JavaScript is one of the leading programming languages in web development as well as in the application development globally. JavaScript is a client-side scripting language for creating dynamic and responsive web designs of websites. The main reasons for the top popularity of JavaScript language include huge JS libraries, availability of multiple frameworks, AJAX support, easy to use and many others. There is a huge demand for Vue JS and dedicated React.js developers. In this article, we will discuss the importance of JavaScript language, popular JS frameworks, the comparison between Vue vs React JS frameworks, the main features of other web development tools and technologies.
We will also discuss the most popular JS frameworks for front-end developers in the modern field of web development. You will be able to get a deeper perspective on technical aspects, comparative analysis, and the main features of Vue vs React frameworks, which will help you better positioning on your decision to choose the right JavaScript platform for your upcoming responsive and dynamic web development projects.
Role of JavaScript Frameworks in Web Development
The role of JavaScript frameworks is governed by the main features and capabilities that the JS frameworks offer to the web development industry. According to the latest statistics, the total share of the JavaScript language in the client-side programming is about 94.0%, followed by the distant second Adobe Flash with a little over 4.2%. This statistic clearly indicates that the front-end, especially the client-side programming is overwhelmingly influenced by the JavaScript language.
Reasons for Javascript Popularity
The main reason for this huge JavaScript market share is that it is powered by numerous top JavaScript frameworks and libraries. Those libraries and frameworks help the developers in accomplishing the front-end development very fast, efficiently, and professionally. If you look at the global job market, there is a consistent increase in the demand for the web development jobs with specialization in different JS platforms like React, Angular, and Vue JS frameworks.
Another important reason for the JavaScript frameworks popularity is the dynamic and responsive web designs that are the fundamental trends in the modern web development industry. Responsive and dynamic web design creates a great user experience, high search engine indexation, great loading speed, and high performance of the website.
The learning curve of many JavaScript frameworks is comparatively short. A lot of affordable online courses and other content like Vue.js tutorials and documentation are available in the marketplace. Almost all major JavaScript frameworks are open source projects, powered by a huge community to support the projects. That’s why they are very popular in the web developers across the globe.
Which Framework to Choose between Vue vs React?
In the web development industry, two questions are very important for both the web developer and the website owner. How to build a website with dynamic and responsive features? Which JavaScript framework to choose for client-side programming?
Based on the capabilities, features, and popularity of the JavaScript language, it is very easy to answer the first question, but the second question is a bit tricky. There are numerous great JS frameworks like React JS, Vue JS frameworks, and others. You can also use many other web development tools to speed up your web development. Meanwhile, getting started with React JS platform is also very intuitive and easy to get going. The Vue vs React or other frameworks comparison is needed.
Then, which one to choose? To answer this question, let’s compare the features and capabilities of Vue vs React JS platforms in the following table.
Vue vs React Comparison
After investigating different aspects of Vue vs React JS, we can conclude that:
- React JS addresses the adjacent JSX elements issues efficiently.
- Vue JS offers great reusability of components through Vue Mixins functionalities, while React JS offers a higher-order library of different components and functions.
- Vue offers a unique capability of isolating the functionality from the structure through templates.
- The Vue JS framework is best for SPA applications while the React framework is best for large applications with continuously changing data.
- Both Vue JS and React frameworks are based on the virtual DOM system.
- Vue JS uses templates for quick application development while React uses the DOM.
- Vue JS is a lighter framework as compared to React JS.
- It takes a bit longer to create React app as compared to Vue JS.
- The performance of both frameworks is almost similar with React JS on a bit higher side.
- React JS has a huge market as compared with the Vue JS framework.
- React JS has many great supporting platforms like React Forms, React Native and many others.
- Vue JS is getting popularity consistently.
Now you understand the key points of Vue vs React JS comparison.
Importance of Web Development and Design Technologies
The total number of online websites at the time of writing this article is more than 1.92 billion and counting, according to the Live Internet Stats information. The total volume of global eCommerce sales carried out through online websites, web apps, and mobile apps may reach $4.88 trillion by 2021 from the total sales of $2.3 trillion in 2017. The major engine behind this gigantic volume of business is web development and design.
There are millions of businesses that are fully based on online businesses conducted through websites, web apps, and mobile apps. The traditional businesses are also using web development technologies as their fundamental tool to leverage their business competitiveness.
Websites Popularity
According to the web hosting rating website, the total number of registered domain names by the end of 2017 stood at about 332.4 million, which means more than one billion websites are still in making by the mid of 2018. There is a huge demand of website and application developers all around the world. The total money spent on digital media advertisement may account for over 44% of the total money spent on different forms of advertisements, which will be about $237 billion by the end of 2018.
