REACT JS, ANGULAR JS, VUE JS – THE 4W’S OF JAVASCRIPT (WHO, WHAT, WHY, & WHEN)

Picking out the right framework for web development holds utmost importance. But before making any decision, it is necessary to know the options. The best ones include React JS, Angular JS, and Vue JS, and if you had to pick one, which one would it be? If that question is lingering in your mind, you are in for a treat with the following article. It explains the different suitable circumstances and audiences for the varying frameworks to help you make an informed decision. 

Frameworks aid faster web development without reinventing the wheel. The onus of choosing the correct JS framework lies on the developer, as it determines the final functionality and efficiency of the product. Such a question leads to a famous confusion- the choice between React JS, Angular JS, and Vue JS. 

But before making any choice, it is always better to clear the basics and understand the individual frameworks.

Brief

Before we get to the technicalities, let us quickly brush up on the foundation and learn the history of the three frameworks. 

React JS 

Jordan Walke, a software engineer at Facebook, created React JS typescript and called it “FaxJs.” While initially deployed on Facebook’s NewsFeed, it was later used for Instagram and has been open-sourced since 2013. 

React programming leverages a declarative paradigm that makes the development process flexible and efficient. Moreover, ReactJS efficiently updates and renders the right components during data changes. 

Websites Built with React JS examples: 

• Facebook
• Netflix
• Salesforce
• Asana 

Angular JS

AngularJS framework was a side project of Miško Hevery, a Google employee who wanted to make web development less complex for his internal projects. 

AngularJS is used to build dynamic single-page applications. Being a client-side framework, it supports multiple platforms, and all the functions and commands utilize HTML script code templates. 

Websites built with AngularJS examples: 

• IBM
• Upwork
• PayPal
• Forbes 

Vue JS

Evan developed Vue JavaScript in the process of making single-page applications. It uses adaptable architecture to focus on declarative rendering. 

This JavaScript framework streamlines web development that demands interactive and functional user interfaces. One fun fact that often intrigues individuals about Vue JS is the unique version names

 inspired by manga and anime, preferably from the science fiction genre. 

Websites built with Vue JS examples: 

• Behance
• Nintendo 
• Wizzair
• 9gag 

When should I use React JS, and when shouldn’t I? 

When to use React JS? 

• You require broader community support. 

A few roadblocks are a given regarding web building and development. But a reliable backing smoothens the process, and React JS offers the same. 

It has a massive community on GitHub Repository, with over 164k stars and 11M users. Moreover, Reactiflux is a community of more than 170000 React developers. Such a massive community makes it easier for developers to solve their queries.

• You need ease of testing. 

React JS requires little to no configuration for testing purposes. Moreover, its components can be tested using the node command line, which accelerates the testing time by a considerable amount. 

It is also easy to maintain as the React JS typescript testing can be written with the help of tools like Enzyme and Jest. 

• You need a mature user base. 

As established companies like Netflix and Facebook are using React UI library, you know that it is reliable and stable. The regular updates and releases are guaranteed, making React JS a trustworthy choice. 

When to not use React JS

On the other hand, React JS typescript might not prove to be a good choice in the following scenarios: 

• You have a limited time frame. 

React JS rendering function is time-consuming due to the presence of new and virtual DOMs. It is because the React frameworks are unaware of the data sources, leading to guesswork. Since the two versions are mutually independent, the rendering process can become slow. 

• You require powerful markup language. 

React JS can be wordy and lengthy since it is HTML mixed with JavaScript. While it is easier to learn, using stronger languages might demand more code and development time. 

• You need lighter applications. 

React JS comes with a lot of code, as the virtual DOM implementation needs a decent amount of code for performance optimization. Hence,  React JS shouldn’t be your choice for building lighter applications. 

When should I use AngularJS, and when shouldn’t I? 

When to use AngularJS 

• You need code documentation

AngularJS framework is said to have a clean coding system. Not only does it allow you to see the code, but it also shows the code written in the past that expedites the development process. 

• You need faster web development

Platforms like jQuery make it even easier to write codes in the Angular JS library. In a way, its model-view-controller fastens the web development process. 

• You need flexibility

Angular JavaScript offers front-end flexibility for faster web development. Along with that, it also offers proper separation of front-end and backend for the developer’s clarity. 

When to not use AngularJS

• You need SEO 

As the Angular JS framework does not store data on the source, it makes it challenging for bots to fetch the data defeating the idea and purpose of SEO. 

• You have a tight budget

Since AngularJS differentiates between front-end and back-end, you, as the website owner, will need to shell out more money. This may turn out to be costlier as compared to other frameworks since you will have to hire two different types of developers. 

• You have a short-term project

Angular JS UI is unsuitable if you have a short-term project deployable in a few weeks. A strong tool framework like Angular JS is not ideal in such circumstances. 

When should I use Vue JS, and when shouldn’t I?

