JavaScript is a multi-paradigm language that supports programming types that are event-driven, functional, and imperative (including object-oriented and prototype-based). Originally, JavaScript was only used on the client side. Although, JavaScript is still used as a server-side programming language these days. To sum up, in a short sentence, JavaScript is the language of the web. So, to learn web development, you should know the best JavaScript Frameworks for Web Development to enhance your productivity.
What is JavaScript Framework? Why use them at all?
JS frameworks are JavaScript programming libraries that have pre-written code to use for standard programming functions and tasks. It’s a framework to create websites or web applications around.
Let’s start with why we need JavaScript frameworks. It’s perfectly possible to code without using them – but a well-chosen framework can make the work far easier. What’s more, they’re free and open-source, so there’s no risk in trying, now is there?
First and foremost, it will increase your productivity. Think of it as a workaround of sorts: you have to write less code manually because there are already pre-written and ready-to-use functions and patterns. Some components of the website do not need to be custom-made, so you can build and expand on pre-built ones. Frameworks are more adaptable for website design and most website developers prefer it. Let’s take a look at the best JS Frameworks.
Most Popular JavaScript Frameworks for Web Development
JavaScript is the language of the Web, so as a web developer, you should know the most popular JavaScript Framework for Web Development to update your skills to industry standards. Also, if you are starting with Web Development then it is very important to know the most popular JavaScript Framework for Web Development so that you can learn the latest technology which the market is currently working on.
1. ReactJs
The current leader in the JavaScript UI framework field is React. At first, Facebook developers started working on it to simplify their work. The application called Facebook Ads was growing extremely fast, which meant complicated management and support. As a result, the team started building a library to help them with efficiency. They had an early prototype before 2011 and, two years later, the library was open-source and available to the public. A lot of business giants are currently using it: Airbnb, PayPal, Netflix, etc.
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. The parameters they use are called props, which stands for properties. Speaking of syntax, most developers agree that React is easy to learn when you already know JavaScript.
React uses JSX, an XML syntax that combines JavaScript and HTML. It’s not a JavaScript template; it’s full-on JavaScript. Some new developers might find JSX a bit confusing at first. After working with it for a while, however, you will understand how beneficial it is. React has a lot to do with it, and it’s a library that you should look out for if you’re in front-end web development.
To learn about ReactJs, you can refer to this article – ReactJs
2. Angular
Angular is one of the most powerful and open-source JavaScript frameworks. Google operates this framework and is designed to use it to develop a Single Page Application (SPA). This development framework is known primarily because it gives developers the best conditions to combine JavaScript with HTML and CSS. Over half a million websites, such as google.com, youtube.com, etc., use Angular.
One of the factors it is known to be so reliable is the support of Google. It is also the JavaScript UI framework of choice for Google app developers. Angular has a component-based structure, just like React. You can manipulate, nest, and reuse them as you need them. You will need to use TypeScript to write an application for Angular. It’s a JavaScript superset that uses the same syntax but also supports static typing and classes. In TypeScript, you get access to modifiers, enums, generics, hybrid types, and more. Generally speaking, Angular is a fantastic platform to look at if you’re a new dev.
To learn about Angular, you can refer to this article – AngularJs
3. Vue.js
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. More than 1,587,332 websites are currently using Vue. Companies like Stackoverflow, PlayStation, etc. rely on Vue for their UI websites.
Vue.js is also quite simple to learn: you just need all the background knowledge you need in JavaScript and HTML. 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. Vue.js uses something called the Shadow DOM that makes the page render fast.
To learn about Vue.js, you can refer to this article – Vue.js
4. jQuery
JQuery is probably the most popular JavaScript library out there with so many features for modern-day development. JQuery is a fast and concise Library of JavaScript created by John Resig in 2006. It is a cross-platform JavaScript library designed to simplify HTML client-side scripting. More than 19 million websites are currently using jQuery! Companies like WordPress, Facebook, Google, IBM, and many others rely on jQuery to provide some kind of web browsing experience.
You can use the jQuery API to handle, animate, and manipulate an event in an HTML document, also known as DOM. Also, jQuery is used with Angular and React App building tools. In short, one of the most important JavaScript libraries for web development.
To learn about jQuery, you can refer to this article – jQuery
5. Node.js
Node.js is an open-source, server-side platform built on the Google Chrome JavaScript Engine. Node.js is a runtime environment on which we can run JavaScript programs for backend development. The number of websites using NodeJS has increased by 30 million. It is one of the most downloaded, cross-platform runtime environments for running JavaScript code. Node.js 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.
To learn about Node.js, you can refer to this article – Node.js
6. Meteor
A web framework called Skybreak was released by the end of 2011. In a couple of months, the team changed its name to Meteor. As of now, it’s version 1.8.1. Using plain JavaScript, you can build applications that can be used across multiple platforms, including but not limited to Android and iOS. The Meteor JS framework provides full-stack solutions. The use of this framework includes important areas such as back-end development, database management, business logic, and front-end rendering.
