By 2024, almost all web development firms will have used JavaScript frameworks to create massive, fast, and reliable apps.
A frontend framework must be chosen and mastered in order to work as a web developer in the IT industry.
The good news is that learning JavaScript provides a strong foundation that makes switching between frameworks simple with small modifications. Still, there are a ton of great frameworks available in the vast JavaScript ecosystem.
I will walk you through the top JavaScript frameworks in this tutorial, outlining their advantages and disadvantages so you can make the best decision to launch your web development career.
Use the section below to jump to a particular framework that might catch your attention:
1. What is a JavaScript framework?
You can create any web application from scratch using just JavaScript. However, you would need to develop a significant amount of complex code as the program grows. Frameworks enable us to construct web applications much more quickly by giving us access to a collection of tools, libraries, and infrastructures.
For instance, you may manage user events (click, hover), routing, data-binding, and animations with the help of a framework like Vue. You could accomplish all of this with just JavaScript, but you would waste a lot of time attempting to put everything together on your own.
2. The 8 best JavaScript frameworks for beginners
Now let us examine each JavaScript framework in more detail and weigh the benefits and drawbacks.
React
The 2023 Stack Overflow Developer survey indicates that React is one of the most widely used JavaScript web interface frameworks.
This tool is widely used, and React has emerged as the industry standard for web apps because of its enormous community, excellent support, and incredible potential for large-scale projects.
In summary, React is still the preferred option for frontend developers looking for work, and this will likely continue for a very long time.
Pros of React
Large community to support it
React has a sizable fan base as a result of its success. As a result, the development process will be significantly better because there are a ton of tools, workshops, and courses available to help you acquire and advance your React abilities.
Huge amount of packages and utilities
React has a sizable fan base as a result of its success. As a result, the development process will be significantly better because there are a ton of tools, workshops, and courses available to help you acquire and advance your React abilities.
Top choice to enter the professional industry
React is the greatest JavaScript framework option available if you want to improve your chances of landing a professional development job and equip yourself with a technology that will be in demand in the future.
Reusable components
In order to save time and effort, React handles web interfaces by enabling you to design reusable components that you can use across your program.
SEO friendly
One of the greatest frameworks for allowing search engines to index your webpages is React.
Cons of React
Harder to learn
React may be more difficult to grasp than other frameworks like Vue because of ideas like lifecycle events, state management, and JSX.
Documentation
Although the framework’s new documentation has much helped with this issue recently, React’s documentation has a reputation for being of low quality and little updated.
No strict conventions
You are not required to write code in a certain way when using React. As a result, separate developers will write React code, which could cause issues in scenarios with a large number of users.
Components can get messy
Components can become more difficult to comprehend very fast because React implements the logic for them in the same location as they are presented.
Angular
Angular is a JavaScript framework designed to build single-page apps with a logical division between the logic and presentation components, based on the MVC model (Model-View-Controller).
Although just 19% of professional developers still use this framework, the launches of React and Vue have cast a shadow over it. New developers would rather study React because of its widespread use and career opportunities, or Vue because of its simplicity.
To help you understand the distinctions between Angular and React, we have put together a thorough comparison of the two.
Pros of Angular
MVC
Since the MVC paradigm provides the same traditional division between view and functionality as HTML and JavaScript, novice developers can easily become acquainted with Angular.
Lots of features
Right out of the box, Angular offers a tonne of capabilities, including state management and routing.
Cons of Angular
Complex to use
Compared to its peers React and Vue, Angular is more difficult to master because of its complexity.
Not so widespread anymore
Angular is no longer as popular with the advent of React and Vue, with React being a far better option for finding work as a developer.
You must learn TypeScript
TypeScript is required in order to use Angular, which raises the learning curve for inexperienced developers.
Vue.js
Vue.js is an open-source, lightweight framework that was developed in 2014 by Googler Evan You that makes creating online apps simple and performant.
Vue.js has grown in prominence over the past few years, even though it is far smaller than Angular and React.
This is because of its excellent documentation and ease of use, which make it a fantastic option for inexperienced developers to explore the world of JavaScript frameworks.
Pros of Vue
Easy to learn
Vue has a much more progressive learning curve than Angular and React because of its simplicity and use of HTML templates, and it does not require you to know TypeScript or JSX to use.
Great documentation
The creators of Vue’s fantastic, in-depth documentation are constantly updating and improving it to provide developers with the greatest possible framework experience.
Lightweight
Vue is a very light framework that may help you construct web applications that are incredibly performant, weighing in at just 18kb.
Can be integrated into existing apps
Vue may be gradually integrated into an existing online application without any issues by adding new components, in addition to being used as a framework to create an application from start.
Great for beginner JavaScript developers
to use a framework to construct their first intricate programs.
Cons of Vue
Less plugins and libraries
Some developers may find Vue restricting because it offers fewer extra plugins and libraries than its more experienced colleagues Angular and React.
Overly flexible
Vue provides developers with a great deal of flexibility in using their favorite coding styles. Since there may be “no optimum method” to write Vue code, different parts of the code may be written in very different ways, which might lead to serious issues with this approach.
Node.js
Unlike the majority of other JavaScript frameworks on this list, Node.js provides a backend environment where JavaScript can be written rather than a framework per se.
Millions of developers worldwide use this tool, which is once again ranked as the top web technology by Stack Overflow Developers in 2023.
Because of its stability, speed, and user-friendliness as well as the large developer community that backs it, Node.js is now the preferred framework for hundreds of businesses. If you want to start working on the backend of web development, this framework is the best option for you.
Pros of Node.js
Based on JavaScript
making it simple for developers to transition between frontend and backend code.