When to use Vue JS

• You need more developers 

Since Vue JS does not have a steep learning curve, you might find it easier to get more Vue JS developers than other frameworks. 

• You need fewer restrictions

The combination of the modular approach with the “View” part makes it easier for programmers to solve problems. Moreover, fewer restrictions give the developers more freedom to develop the applications. 

• You need impeccable support

Despite being comparatively newer, Vue JS has a great community on GitHub. Along with that, the regular release cycles of updates come into use to stay ahead of the competition. 

When to not use Vue JS

• You have a larger project

Vue framework has been around for fewer years as compared to other JavaScript frameworks. This can raise questions about its overall functionality and efficiency. 

• You do not know Chinese

Since Vue JS is more popular with Chinese websites like Alibaba and Xiaomi, most of the forum discussions and instructions are only available in Chinese. 

• You require experienced developers

Circling back to the fact that Vue JS is comparatively young, it can be challenging to find experienced developers. 

React JS, Angular JS, & Vue JS – then and now 

All three frameworks- React JS, Angular JS, and Vue JS have come a long way since their inception. With regular updates and varying versions, all three have made it far easier for developers to indulge in web development in their way. 

For example, when React JS framework got open-sourced in 2013, many “early adopters” considered it to be a great step, only backward. But presently, it is being used by 3.6% of all the websites in the world (Javascript library). 

When it comes to the Angular JS framework is being used by more than 4 million websites in the world. Lastly, 0.7% of the websites are known to use the Vue JS framework. While that number is not as high as the other frameworks, it’s set to hold significant importance in the future. 

React JS is best for? AngularJS is best for? Vue JS is best for?

Before we get to the concluding answer, it is crucial to understand the most suitable applications for the varying frameworks. 

React JS framework is suitable for you if you require: 

• Single-page applications
• Mobile or hybrid applications 

AngularJS framework is suitable for you if you require: 

• Qualitative and dynamic web applications 

Vue JS framework is suitable for you if you require: 

• Single-page applications 
• Web interfaces

How to know which framework is best for web development?

As far as React JS vs. Angular JS vs. Vue JS is concerned, it is safe to say that all three frameworks have their sets of advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, it undoubtedly comes down to subjective requirements and projects. 

However, the following pointers will make it easier to choose the ideal framework for development: 

1. The complexity of the project 

Instead of making last-minute changes to the project, it is advised to choose a framework that can handle the complexities. 

For example, AngularJS is the best framework for complex projects. You can take the call as per your project requirements.

2. Timeframe of the project 

If your project has strict deadlines, go with a faster JS framework. For example, Angular JS and Vue JS provide speed as far as web development is concerned.

3. Community support 

Even the most experienced developer will have certain queries and roadblocks, so it is crucial to have a framework that offers reliable support. 

React JS remains unbeatable when it comes to that aspect. 

4. Maturity of the framework 

Frameworks that have been around for years will have more experienced developers making it easier to find a suitable developer that fits your requirements. 
In terms of experience, Angular JS and React JS are suitable alternatives.

Takeaway 

Choosing an exemplary framework is a prerequisite when it comes to web development. The right choice will help the developers fasten the process, while the wrong one will make the process extremely time-consuming. 

If you have a project in mind and are looking for the correct JS framework, why don’t you let the professionals at Creole Studios handle the stress? Not only will our experienced developers find the ideal framework for your application, but they will also give you the final product in no time while maintaining quality standards.

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Source: Creolestudios.com

TOP 5 REACT UI DESIGN FRAMEWORKS 2021

What is React?

The textbook definition for React is that it is an open source frontend JavaScript library, which is created and maintained by the Facebook Developer Community. It is used to build User Interfaces or UI Components. 

However, this definition assumes that you already know some key terms mentioned over there. We have the perfect blog post which gives a detailed technical description of what React is, from the ground up which you can find over here.

React has also been a boon for both clients and programmers, allowing the developers to build an MVP quickly and easily enable cross platform development, helping programmers to become full-stack.

Why do we need design frameworks?

There are plenty of design languages, talking from a user interface point of view. A great example would be that of Material UI. When you have a specific design language, components are always reused and they have a certain predefined structure to them. Even if you aren’t strictly following a certain design language, there are a lot of components that are similar across applications. 

A design framework gives developers a toolkit of commonly used UI components. This allows the developers to develop the project quickly as they don’t have to go on reinventing the wheel.

That being said, here are the top 5 React UI Design Frameworks:

1. Material UI

Material Design is one of the most popular design languages developed by Google. It uses more grid based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and depth effects such as lighting and shadows.

Material UI is a React framework that makes use of Material Design. It means that it has components which make it easier to implement Material Design into your React project.

