JavaScript is a multi-paradigm language that supports event-driven, functional, and imperative (including object-oriented and prototype-based) programming styles. JavaScript was initially used only for the client-side. Now, JavaScript is used as a server-side programming language as well.
JavaScript framework is an application framework written in JavaScript where the programmers can manipulate the functions and use them for their convenience. Frameworks are more adaptable for the designing of websites, and hence, most website developers prefer them. JavaScript frameworks are a type of tool that makes working with JavaScript easier and smoother.
These frameworks also make it possible for the programmer to code the application as a device responsive. This responsiveness is yet another reason why the JavaScript frameworks are quite popular when it comes to the question of using a high-level machine language.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular JavaScript Frameworks in the industry.
AngularJS
Angular is one of the most powerful, efficient, and open-source JavaScript frameworks. This framework is operated by Google and used for developing Single Page Application (SPA). AngularJS transfers all the contents from the server to the browser, along with loading all the web pages simultaneously. Once the contents are loaded, clicking on any link on the page does not reload the entire page content; instead, it simply updates the sections within the page.
This development framework is known primarily because it gives developers the best conditions for combining JavaScript with HTML and CSS. Over half a million websites are using Angular. It is also the JavaScript UI framework of choice for Google’s app developers. Angular has a component-based structure. You can manipulate, nest, and reuse them as you need them.
ReactJS
Created by Facebook, the React framework has earned popularity within a short period. It is used to develop and operate the dynamic User Interface of web pages with high incoming traffic. It makes the use of a virtual DOM, and hence, the integration of the same with any application is more straightforward. React is based on a reusable component. Simply put, these are code blocks that can be classified as either classes or functions. Each component represents a specific part of a page, such as a logo, a button, or an input box.
React uses JSX, an XML syntax that combines JavaScript and HTML. It’s not a JavaScript template; it’s full-on JavaScript. When there are multiple views for an application, ReactJS is the best choice, since for every view a different widget is needed. Various components or widgets can be then dumped onto the views.
VueJS
Vue is an open-source JavaScript framework for creating a creative UI. The integration with Vue in projects using other JavaScript libraries is simplified because it is designed to be adaptable. Though developed in the year 2016, this JavaScript framework has already made its way into the market and has proven its worth by offering various features. Its dual integration mode is one of the most attractive features for creating high-end SPA or Single Page Application. It is a much reliable platform for developing cross-platform applications.
Another strength of Vue.js is its official command-line interface (CLI). It is basic tooling that speeds up development by offering a ton of plugins, presets, instant prototyping, and an interactive project scaffolding tool. Some of its features include components, templates, transitions, and two-way data binding, as well as a reactivity focus. Reactivity occurs when you change or update any of the JavaScript objects in Vue.
NodeJS
Node.js is one of the most downloaded, open-source, cross-platform runtime environment for executing JavaScript code outside of a browser. It is used for building back-end services or APIs and developing server-side and networking applications. It is a platform which is built on Google Chrome’s JavaScript Engine (V8 Engine). The applications built on Node, are written in JavaScript which can be run within the Node.js runtime on OS like Microsoft Windows, Linux as well as macOS.
It works in the JavaScript Runtime environment and shows JAVA’s similar properties like threading, packaging, o forming loops. It is an asynchronous, single-threaded, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. The Node.js package ecosystem, npm, is also the largest open-source library ecosystem in the world.
EmberJS
Ember.js is an open-source JavaScript framework that was originally released by Yehuda Katz in 2011. It was initially known as SproutCore 2.0 before it became known as Ember.js. Work on the Ember framework started in 2011 and version 1.0 was released two years later. Ember features an excellent build tool, borrowed from many other SPA frameworks, called Ember CLI. This build tool has everything you need to get started. Do you need a router? It’s built-in there. Need to be tested? It’s built-in, too. Do you need to work with back-end data? There’s data on Ember.
Ember.js follows many of the same principles that Ruby has on the Rails. It’s highly thought-out, flexible, and prefers convention over configuration. Ember makes a lot of assumptions about the application and makes a developer conform to its expectations. A complete development stack can be formed by using Ember and other important tools.
BackboneJS
Backbone.js is a lightweight JavaScript library that was initially released in 2010 and has been a flexible framework for structured code since then. It lets developers develop single-page web applications and client-side applications that run in a web browser. Unlike other frameworks, Backbone puts the developer in charge of choosing the right tool that works best for a given project. A templating engine of its own does not exist in Backbone. It offers the MVP network, which abstracts the data into models, Document Object Model (DOM) into views, and binds these two using events. The development of this framework involves the idea that all the server-side functions must flow through an API, which would help achieve complex functionalities by writing less code.
MeteorJS
MeteorJS is an open-source, full-stack, and free JavaScript framework which is written using Node.js. It allows rapid prototyping and creates cross-platform codes. It is fast in developing smaller and reactive applications on the Node.js platform. Meteor uses a front-end JavaScript that runs on the browser and back-end on the meteor server within Node.js. Meteor integrates with other JavaScript frameworks such as React, Express, and Angular. It also integrates with MongoDB and Cordova technology to build hybrid applications using HTML, CSS, and JS, which run on WebView.
Meteor’s application area (aka Meteor.js or MeteorJS) serves the name itself since it is varied as it covers almost a significant portion of the software development. Uses of this framework include significant areas like back-end development, management of the database, business logic, and rendering of the front-end. Meteor is promoting itself as the fastest way to build JavaScript apps. It’s gaining popularity on the market with more than 13,000 websites using Meteor.
Aurelia
Aurelia is a collection of open-source modern JavaScript modules and another name “next-gen UI framework” written in ECMAScript. It is a toolbox of all the open-source modern JavaScript modules that aids in web and mobile application advancement. Sponsored by Blue Spire, it serves as a robust platform for building browsers, desktop, and various mobile applications. It also provides a good coding and well-designed system to build SPAs without having to use any third-party libraries.
Aurelia has been gaining a lot of recognition ever since its launch. Not to forget, it is the only framework that lets developers build components with plain, Vanilla TypeScript, or JavaScript. Aurelia has said to have overtaken Angular regarding modularity. Developers looking for a great alternative to React or Angular can consider Aurelia to be a great option.
Conclusion
When it comes to web development, Javascript continues to be the dominant language, and therefore, we have several Javascript frameworks to choose from. We hope our suggested list of frameworks for Javascript helps you choose the perfect one for your project. Therefore, carefully study your project requirements before choosing your framework for your application as every framework comes with unique features that you may require during development. Apart from the features, also consider the learning curve, complexity, compatibility documentation, and community support.