Huge community of developers
Node is easier to use and troubleshoot because of the big and active dev community online.
Sought-after
There is a constant need for backend developers with proficiency in Node.js from thousands of businesses.
Fast and efficient
Owing to its enhanced JavaScript V8 engine, it is an excellent option for extensive applications.
Cons of Node.js
Prone to callback hell
“Callback hell” is the term for what happens when Node code is written in a way that makes it difficult to understand and complicated, akin to a riddle.
Hard to master
Although mastering Node.js can take some time, it is essential for any aspiring JavaScript developer who aspires to become a full-stack developer. In this regard, a quality guided JavaScript bootcamp or course can be quite beneficial.
Single-Threaded
Due to Node’s inherent single threading, it may be difficult to handle CPU-intensive jobs and may be necessary to use extra strategies to successfully manage concurrent processes.
Express
Express is a potent Node.js JavaScript framework.
It offers a range of functionalities for constructing backend APIs, including middleware management, routing, and request processing. Many backend applications are built using this framework, which is presently in use by thousands of businesses worldwide.
Career change: How I became a web developer
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Pros of Express
Large community of developers behind it
Similar to Node itself, learning and using Express will be made easier by a vibrant and supportive community.
Great opportunity to find jobs as a backend developer
Possessing Express in your toolkit can help you become more marketable and potentially lead to opportunities as a backend developer.
Rapid development
Express’s vast feature set will enable you to create backend applications with speed and efficiency.
Cons of Express
Harder to master
In a same vein, mastering Express completely may need patience and time.
Potential security issues
Numerous Express customers have voiced concerns about certain programs’ security integrity that were created with it.
Svelte
A contemporary framework for building web apps is called Svelte.
Pros of Svelte
Efficient performances
Small bundle size
Great learning curve
This is thanks to Svelte’s easy syntax.
No virtual DOM
Removing a big overhead of knowledge you will need to gain.
Simplicity and readability
Cons of Svelte
Limited adoption
Svelte is still a developing technology, with few job ads and a community devoted to it, despite all of its advantages.
Ember.js
Despite the fact that Ember has never achieved the kind of widespread success that other frameworks have, I nevertheless include it here because it is a component of several well-known websites, including Linkedin, Netflix, and Twitch.
Pros of Ember.js
Great documentation
Reinforces structure
implying that developers would find it simple to switch between projects because all Ember apps will share a same framework.
Built-in CLI
used to install dependencies, start up new projects, and debug existing ones.
Cons of Ember.js
Steep learning curve:
in contrast to programs like Vue or React.
Not so popular:
Ember’s popularity is lower than that of its rivals, which means there are less employment openings for this framework.
Highly opinionated:
If you choose to utilize the tool, you will have to study and accept Ember’s prescribed “best approach” of using the framework.
Next.js
A contemporary JavaScript framework based on React is called Next.js. In order to build extremely performant applications, this tool expands on current React features and adds new ones, such as server-side rendering and automatic static optimization.
In my opinion, Next will gradually replace other options as the go-to platform for React developers when building their apps, given its recent surge in popularity.
Next.js is a terrific option for experienced React developers, and many businesses are embracing it as well because of its capabilities, which promote speedier development, better SEO, and performance optimizations that are difficult for huge corporations to ignore.
Pros of Next.js
Great for SEO
Building in Next gives your pages a boost on Google because of its server-side rendering capability, which makes it rank highly with search engine crawlers.
Build hybrid apps
Enables developers to design static apps with dynamic behavior.
Great for job hunting
Next is becoming an increasingly popular JavaScript framework among recruiters as more businesses use it for their React projects.
Build React apps faster:
This is made possible by all the features Next provides.
Large community surrounding the project
There is a strong developer community surrounding Next, and you can leverage a variety of resources to create incredible apps for your portfolio.
Cons of Next.js
You will need to learn how to create React apps using Next.js
Did you think you could get by without first learning React? Not exactly.
No built-in state management
Next.js does not come with a built-in state management system to handle changing data. Developers are then forced to select and employ their own approach, which may be more complicated but allows for customisation to meet the demands of certain projects.
3. Getting started with JavaScript frameworks
A common mistake made by those who wish to learn a JavaScript framework is to dive right in without first making sure they have a firm foundation in the language.
You must become extremely proficient in JavaScript before you can learn any framework. These frameworks are ultimately just extensions of the language. New technologies are always emerging, and the only way to effectively use any new tool is to have a solid foundation.
You can enroll in our Full-Stack Web Development Program if you are looking for a course that will help you become an expert in JavaScript and a number of its frameworks. There, you will learn everything you need to know to create stunning web applications and eventually become a professional web developer.
4. JavaScript framework FAQ
What are the JavaScript most famous frameworks and libraries?
React, Node, and jQuery are the three most well-known JavaScript frameworks, according to the 2023 Stack Overflow Developer Survey.
Do people still use jQuery?
Yes, jQuery remains the most widely used JavaScript library globally, with millions of websites using it owing to its popularity since its introduction in 2006.
5. Where to go from here?
This article has taught you about the many JavaScript frameworks and their functions in the current web development environment. You can now select the option that best suits your needs and begin using a framework to construct your first project.
We can provide you with extra assistance in selecting a framework if you are not sure how to learn JavaScript. CareerFoundry can help you kickstart your tech career by teaching you the ins and outs of JavaScript and numerous of its frameworks through their Full-Stack Web Development Program.
Should you possess a strong foundation in JavaScript fundamentals and understand how to work with frameworks, you will be equipped to handle any frontend framework that may come along in the future.