Considering the reports of several renowned platforms like Stack Overflow and Statista, JavaScript has been topping the list of most popular programming languages across the world for many years now, and there are very positive signs that this particular language will dominate in the coming year as well. Apart from JavaScript frameworks, the other primary reason behind such a huge demand for JavaScript is its support for both i.e. client-side and server-side development.
Though with the rising demand and popularity of JavaScript, there is an availability of numerous enriching JavaScript frameworks as well – and to find out the best JavaScript framework to learn among all these options is quite a difficult task, especially for beginner developers.
Need of JavaScript Frameworks
Before moving further, let’s take a look at the question – Why do we need JavaScript Frameworks? In general, JavaScript Frameworks are actually the collection of JavaScript libraries that provides you with pre-written JavaScript code that can be used for standard programming functions and tasks. It allows you to create websites or web applications efficiently. It saves your time and increases your productivity as you get various pre-written functions in the framework and you’re also not required to worry about other concerns like building everything from scratch, security issues, etc.
Now, let’s get back to the primary concern of finding out a worthwhile JavaScript Framework to start with that can fulfill all your requirements. To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of several most popular and recommended JavaScript frameworks, based on various crucial factors and stats.
Best 10 JavaScript Frameworks
In Development, you have to interact with JavaScript, and knowing its JavaScript framework makes your work easy and productive as well. Since you already know that JavaScript Frameworks allow you to create web frameworks efficiently, the question arises which JavaScript Framework to learn? So, here is the list of the Top 10 JavaScript frameworks to learn and become an expert Web Developer.
Let’s get started with the list of JS frameworks:
1. Angular
Angular, backed by Google, is an open-source front-end web framework that allows JavaScript to get integrated with other web technologies like HTML and CSS. You need to know that more than 2 million websites across the world are built with Angular. It enables you to develop native and web applications for desktop & mobile both and it is very much suitable for the development of enterprise web applications.
Besides, Angular follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architectural pattern and offers you access to control UI components & their behaviors. In Angular, you can manipulate DOM attributes as per your requirements. The framework is very much popular among developers because of some remarkable features such as two-way data binding, Angular CLI, directives, built-in dependency injection, virtual scrolling, and many more.
To learn more about Angular, refer to this article – Introduction to AngularJS
Features
- Helps to build Progressive Web Applications (PWA)
- High Speed & Performance
- Steep Learning Curve
- Less Code Framework
- Companies using Angular: Google, Microsoft, YouTube, etc.
2. React.js
React, also known as React.js, is an open-source JavaScript library for building Web user interfaces and was originally developed by Facebook. However, you need to know that React is actually not a framework of JavaScript but a front-end library – though it is widely considered a framework by many developers across the world. React allows you to build reusable UI components and it can be used with other JavaScript libraries. It can be used to develop apps for any kind of UI such as mobile, desktop, or others, and is strongly preferred for developing SPA (Single Page Applications) and building enterprise applications. At GitHub, React is the second most starred framework and it has the most forked compared to other frameworks.
React uses the JavaScript extension JSX which makes it easier to combine JavaScript and HTML. Also, it follows the MVC model and provides you with some noticeable features like One-way Data Binding, Virtual DOM, Event handling, etc.
To learn more about React.js, refer to this article – Introduction to ReactJs
Features
- Easier to develop dynamic web applications
- Reusable components
- Easy debugging
- Better Community Support
- Companies using React: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.
3. Vue.js
Vue.js, commonly known as Vue, is an open-source JavaScript framework used to build enriching user interfaces. It won’t be wrong to say it is somehow the combination of both – React and Angular framework. For instance, the framework offers Virtual DOM features like React and two-way binding similar to Angular. As Vue is a progressive framework, you can easily integrate it with existing projects and with other JS libraries. Also, there is a considerable increase of around 40-45% in the number of developers using Vue in the last 3-4 years.
Moreover, it is an MVVM-based (Model-View-View-Model) framework and the core library primarily focuses only on the view layer. Also, this framework of JavaScript supports declarative rendering and component composition. Some of the other prominent features of Vue are – event handling, templates & directives, Vue.js CLI, components, transitions, reactivity focus, and many others.
