Frontend frameworks facilitate the job of web developers, front end engineers, javascript developers, and full-stack developers. These software packages provide pre-written/reusable code modules, standardized frontend technologies, and ready-made interface blocks, making it faster and easier for developers to craft sustainable web applications and UIs without coding every function or object from scratch.
Frontend frameworks include certain development instruments, such as a grid making it simple to place and position the UI design components, pre-defined font settings, and website standard building blocks (i.e., side panels, buttons, navigation bars, etc.)
React, Angular, and Vue are the most popular among developers, which also makes them the top three frontend frameworks of 2021.
1. React
React is a frontend open-source JavaScript library used to create interactive UIs (User Interfaces), which helps improve the speed of applications. It is one of the most straightforward frameworks to learn and was developed by Facebook to resolve the code maintainability issues due to constant addition and improvements. Facebook and other individual front-end engineers still maintain it.
Developed by: Facebook Engineers
Numbers / Metrics / Statistics :
- 13% of top 10k websites use React.
- 3 million active users as of January 2021
- 80% of developers had positive experiences (sources :
- 34k Github stars (Source: github.com)
Pros:
- Easy to learn, use and implement.
- Built Components can be reused in other parts of the application.
- Its virtual DOM (document object model ) allows exceptional functionality and provides consistent, seamless performance. It ensures fast rendering for high-load applications.
- It improves productivity and maintenance as changes can be easily made.
- It has an advanced browser extension named React developer tools, which allows the developer to make detailed observations about their components to improve and enhance them.
Cons:
- JSX concepts can be a bit difficult for developers).
- Constant and multiple updates make the proper documentation bit difficult.
- ReactJS only provides frontend solutions.
Top Companies / Websites using react :
- AirBnB
- Ubereats
- Netflix
- Codeacademy
- Zendesk
- Skyscanner
2. Angular
Angular is a modern TypeScript-based, open-source framework and one of the top-rated software development tools. Angular features Directives allow developers to program special behaviors of the DOM, making it possible to create rich and dynamic HTML content. Angular has a Hierarchical dependency injection function, which makes code components highly testable, reusable, and easier to control: it helps to define code dependencies as external elements decoupling components from their dependencies.
Developed by: Google in 2010
Numbers / Metrics / Statistics:
- More than 600K websites were developed with Angular.
- 75k Github stars (Source: github.com)
Pros:
- In-built functionality to update the changes made in the model to the view and vice-versa
- Reduces the amount of code as two-way data binding are provided by default
- Decouples the components from the dependencies by defining them external elements
- Components are reusable using the dependency injection
Cons:
- Difficult for beginners and overwhelming for smaller teams
- Limited SEO capabilities
- Bloated code and large in size
- Dynamic applications can lag sometimes and may not perform up to the mark.
Top Companies / Websites using react :
- Microsoft Office
- BMW
- Forbes
- Gmail
- Upwork
3. Vuejs
Vue is one of the beginner-friendliest frameworks, coming with well-elaborated documentation and a supportive community. Vue has an extensive choice of tools, such as end-to-end testing tools, plugin installation systems, browser debugging tools, server renderer, state manager, and others.
Vue features virtual DOM, component-based architecture, and two-way binding, which underlies its high-speed performance: all that makes it easier to update related components and track data changes
Developed by: Evan You, 2014
Numbers / Metrics / Statistics :
- More than 700k websites have been built with Vuejs.
- 186k Github stars
- 20.28% of top 10k website use vuejs .
- 1,606,204 live websites use vuejs.
- An additional 893,787 sites used Vuejs in past. (Source: builtwith.com)
Pros:
- Extensive and detailed documentation
- Simple syntax --- programmers with a javascript background can easily get started with Vuejs
- Flexibility to design the app structure
- Typescript support
Cons:
- Lack of stability in components
- Relatively small community
- Language barrier with plugins and components
Top Companies / Websites :
4. JQuery
jQuery is one of the earliest frontend frameworks. jQuery offers simplicity and ease to use, and minimizes the need to write extensive JavaScript codes. jQuery is used to manipulate CSS and DOM and to optimize the functionality and interactivity of a website. It enables developers to build native mobile applications with its HTML5-based UI system--jQuery Mobile. jQuery is browser-friendly and supports any browser you intend to use.
Developed by: John Resig in 2006
Numbers / Metrics / Statistics:
- 55k Github stars (Source: github.com)
- 3.18% of top 10k websites use Jquery.
- 222,200 live websites use jQuery
- An additional 437,243 sites used jQuery in the past. (Source: builtwith.com)
Pros:
- DOM is flexible for adding or removing the elements
- Sending HTTP requests is simplified
- Facilitates dynamic content
- One of the best UI frameworks gives it good compatibility with cross-platforms
Cons:
- Many advanced alternatives are available other than jQuery
- The APIs of the document object model are obsolete.
- It's highly vulnerable to alterations
- It can lead to massive errors in the future if not used with a proper JS foundation.
- jQuery is slower as compared to CSS.
Top Companies / Websites:
5. Emberjs
Emberjs is component-based and offers two-way data binding similar to Angular. It is designed to handle the increasing demands of modern-day technologies seamlessly. It is used to develop complex mobile and web applications with Emberjs and expects its efficient architecture to handle concerns.
Developed by: Yehuda Katz in 2016
Numbers / Metrics / Statistics :
- 21k Github stars (Source: github.com)
- 34,015 live websites use Ember
- Additional 94,463 sites that used Ember historically
- 1.34% of top 10k websites use Emberjs. (Source: builtwith.com)
Pros:
- It is one of the fastest Frameworks available in the market.
- It provides two-way data binding.
- A well-developed and fully packed Package ecosystem for all your needs.
- It is backward compatible, so the older versions of applications will still work flawlessly despite new updates.
Cons:
- A small community, less popular
- Complex syntax and slow updates
- Hard learning curve
- Heavy framework for small applications
Top Companies / Websites:
Originally posted at raftlabs.co
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