A huge amount of over $113 billion is expected to be spent in the search advertisement globally in 2018. The total number of digital shoppers in the US alone may cross 224 million; China, India, UK, and other countries are already progressing very fast in the field of eCommerce, digital marketing, and other online businesses.
Another important aspect is that more than 36% of the small businesses don’t have websites or any online presence even in 2018. That means there is a huge room for the growth of web development industry in the future. The demand of the web development will continually increase for many years to come.
In such prospective conditions, the importance of web development is obvious. The role of website development, as well as web and mobile application development, will remain pivotal in running the digital economy of the world. In other words, it is impossible to imagine the smooth sailing of the global economy without the contribution of web development and design industry.
Major Web Development Technologies
The web development technology has become a vast field of the software development industry. The volume of the industry is expanding very fast. Numerous categories and classifications are emerging to mark the specialized fields of the web development industry. A few very important categories and classes of web development include:
- Front-end web development;
- Back-end web development;
- UI/UX web development;
- CMS web development;
- Specialized technology/tool based web development;
- Server-side scripting;
- Client-side scripting;
- Counting.
Every category of web development uses different web development tools to accomplish specialized tasks in web development. A few major web development technologies are listed below.
Client-Side Scripting Technologies
Client-side scripting technologies include the JavaScript language and its libraries. The JavaScript is a scripting language, which is extensively used in the field of web development. The ratio of JavaScript technologies and the JS frameworks is more than 94% in front-end web development field. The major web developer tools and frameworks include the following:
- Angular JS;
- React JS;
- JavaScript;
- Ember JS;
- Mithril JS;
- Vue JS;
- Invision UX Design;
- Origami;
- MoqUps;
- Duda;
- FireBug.
Server-Side Scripting Technologies
The use of JavaScript technology in the server-side web development has got the popularity in recent years. Normally, the JavaScript technology and its frameworks are extensively used in the client-side programming. The main frameworks for the server-side scripting technologies include:
- Node JS;
- Meteor JS;
- Auralia JS;
- Backbone JS.
Fundamental Web Development Technologies
The most fundamental technologies to develop a web page appeared in the last decades of the 20th century to create simple pages for sharing on the internet. The first technology that became the cornerstone of the modern web development was the hypertext markup language or HTML. This language still plays a very pivotal role in the modern web development field. Other fundamental web technologies include CSS, Flash, and others. The latest versions of traditional technologies are HTML5, CSS3, and others.
Major Back-End General Purpose Technologies
The general purpose technologies used in the back-end web development are so many. They are multi-purpose software technologies. The major general purpose software programming languages and technologies are listed below:
- Java;
- Python;
- PHP;
- Ruby;
- C#;
- ASP.Net;
- And others.
Major Back-End Database Technologies
Database technologies play a very critical role in businesses dealing with the higher volumes of data. The database technologies are used to create and manage diverse data schema, backup the data created in the database and processing of the same. The major database technologies used in web development include the following.
- MongoDB (non-relational);
- MySQL;
- PostgreSQL;
- Oracle;
- MS SQL Server.
General Software Management Technologies
A large number of other technologies and tools other than front-end, back-end, and database development tools are used in the web development tool. Those technologies include collaboration web development tools, communication tools, version control tools, software testing tools, and others. A few important ones are given below:
- GitHub;
- Jira;
- Selenium;
- SoapUI;
- HTTPS;
- SSL;
- Others.
Comparison of Major JavaScript Frameworks
JavaScript frameworks are the JavaScript programming libraries that are used to develop certain functionalities and features of a responsive and interactive website. The JavaScript frameworks are used in both the client-end and the server-end web development. Let’s compare the major JavaScript frameworks in both categories separately.
Vue vs React JS
Both Vue JS and React JS are very popular JavaScript frameworks commonly used for client-side web development. That is why it is important to manage a Vue vs React comparison and assess their pros and cons.
Both are open-source JS libraries available for free use. React JS is developed by the Facebook team, which consists of a large community to support the project. Vue JS is also powered by a large community, but smaller than the React JS team.
If we compare the features and capabilities of Vue vs React JS, we will find that Vue JS is comparatively lightweight and easy to understand as compared to the React JS platform. The React JS platform is suitable for large web applications that have to handle consistently changing data. On the other hand, Vue JS is very effective and useful for the development of single-page applications (SPA). The component styling capabilities in Vue are less powerful and a bit cumbersome, if we compare the Vue vs React JS frameworks. React JS has a large market in comparison to the Vue JS framework.
The code in Vue JS is more compact than the same code in the React JS framework. The process of rendering functions in Vue is easier than the same in React JS. Thus, if we compare Vue vs React JS in terms of all major factors, we will find both these JS platforms neck-to-neck in terms of their features and capabilities.
