In this article, we will deep dive into every in-demand JavaScript framework and library available out there to consider for learning and growing as a developer and also this article gives you the total insights for which should you pick based on your requirement.
But before going into the discussion of these libraries and frameworks, first, we will understand why even these libraries and frameworks exist.
Why we should use Libraries and Frameworks: The library and frameworks are making life easy for a programmer because these libraries and frameworks are collections of certain functions and codes that can be put together for specific work and anyone who want to perform these specific work can access these libraries and use it in their program. This will save a lot of time and make development much easier and there is also no need to reinvent the wheel.
Difference between library and framework: Libraries are basically a collection of some reusable classes and function that is combined together for solving a specific problem. Libraries do not bound programmers to use it in a specific way, programmers are in charge of using it as they want according to their requirements. Like jquery, this is a javascript library that makes it easy for DOM (Document Object Model) manipulation also it handles events very efficiently. It includes AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript XML) which can handle the asynchronous task between client and server.
On the other hand, a framework is a collection of tools for creating and developing a project in a standard manner. It tells you to put a specific part of code in a specific place. It makes development very easy because it contains built-in codes for some specific tasks. Like handling routes, performing HTTP requests, or handling data from the backend.
Popular Libraries in Javascript:
1. React.js: React.js is the most popular and widely used JavaScript library out there these days. It is an open-source library. This is sometimes considered as a framework because there are so many packages available for reacting like handling routes which you can integrate into react.js and can develop any type of application.
It follows SPA (Single Page Application) which is referred to as you need not refresh the page Reactjs will automatically render the certain component and inject it into the dom automatically.
2. jQuery: jquery is an old javascript library that is used for DOM (Document Object Model) manipulation and handling events like mouse clicks, scrolling, etc. Also, it contains AJAX which handles the Asynchronous part of any application.
3. D3.js: D3 stands for Data-Driven Documents. It is basically used for data visualization. It takes a certain amount of data and applies it to manipulate the Document object model.
4. Underscore.js: Underscore.js is a lightweight JavaScript library and not a complete framework that was written by Jeremy Ashkenas that provides utility functions for a variety of use cases in our day-to-day common programming tasks.
5. Lodash: Lodash is a JavaScript library that works on the top of underscore.js. Lodash helps in working with arrays, strings, objects, numbers, etc. It provides us with various inbuilt functions and uses a functional programming approach that makes coding in JavaScript easier to understand because instead of writing repetitive functions, tasks can be accomplished with a single line of code. It also makes it easier to work with objects in javascript if they require a lot of manipulation to be done upon them.
6. Anime.js: Anime.js is a small, lightweight JavaScript library with a simple and small powerful API. It works with the DOM element, CSS, and JavaScript object.
7. Chart.js: Chart.js is an open-source JavaScript library on Github that allows you to draw different types of charts by using the HTML5 canvas element. Since it uses canvas, you have to include a polyfill to support older browsers
Frameworks available in Javascript:
1. Angular: Angular is an open-source framework developed by Google. This framework is based on typescript(a superset of javascript) you can say that some strict type checking applies to javascript. It is free and used for cross-platform development.
2. Vue.js: Vue is also an open-source framework for javascript. It is used for building great user Interfaces and single-page applications(SPA’s).
3. Ember.js: Ember.js is an open-source JavaScript framework used for developing large client-side web applications which is based on Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. Ember is designed for reducing development time and increasing productivity, it is one of the fastest-growing front-end application frameworks being adopted worldwide. It is currently used on many websites such as Square, Discourse, Groupon, Linked In, Live Nation, Twitch, and Chipotle.
4. Node.js: Node.js is an open-source and cross-platform runtime environment for executing JavaScript code outside a browser. You need to remember that NodeJS is not a framework and it’s not a programming language. Most people are confused and understand it’s a framework or a programming language. We often use Node.js for building back-end services like APIs like Web App or Mobile App. It’s used in production by large companies such as Paypal, Uber, Netflix, Walmart, and so on.
5. Next.js: Next.js is a React-based framework. It has the power to Develop beautiful Web applications for different platforms like Windows, Linux, and mac. If you have little experience in react and looking forward to knowing more about react ecosystem then you should have knowledge about the Next.js framework.
6. Mocha: Mocha is a testing framework for Javascript running on Node.js. The frameworks make it easier to test asynchronous Javascript concepts in the browser. Mocha is widely used for testing Javascript codes before deploying them onto the server.