for implementation. The success of single-page applications was mainly thanks to the preceding AJAX technology and its precedence in server communication.

The JavaScript-HTML Relationship

HTML can work either as a complement to JavaScript, as with jQuery; or as integrated, HTML-like syntax that is compiled into HTML elements. An instance of this is the JSX syntax, recommended for use when developing with React. It is neither pure JavaScript nor HTML, but an amalgamation of them both. So, fundamentally, integrating the basic element creation and structural functionality of HTML with the dynamic capabilities of JavaScript.

CSS-HTML Relationship              

CSS is commonly used in combination with JavaScript. A traditional example format, is to implement CSS properties in separate .css files. The other format is to integrate CSS into the JavaScript frameworks themselves, through specialized libraries such as CSS-in-JS and styled-components. Such libraries enable developers to write JavaScript code that styles visual elements with CSS-like syntax which is then usually compiled into pure CSS in the browser.

The Emergence of a Server-side Implementation of JavaScript

Eventually, 2009 came with the release of Node.js, a server-side implementation of JavaScript. Node.js extended the JavaScript domain to the back-end, enabling JavaScript to become a full-stack language.

Node.js is currently the most employed JavaScript runtime environment, used for executing JavaScript code outside of the web browser environment. Utilised for server-side functionality, the creators of Node.js aimed to develop a more efficient alternative to the then-popular Apache HTTP Server (often used with PHP). Node.js was created using Google’s V8 JavaScript engine, which itself was built using C++.

Front-end JavaScript Frameworks

Since we’ve set the foundation, we can now lay the bricks and delve into the reasons for our React.js inclination.

Frameworks Versus Libraries

A common argument is what qualifies as a library when talking about this JavaScript trio. Ironically, React is occasionally referred to as a library, and at other times as a framework. However, for clarity and consistency, it’s often useful to separate frameworks from libraries.

Particularly, a library is a passive collection of non-volatile resources where developers are given control over how to use the resources. They are typically very simple and only perform one certain task, thus can be classified as tools.

While frameworks are designed to be less passive and force developers to do things in a certain way by availing a skeleton for development purposes and enforcing a control flow. For example, a developer is provided with a defined way to develop and set up a whole web application. While a web application library does not, instead providing simpler sub-domain operations, like network requests or styling operations.

Though Vue and Angular are technically considered frameworks, there is still some disagreement regarding whether React is a framework or a library. While the original developers of React refer to it as a library, it’s still more commonly used as a framework.

Why React is the Dominant Alternative!

In hindsight, React was developed as a JavaScript port of XHP (a PHP library created by Facebook). Generally, XHP was a modification of PHP that allowed for custom component creation, and aimed to prevent malicious user attacks. Later out of this JavaScript porting project grew JSX (JavaScript XML), which became a common standard language for React.

All things considered, React has a narrower scope than its peers, only rendering the application user interface. However, it maintains the benefit of a lightweight structure, and hence is less costly to learn and use. That being said, it can still be considered a framework, as it is used for the same purpose as Vue and Angular.

Superior Virtual DOM Capabilities.

React was the first framework to optimize its functionality according to the DOM. This was a contributing factor to its success since DOM manipulation is quite costly in terms of computing resources used. Specifically, React was designed to perform as little DOM manipulation as possible by employing intuitive state management and the virtual DOM to control this manipulation.

This exploitation of the virtual DOM makes React update faster, at the expense of being more memory intensive. And in order to execute fast updates to the browser DOM, react maintains a copy of the virtual DOM tree in memory, which consumes additional memory. Consequently, React’s popularity gave birth to numerous spinoff libraries such as React Native for mobile development.

One-Way Data Flow

In React, the data is meant to flow downwards, and is referred to as one-way data flow. While Angular and Vue’s two-way data binding makes the code prettier and simpler, React compensates in superior manageability and performance. A notable advantage in our argument.

Why React Is Better Than Angular

Let’s do a case by case comparison for more context, shall we? Intended for larger application development, Angular is a more full-featured JavaScript framework, in terms of programming features and file size.

However, in comparison to React, Angular has negative bloatedness, complexity and heavy style of development traits. It is recommended for smaller development projects and cited as having a steep learning curve. To exacerbate things, AngularJS is no longer under active development.

Angular is built entirely in TypeScript and requires lots of code which makes it a bit complicated. On the contrary, React is quite “simple” and its original orientation is focused on controlling and manipulating the view. Essentially, it allows the developer to select exactly what they need, but also it avails the ability to use a large number of third-party packages. So, consequently, React doesn’t include a lot of overhead in comparison to Angular.