Knockout JS vs Angular JS
Both of these JavaScript frameworks are open source frameworks powered by many supported web development components and tools. The Angular JS framework consists of Angular UI Bootstrap, Angular Mobile UI, Supersonic and others. Both Knockout and Angular JS frameworks are used in UI development.
Both the Angular JS and the Knockout JS support the Model-View ViewModel (MVVM) model of design architecture. Angular also supports the model view controller (MVC) architecture. The data binding in Knockout JS is much easy, fast, and intuitively done in HTML code, but the JSON data loading makes it a bit complex and cumbersome. On the other hand, the data binding in the Angular JS is done through compact and clear code syntax, which makes it preferable to Knockout JS. The Angular JS uses $scope object for the data binding purpose, so you have the options to reuse its views. So, Angular is more preferable in this perspective, when we compare the Knockout vs Angular JS frameworks for data binding capabilities.
Angular JS supports the routing capabilities through its own routing Angular UI Router framework, while Knockout JS does not support the routing capability. The code testing in Angular JS framework is much easier than in the Knockout JS framework. Angular JS supports almost all popular browsers, while the Knockout JS supports a comparatively less number of browsers to the Angular JS framework. Both Angular JS and Knockout JS are the cross-platform framework.
The Angular JS is one of the leading JS frameworks in terms of the global market, while the knockout framework lags far behind from the Angular in terms of the market share.
Angular JS vs React JS
Angular is a typescript based JavaScript platform extensively used in the market front-end web development applications, especially in the UI development. The React JS is a JavaScript library powered by Facebook Inc. Angular is a powerful Model-View-Whatever or MVW platform, while React JS is a powerful JavaScript library extensively used for multi-page websites. Angular JS by Google Corporation released many latest versions in recent years. There are many Angular JS frameworks for specialized tasks, functions, and capabilities.
The React JS uses virtual DOM to offer great performance and flexibility, but Angular JS uses regular DOM. As far as the number of contributors to the React JS is concerned, they are more than double from the Angular contributors. The ranking in stars of React JS is much higher than the Angular JS platform. Angular JS supports bi-directional data binding, but the React JS library supports only unidirectional data binding.
The availability of Angular JS experts is very ample, while the availability of React JS is comparatively low as compared to the Angular JS developers. The learning curve of Angular JS is a bit longer. The server-side function rendering capabilities of React JS are much better than many other JS platforms. This offers better performance than the Angular JS framework. But the positive side of Angular JS is the huge market share in the industry powered by numerous supported tools and platforms.
The community support of Angular is much larger the React JS support community. Angular JS is a comprehensive JS framework, while the React JS is just a JavaScript library, but powerful enough to do many things in UI web development.
Express JS vs Meteor
The Meteor JS framework is a full-stack web development platform to build high-end and real-time applications. It supports many back-end components. The Express JS framework is also a powerful back-end web application development platform powered by Node JS and JavaScript.
Every platform has its own features and capabilities that make one different from the other one. Let’s have a look at the most common and the most different features of the platforms to compare their effectiveness, popularity, and capabilities.
Express JS and Meteor – Pros and Cons
The Express JS platform is best for mobile application and API development, while the Meteor JS is best for JavaScript-based web and mobile applications. The Meteor JS framework has a support of a huge and powerful community, while the community support for Express JS is a bit on the lower side. Express JS an MVC platform is powered by Node JS environment. On the other hand, the Meteor is a comprehensive web and mobile application development platform.
The most powerful routing API of Express makes it stand out in performing many activities like building Restful APIs, web app routes, and migrating the route to another level. It supports multiple plugins available in the market, or even custom developed plugins. Express JS is a very lightweight platform, which is easy to set up and learn suitable for even beginners.
On the other hand, Meteor JS is easy and simple to learn full-stack web and mobile application development framework for JavaScript technology. It has also a very powerful front-end JS library. The data changes propagate automatically across the subscribed users within an application environment without having any need of additional code at all. It supports auto hot-code push, isomorphic packaging, in-app bugging, and real-time testing tools.
Final Takeaway
After having discussed the features and capabilities of JavaScript frameworks for the front-end as well as for the back-end web development, we conclude that choosing the JavaScript tool depends on your requirements.
If you want to create real-time, high performance, resilient, and heavy application, there is no Vue vs React choice – you should choose React JS platform. If to choose Vue vs React JS for the single page application SPA, then React JS is the best platform due to its powerful back-end node API, rendering capabilities, and easy routing implementation. Angular JS is the most popular JavaScript platform in the marketplace. The role of JavaScript frameworks in the web development industry is enormously huge. The major front-end web development technologies and framework include Vue JS, React JS, Angular JS, Ember JS, HTML5, CSS3, and others. The major back-end web technology include Node JS, Express JS, Meteor JS, Backbone JS, and others.