Some of its features are mentioned below:

• Material UI is one of the most popular and actively maintained library with 2.1k contributors and 68.6k stars on GitHub
• Defining a custom colour theme for your app and fonts can be done very easily using the <MuiThemeProvider> component. It also has a predefined colour palette
• Not relying on any global style-sheets such as normalize.css, Material UI components are self-supporting, and will only inject the styles they need to display.
• It has a large library of components such as app bars, data tables, sliders, tooltips, etc. which all have a similar design language so that your application looks cohesive, without much efforts

2. React Bootstrap

If you have even a vague idea of frontend development, you might have heard of Bootstrap. It is an open source CSS framework aimed at responsive, front-end web development which is mobile first. It contains a host of templates ranging from typography, forms to buttons, navigation and other interface components which are  CSS and JavaScript based.

Just as the name suggests, React Bootstrap replaces the Bootstrap JavaScript. Each component has been developed from scratch as a React component, without unneeded dependencies like jQuery.

Some of its features are mentioned below:

• It has 19.5k stars and 406 contributors on GitHub.
• React Bootstrap’s grid system uses a series of containers, rows, and columns to layout and align content. It’s built with flexbox and is fully responsive.
• Bootstrap includes a few general use CSS transitions that can be applied to a number of components. React Bootstrap bundles them up into a few composable <Transition> components from react-transition-group, a commonly used animation wrapper for React.
• Encapsulating animations into components has the added benefit of making them more broadly useful, as well as portable for using in other libraries. All React Bootstrap components that can be animated, support pluggable <Transition> components.

3. React – Admin

For every business centric software, an admin panel is very indispensable and almost all of them have a lot of similar kinds of functionality based on the domain of the business. Some examples of this could be looking up a user’s address, marking an order as refunded, resetting a password among others. 

React Admin is a framework that uses React, Material UI, React Router, Redux, and React-final-form. Using these, it provides a customizable unified admin framework that can be used to build dashboards.

Mentioned here are some of its features:

• It has 17k stars and 425 contributors on GitHub.
• React-Admin is a frontend framework. It is built to use existing REST / GraphQL APIs present in your project.
• It enables creating frontend admin applications that interact with the backend in a standardized way through data providers.
• It uses an adapter approach which is explained in brief as below:
  1. The data provider acts as an interface between the framework and your backend. 
  2. It handles the querying and response handling between the frontend & the respective backend APIs, allowing the focus to be in building the dashboard in modular steps.
• Some of the things that React Admin provides are:
  1. Relationship support
  2. Conditional formatting
  3. Full-featured data grids
  4. Optimistic rendering

4. Ant Design

Just like Material UI for React follows Google’s Material Design principles, Ant Design for React follows the Ant Design principles. It is created by the Chinese conglomerate Alibaba, and is used by several big names such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, among many others.

As per their design values page, Ant Design focuses on these aspects:

• Natural — an interaction which is natural to use, avoiding any complexity
• Certain — creating design rules in such a way that it avoids low-efficiency & maintenance heavy products
• Meaningful —  keeping the needs of the end users in mind and creating designs revolving around that
• Growing — focused on the discoverability of functions and values of the product via design

Some of its features are:

• Currently Ant Design has 72k stars and 1,423 contributors on GitHub
• The Ant layout system consists of a 24-aliquot (which means parts of a whole) grid and a separate Layout component than you can choose to use. 
  1. The grid uses the familiar Row and Col system, but a prop called flex can also be specified which allows to harness Flexbox properties to define a responsive UI.
• Being made by a Chinese conglomerate, the components include internationalization support for dozens of languages.
• Using Less.js for its style language, the ability to customize the components to specific design specifications is also possible. 
• It has components such as Layout, Grid, Form, Breadcrumb, Pagination among many others.

We at Creole Studios love using the Ant Design framework and have used it for numerous projects. One example is that of an online job posting and tracking portal connecting the employers and specialists for the completion of tasks, of which one of its screens is showcased below:

We have many experts working on Ant Design and Material UI among other design frameworks, and getting started with your idea is as easy as contacting us and we’ll do the heavy lifting of making your projects with impeccable design.

5. React Foundation

Foundation is a family of responsive front-end frameworks that aids in designing beautiful responsive websites, apps and emails that look amazing on any device.  Zurb, the organization behind Foundation, describe their frameworks to be semantic, readable, flexible, and completely customizable

It’s a CSS framework like bootstrap and React Foundation is basically the wrapping up of Foundation’s every part into reusable React components following the framework’s best practices. Some of its features are described below:

• It has 579 GitHub stars and 21 contributors
• React Foundation uses pure render components, also known as stateless components, whenever possible to keep the memory usage to a minimum
• Stateful components are only used for larger components, such as ResponsiveNavigation, where the state is actually necessary.

There’s no ‘perfect’ React UI Design Framework that would be the best choice for all of your projects, however, there are some traits such as exhaustive documentation, large number of components, well maintained and constantly updated repositories and a large community forum to help you in every step of the development process that makes a framework easy to work with.

Source: Top 5 React UI Design Frameworks