Why React is Better than Vue

Vue.js was created by Google employee Evan You. Evan was inspired by AngularJS, but wanted to create a more streamlined, improved version of it. Despite its lightweight attributes, great performance and nice programming style, Vue’s negative aspect is its clumsiness.This where React’s superiority shows off.

For instance, there is no clear best practice in Vue.js in contrast to React, which may make it difficult for major applications to be maintained. However, the best practices for React are found in the community. For example, creating a viable workflow is enabled through the official create-react-app package. Due to the above points, React suitably provides the ability to write and maintain a lot of complex code.

ES6 Syntax

Furthermore, developers can utilise ES6 syntax as well with Vue, however, React is more optimally-designed than Vue in this regard. While Vue currently offers TypeScript support, its support is not well polished like React using CRA (Create React App) with TS support in a single command. Additionally, with Vue, we still require some third-party packages with custom decorators and features to create a true, complete TypeScript application. And unfortunately, the official documentation does not provide all the information required to get started. Another React advantage!

As we cement our argument, let’s further breakdown the discussion using clearer certain benchmarks.

1. Framework Size

While the size of a framework’s minified package in the npm registry is unlikely to discourage or encourage any developer from selecting the framework, it can still help our argument. Angular is notably quite a bit larger than the rest (187.6 kB) while React is 6.4 kB and Vue falls somewhere in between, at 63.5 kB.

Generally, the package size comparison shows that Angular supports and contains a larger breadth of functionality, while React is designed for more streamlined development. React’s nature thus gives the developer fewer choices to improve efficiency, which is beneficial handy for smaller projects.

Furthermore, Angular’s complicated structure leads to a potential risk of poor performance in comparison to React or Vue, especially for memory allocation.

2. Development Experience, Learning Curve, And Availability

Generally speaking, TypeScript is not in itself much harder or easier to learn than JavaScript. However, it is not as widely used and contains fewer libraries and overall documentation than JavaScript. These factors, compounded with the differences in syntax and the time it takes to get used to coding in a slightly different variation of JavaScript, provide a slight advantage to React over Angular.

3. The Language-based Situation

Another key point is React and Vue use JavaScript ES6 as their based language. ES6 is the newest JavaScript industry standard from 2015. On the other hand, Angular 1 leverages the JavaScript ES5 which is the previous version while Angular 2 relies on TypeScript.

Though TypeScript enables developers to get rid of traditional JavaScript programming format, it, however, has limited user communities. This means that there is a potential risk that TypeScript might disappear if another new syntactical strict superset of JavaScript appears. On the contrary, JavaScript ES6 will not disappear soon because it is the current industry criterion when developing in JavaScript.

4. Documentation

In all honesty, the availability of documentation is satisfactory for all these frameworks. That said, it’s still noteworthy that the documentation of React is available in the largest number of languages (16). Vue falls behind, with documentation in 8 languages, while the Angular documentation is available in 4 languages. React documentation is coherent and has united theory in delivery for different developers.

Unfortunately, the framework situation of Angular may present some difficulties for a developer in that it is split between AngularJS and Angular 2. Furthermore, the term “Angular” can at times come off as ambiguous as to which framework it refers to in online contexts. Specially when browsing smaller sites and shorter answers.

5.      Community Support

For the most part, React arguably has the largest community support currently among all JavaScript frameworks. This exemplified by the breadth of its discussion forums and chat rooms. Also, users can follow the latest news and participate in the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. 

Svelte Framework (An Honorable Mention)

We thought it wise to mention a relatively new entry into the JavaScript sphere. Developed by Rich Harris and initially released in 2016, Svelte gained massive popularity throughout 2019. It introduced several enhancements in JavaScript such as changes in local state handling.

It’s also worth noting that Svelte has no virtual DOM and converts written code into JavaScript at build time, instead of run time. Essentially, it circumvents converting declarative elements to the real DOM.

Summary

Though Vue has slightly more Github stars, React is still superior with no discernible weaknesses, and better performance strengths. In essence, better performance means lower loading times and increased user satisfaction. Furthermore, for commercial websites, this results in revenue increases as a loading time reduction of a couple of milliseconds can increase user interaction and retention.

Ultimately, the future of the JavaScript framework landscape is difficult to predict. Though as evidence suggests, React is likely to remain the dominant framework for the foreseeable future. However, for developers looking to develop applications utilising a mature, well-supported framework with a great performance and plenty of documentation, React is the superior choice!