Meteor is promoting itself as the fastest way to build JavaScript apps. It’s gaining popularity on the market with more than 5,00,000 websites using Meteor. Websites like mtv.com, meteofrance.com, and so on, use Meteor to build their UI.
To learn about Meteor, you can refer to this article – Meteor
7. Aurelia
Aurelia is a front-end, open-source framework developed by Rob Eisenberg. Aurelia 1.0 was released for the first time in 2016. Aurelia consists of function-oriented modules, such as plugins, routing, testing, dependency injection, and many more. You can use the Aurelia JS framework to develop web, mobile, and desktop applications. The modularity also allows you to create apps of different sizes. Aurelia supports both Babel and TypeScript. It is also fully compatible with future JavaScript versions.
Out of the choices presented in this guide, Aurelia may be one of the youngest: we only got the 1.0 version in mid-2016. However, this gives it a slight edge: according to its creators, Aurelia offers a component model that best meets the best web standards. It uses a lot of newer ECMAScript features (ECMAScript helps dictate JavaScript standards) and encourages you to use these new features to write your code. This is a good thing because you don’t learn a custom syntax that only works with Aurelia. Check it out if you find this interesting!
For those of you who are new to web development – you’ll hear a lot of cynical people talking about how the JavaScript world has become too fast. They’re going to groan that new JavaScript libraries and frameworks are coming out too quickly and that everyone is trying to do the same thing. They’re not wrong that it’s fast-paced, but that shouldn’t stop you from going out and learning about these JavaScript frameworks and libraries. I’ve only given you a taste of each of them. It’s up to you to pick up and start learning.
Don’t try to do it all at once, though: pick a framework and get it perfect. You don’t need to learn all of them. You just need to learn at least one thing, so you can get your foot in the door somewhere.
8. Polymer
The polymer is an open-source JavaScript library maintained by Google to build web applications using web components. It also supports both one-way and two-way data binding, thus creating a more extensive area of application. When you compare Angular to Polymer as both are built by Google, Angular is a comprehensive framework for web app development, while Polymer is only a library for web component design. It was the very first library to allow interactive building applications through the use of web components. Currently, more than 3000 websites are using polymer, to name a few there are virustotal.com, rogers.com, zeplin.io, and so on.
9. Backbone.js
It’s one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks. It can be used to create a single-page application. The development of this framework involves the idea that all server-side functions must flow through an API, which would help to achieve complex functionality by writing less code.
BackboneJS is a lightweight JavaScript library that enables client-side applications running in a web browser to be developed and structured. Unlike other frameworks, Backbone puts the developer in charge of selecting the right tool that works best for a given project. More than half a million websites are currently using Backbone, including tumblr.com, espn.com, soundcloud.com, and many more.
To learn about Backbone.js, you can refer to this article – Backbone.js
10. Ember.js
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. Instead of one company supporting the project, Ember has many supporters who are usually users of the framework, such as LinkedIn and Yahoo.
It is also highly scalable and can be used for large projects. Apple Music, which has more than 60 million subscribers worldwide, was built on Ember. If you want to see how you can – there’s a tool called the Ember Inspector that allows you to take a closer look at Ember’s projects online.
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 Rails. It’s highly thought-out, flexible, and prefers convention over configuration. Ember.js is just getting better, and I would highly recommend it to you.
To learn about Ember.js, you can refer to this article – Ember.js
Conclusion
As a web developer, You should know JavaScript, whether you are working on front-end or back-end you have to deal with JavaScript, so it is better to know JavaScript with its fundamentals in a crystal and clear manner. And to work on that you should learn JavaScript framework due to its easy-to-use and making the code simple properties. So, in this article, we have discussed the top best 10 Most popular JavaScript frameworks for Web Development, that every developer should know about. Once, you have cleared the concepts of JavaScript then it is easy for you to learn every framework of it. Since they are all based on JavaScript and their main aim is to make the process more simple and quick.
FAQs on JavaScript Frameworks
Q1. What are the most popular JavaScript Frameworks for Web Development?
Answer:
1. ReactJs
2. AngularJs
3. VueJs
4. jQuery
5. BackboneJs
6. NodeJs
7. EmberJs
8. MeteorJs
9. PolymerJs
10. AureliaJs
Q1. Which is the most used frontend framework?
Answer:
ReactJs and jQuery are two of the most used framework in the companies, due to their easy-to-use and several other advantages, followed by Angular and Vue.js.
Q3. What is the biggest advantage of ReactJS?
Answer:
Although React has several unique and important advantages but here are some of the biggest advantages:
- Easy to Learn and Use.
- Creating Dynamic Web Applications Becomes Easier.
- Reusable Components.
- Performance Enhancement.
- The Support of Handy Tools.
- Known to be SEO Friendly.
- The Benefit of Having JavaScript Library.
- Scope for Testing the Codes.