To learn more about Vue.js, refer to this article – Introduction to Vue.js
Features
- Provides Higher Customizability
- Easier to learn
- Supports CSS Transitions and Animations
- Better Flexibility and Modularity
- Companies using Vue: Stack Overflow, GitLab, Adobe, etc.
4. Ember.js
Ember.js is another worthwhile JavaScript framework that is open-source and is used to develop scalable single-page web apps. Initially, it was known as SproutCore 2.0 framework and is created by Yehuda Katz. Ember.js follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture pattern and though it is a web framework, you can use it to develop mobile and desktop applications as well. Also, it considers HTML and CSS as the fundamental of its development model and the backend architecture of Ember.js makes it feasible for you to write advanced HTML tags.
Ember.js is a framework of javascript that provides you with a separate data layer, templates or handlebars, an inbuilt testing environment, and numerous other features & functionalities. It comes up with the Glimmer rendering engine that allows you to render DOM elements from the template. The command-line interface of Ember.js allows you to execute tests inside the browser, auto-reloading components, quick rebuild, etc. Meanwhile, Ember has witnessed a considerable increase in its demand & popularity among developers in recent times.
To learn more about Ember.js, refer to this article – Introduction to Ember.js
Features
- High performance
- Adaptable and Flexible
- Availability of Ember CLI
- Two-way data binding
- Companies using Ember.js: Apple, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Netflix, etc.
5. Next.js
Let’s move to another open-source front-end development framework of JavaScript, Next.js. Next.js is based on react and is very much popular among developers due to its server-side renderability aspect. This framework of JavaScript allows you to develop Jamstack and server-based applications by following the best practices for development. Meanwhile, Next.js primarily supports CSS and styled JSX along with other technologies. Also, Next.js is written in TypeScript, and the JavaScript modules & React components can be imported dynamically into it.
Next.js JavaScript framework provides you with some remarkable features such as automated code-splitting, automatic routing, SEO backing, prefetching, and numerous others. Also, there is a Static Exports feature that comes up with Next.js that allows you to export a completely static site from the application. In the latest version of Next.js, there are various new features and functionalities announced such as redirect support, incremental static regeneration, and many others.
To learn more about Next.js, refer to this article – Introduction to Next.js
Features
- Server-Side Rendering
- Supports Hot Code Reloading
- Provides Ecosystem Compatibility
- Dynamic Components
- Companies using Next.js: Netflix, Github, Avocode, etc.
6. Svelte
Svelte, developed by Rich Harris, is an open-source front-end JavaScript framework and is written in TypeScript. Svelte compiles the codes to pure JS and it comes up with its own compiler that converts apps into ideal JavaScript at build time instead of doing it at the runtime like other frameworks. In general, it doesn’t inject any overhead code to run when the application is updating the DOM. As a result, the web apps developed using Svelte are generally faster compared to other frameworks.
Svelte is a framework of JavaScript that provides you with some prominent features such as better speed & performance, less code required, no virtual DOM, and many others. As per the various survey reports, Svelte has all the chances and potential to take over other renowned frameworks like React, Angular, etc. in the coming times.
To learn more about Svelte, refer to this article – Introduction to Svelte
Features
- Truly Reactive
- Higher Performance
- No Complex Management Libraries
- Readable and Compact Syntax
- Companies using Svelte: Codustry, Screeb, Kontist, etc.
7. Backbone.js
Backbone.js is a lightweight JavaScript library that follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture pattern and is often used to develop Single Page Applications. It allows you to build SPAs and client-side apps that run in web browsers in a structured manner with better flexibility. It offers enormous support for RESTful APIs and it has primarily one core dependency which is the Underscore library. Also, Backbone.js communicates with the help of events that signify that the application won’t get damaged or troubled and the code will be simple, clean, and easy to maintain.
Using Backbone.js can leverage you with various prominent features and functionalities for web application development such as the availability of more than 100 extensions, performing complex functionalities by writing less code, automatic updation of HTML in case of change of model, etc. One more advantage of using Backbone.js is that it allows the developers to select the right tools for the project as per their needs and requirements.
To learn more about Backbone.js, refer to this article – Introduction to Backbone.js
Features
- Free and Open-Source library
- Abstract Code and MV Structure
- Event-driven Communication
- Better Documentation
- Companies using Backbone.js: Airbnb, Drupal, Trello, etc.
