When you start out the web development project, choosing the best JavaScript framework or library might be one of the toughest tasks. To make the right decision, you should consider a number of factors such as relevancy, ease of integration, availability of documentation, and support of the community. Besides, it’s important not only follow the current trends but also to keep your project requirements in mind. Although all front-end javascript frameworks and libraries may seem similar at first sight, each of them has some specifics that can significantly influence the final product.

In this article, we’ll outline the most popular JavaScript frameworks and libraries that have proven to be reliable options for web solutions of different complexity.

React

React (or React.js) holds leading positions among top JavaScript frameworks and libraries. It was created in 2013 by Facebook and quickly gained popularity in the world of modern web development. According to the 2018 Java Rising Stars report, React was ranked first in terms of downloads, outpacing other JS frontend frameworks and libraries.

Many programmers choose React for building web solutions because it’s simple, flexible, and efficient. In particular, this library allows developers to create a web product using reusable UI components. It not only accelerates the development process but also makes web applications easy to maintain and update. In addition, a component-centric approach helps to create a consistent look and feel across the whole web application, even if it’s quite large.

Another React’s “killer feature” is a virtual DOM (Document Object Model). It distinguishes a difference between the previous and current HTML to update only what was changed, not the entire tree structure of HTML tags. Great developer tools, active community, and Facebook parentage may also be valid reasons to choose React for the web development project.

By the way, the library has an enviable list of Silicon Valley users. Besides Facebook, it is used by PayPal, Netflix, IMDb, and Airbnb. So if market leaders’ experience is important to you, opting for React will be a wise decision.

Angular

Angular is a popular JavaScript web framework and the closest React’s competitor. It was released in 2016 by Google but it has a famous predecessor, Angular.js, that has been around since 2010. The main difference between React and Angular is that the former one is a library while the latter one is a framework. It means that Angular offers a “skeleton” for a web application and is less flexible. However, it has many advantages, too.

For instance, Angular uses two-way data binding. Due to it, changing view triggers changes in a model state and vice versa. It’s much easier to work with than one-way binding applied by React. In addition, Angular is based on Type-Script, a superset of JS, that is more lightweight and compact. Type-Script also allows for easy detection of typos so it takes less time to test and debug software.

If compared to React, the biggest Angular drawback is that it operates on real DOM. Since the entire HTML doc is rewritten when some changes are made, the performance of large web applications with high image saturation may be compromised. At the same time, Angular uses fewer dependencies than React which makes it a perfect JS framework for enterprise development.

Vue

Vue (or Vue.js) is another JavaScript library that was created in 2014. According to the report by JetBrains, it’s the third most used JS solution after React and Angular — two leaders among JavaScript front-end frameworks. Actually, the idea behind Vue was to take all best features from these top JS frameworks and blend them into one library. No wonder it has a lot in common with each of its famous competitors.

In particular, Vue utilizes a virtual DOM and component-based approach that allows for building high-performing web applications. It also has well-structured documentation that makes it easy to understand, learn, and implement. Another benefit is that some functionality that requires additional libraries in other JavaScript web frameworks (e.g. props check in React) is already bundled in Vue. Along with HTML-based templating syntax, it simplifies writing components and accelerates the development process.

But Vue also has a few disadvantages. It doesn’t have all “fancy” features of React and Angular. Its community is much smaller and there is still a significant shortage of talent. Vue isn’t always a great choice for large or rapidly growing projects since it’s not stable enough (i.e. no financial support from tech giants like Facebook or Google). Besides, the over-flexibility of this library may create room for battles of different programming approaches within a development team.

Ember

Ember (or Ember.js) is less popular than three JavaScript frameworks for the front end which we’ve mentioned before, but it definitely deserves our attention. It was released in 2011 and is supported by the community — just like Vue. Since Ember is more opinionated than other top JavaScript frameworks, it’s easier to build with. As a result, the development speed and productivity are very high. This makes Ember a great choice for teams that need to get a web app into production very fast.

Another benefit of this framework that helps to reduce time to market is the Ember Inspector. It allows programmers to quickly inspect Ember objects, streamlining both the development and debugging processes.

On the flip side, Ember offers rather limited flexibility. That’s why it isn’t a good fit for projects requiring a unique structure that differs from the one offered by the framework. It is also a bit slow in rendering so you need to understand this before making a decision. Neither Ember has ever had a wide network of developers — this may become a problem for long-term and growth-oriented projects.

Which JavaScript framework should I choose?

Every web development project is unique, so there is no single JavaScript front-end framework that equally suits all of them. Your choice should not be a shot in the dark — it must be based on many factors, for example:

  • size of the project
  • type of the envisioned web app
  • other specifics of a product
  • budget constraints
  • deadlines

In particular, if you need to develop an enterprise web solution, then Angular will probably be the best option. React is more flexible so you should pick it if you’re ready to make a lot of architectural decisions yourself. Out of all top JS frameworks, Vue is the easiest to learn. That’s why it will suit those people who are looking for a simple and lightweight solution. Ember is great for web products that must be developed quickly but this speed comes at the cost of the framework rigidity.

The bottom line

The goal of this brief JavaScript frameworks comparison was to provide you with general guidelines for choosing the right option for your web development project. But remember that no framework or library can make your product successful if it’s utilized wrongly. So selecting a professional team that can become your reliable technological partner is as important as choosing the right tech stack.