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Anjan Kant
Anjan Kant

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Which is better React JS or Angular

JavaScript is the most used technology in the web development world. When it comes to web development, choosing the right framework for a new JavaScript system is crucial. It can decide the ease of development, the features of the application, and sustainability, flexibility, and scalability of the system. Out of the various JavaScript frameworks, React JS and Angular JS are the most popular and widely used. Both of them are advanced JavaScript frameworks and it can be challenging for any web developer to decide which is better React JS or Angular? For that, one has to understand the difference between Angular & React JS. As far as the popularity goes, React is used by 53% of web developers while Angular draws 30% of them.
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Basic Differences Between Angular and React JS –

In case you do not know yet, AngularJS has been developed by Google while ReactJS is a product of Facebook. Before we can go for in-depth ReactJS vs Angular comparison and decide which is better, let us look at the basic differences.

Architecture

AngularJS is a full-fledged MVC framework based JavaScript framework. ReactJS is based on JavaScript library and its view is more like MVC while it needs Flux for implementation.

Working

Angular JS provides the window to bring JavaScript to HTML while React JS does the reverse. While React works with virtual Dom and does server-side rendering, Angular works with real DOM and does client-side rendering.

Dependencies ##

AngularJS has two-way data binding option and it automatically manages all dependencies. On the other hand, ReactJS needs additional tools to manage dependencies which is a big drawback.

Application

Most of the Single Page Applications(SPAs) the update single view at a time are best suited for Angular. If the SPAs update multiple views at a time, ReactJS will be perfect for them. While choosing the right framework for a new JavaScript system, keep in mind that React has no Model or Controller like Angular.

ReactJS vs Angular Comparison - Which is Better?

Performance

Due to the presence of two-way data binding, Angular is slightly laggy in comparison to React JS. It can get slower if there are several views available that are dependent on one another. That is why React JS is preferred for SPAs with multiple views at a time. Another reason for the slow performance of Angular is that it works with real Dom and when this real DOM gets updated, the browser has to make many modifications of the internal values which is not the case with virtual DOM that React JS works with. If you are looking for high performance, React JS is a clear winner.

Structure

A well-defined and structured framework is always preferable for easy development. Angular has the perfect MVC structure that most of the professional developers love to work with. Technically speaking, React JS is not exactly a framework as there is no definite structure as such. It is more of a vast JavaScript library with which you can update the Views for the users. You cannot really create an independent application with it as it lacks the Model and Controller parts.


But React JS offers more freedom to a developer as there is no certain way to write code. You can follow JSX to create components or you can write plain and simple JavaScript and HTML. Beginners can learn React JS easily due to no usual syntax to learn. But a developer has to spend extra time to structure the application as no pre-defined structure is present. Therefore, if you are experienced and working on a complex project, you should choose Angular. If you want freedom from usual syntax and structure frameworks, React JS is for you.

Advantages and Disadvantages –

The first advantage of Angular is that it has a vast community support where you can get solutions to your problems quicker. The availability of full-fledged architecture makes it easy to develop complex web application conveniently.
The first advantage of ReactJS is that it gives more freedom as you do not have to learn complex syntaxes and you can make your own structure. The rendering is prompt due to the use of virtual DOM and one-way data binding. It can handle large database effortlessly and it is more JavaScript centric which makes it robust and focused.


Among the disadvantages, Angular is difficult to learn due to complex syntaxes and other complexities. The developers have to focus on the security aspect minutely as it is a client-side rendering technology. As far as the disadvantages of ReactJS go, it lacks a proper framework and one has to learn Flux for the implementation of ReactJS based view.
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Oldest comments (1)

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Stephen Belovarich • Edited

Where did you get your info about Angular?

Angular:

  • is not strictly MVC
  • is one-way data bound by default
  • is not difficult to learn, mileage varies
  • isn’t riddled with security holes, protects against XSRF and XSS
  • can be server-side rendered
  • is not slow compared to React, implementation matters here

React:
Doesn’t have the same syntax as DOM so there is a learning curve no matter what with JSX

If you are comparing React and Angular 1.x it’s 2020 and Angular has been around for awhile. Why are your comparing React against a legacy library at this point and not it’s contemporary? Where’s the performance metrics to back up your assertion Angular is slower? How did you come up with the notion Angular is harder to learn? The CLI simplifies common tasks and there are standard patterns the community has agreed upon.