8. Meteor
Meteor, also known as MeteorJS, is an open-source JavaScript framework used to build web and mobile applications. The framework provides full-stack solutions for the development of web applications. Also, the framework comes up with an isomorphic development ecosystem that enables you to build real-time web applications from scratch. The use of this particular framework is in a wide range of areas like back-end development, database management, front-end rendering, etc. Moreover, it can be used with various other renowned front-end frameworks like Vue, Svelte, Angular, and others. And yes, Meteor allows using the same code for the development of mobile and web applications.
Meteor provides you with several prominent features such as reactive template, hot code reload, effective communication between front-end and back-end servers, and many more. This JavaScript framework is becoming popular among developers significantly.
To learn more about Meteor, refer to this article – Introduction to Meteor
Features
- Isomorphic Development Ecosystem (IDevE)
- Integrated Live-Browser Reloading
- Better Community Support
- Custom Package Manager
- Companies using Meteor: Deloitte, Nordstrom, Accenture, etc.
9. Aurelia
Aurelia is another popular open-source front-end JavaScript framework primarily used for developing web, mobile, and desktop applications. The framework is a collection of numerous open-source JavaScript modules, written in ECMAScript, and allows you to develop components using plain, vanilla JavaScript or TypeScript. Also, some of these modules can be used particularly in any kind of JS project and it utilizes less memory compared to several other renowned frameworks. Moreover, it can be easily integrated with other third-party libraries or frameworks such as jQuery, Polymer, Bootstrap, etc.
Aurelia comes up with numerous enriching built-in features such as strong data binding, routing, progressive enhancement, dependency injection, and many more. Besides, it provides you with a CLI for developing projects and a browser plugin for debugging as well. In addition, Aurelia is having better community support with a huge number of developers and contributors from all over the world working actively.
Features
- High Performance
- Extensive Ecosystem
- Powerful Reactive Binding
- Great Memory Efficiency
- Companies using Aurelia: Deloitte, Chegg, Dev, etc.
10. Express.js
Last but not least, here comes Express.js. Express.js, developed by TJ Holowaychuk, is a back-end web development framework for Node.js used to build Web applications and APIs. Express is primarily based on the Sinatra framework and it allows you to develop node-based web applications efficiently. The framework supports MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture and is quite fast compared to other frameworks. It allows dynamic rendering of HTML Pages and provides you with significant web application features without hiding the Node.js functionalities as well.
In addition, it provides you with routing components and supports middleware, templating, and other features that make web application development more convenient for you. And yes, the framework is very much compatible to connect with the databases like MongoDB, MySQL, etc. Express.js really enjoys strong popularity among developers mostly because of its minimalistic features.
To learn more about Express.js, refer to this article – Introduction to Express.js
Features
- Fast and Unopinionated Framework
- Easy Debugging
- Compatible with other frameworks
- Better Community Support
- Companies using Express.js: PayPal, Uber, IBM, etc.
In the end, you need to know that each framework has its own advantages and disadvantages – hence among all these above-mentioned frameworks, you can pick out the one to start with as per your requirements and convenience!
Conclusion
As you know JavaScript is a must language to know to create a website or become a web Developer, its frameworks are both available for front-end and back-end. JavaScript frameworks will make your work productive and help you to create more scalable and efficient products. Each framework has its different uniqueness, some are fast and some are easy to implement and learn. But when it comes to choosing the right framework for your project, it will depend on your project requirements, system compatibility, scalability, and the team’s skills who are building that project.
FAQs on Top 10 JavaScript Framework
Q1. What are the top JavaScript Frameworks?
Answer: These are the top JavaScript frameworks:
1. Angular
2. Vue.js
3. ReactJs
4. Svelte
5. Ember.js
Q2. What is the easiest JavaScript framework for the front end?
Answer:
React is one of the easiest, most flexible, and strong community-supported frameworks. But, if you are looking for an alternative then Vue.js is also recommended for beginners, due to its user-friendly learning experience.
Q3. What are the types of frameworks?
Answer: Here are the 6 types of frameworks:
1. Web app framework.
2. Mobile app framework
3. Technology framework
4. Enterprise architecture framework
5. Database framework
6. Testing framework
