JavaScript frameworks continue to receive intense development and upgrades, including major updates in Angular and the official release of Angular 2. Node continues to receive improvements through updates and jQuery witnesses an overwhelming usage in up to 96.5 percent sites. JavaScript remains a highly rated programming language encompassing tremendous potential due to deployment on both client and server side for designing interfaces.
Reasons for Popularity of JavaScript Frameworks
Providing immense functionality for creating web applications without coding from scratch, JavaScript frameworks have become an integral part of application and web designing. Some of the selling features leading to widespread deployment of JavaScript are:
⦁ Endless Features: The extensive usage and open source nature of JavaScript frameworks means there is a multitude of solutions developed by the community at your disposal.
⦁ Reduced Timeframe and Development Costs: JavaScript boasts an array of free frameworks which can be customized to fit your requirements, resulting in significant cost reduction in development and time.
⦁ High Security: Supported by an extensive international community and developers, JavaScript frameworks are continually updated and any security issues are quickly resolved by releasing updates and patches.
6 Popular Frameworks of 2017
JavaScript is ranked among the most extensively used programming language in 2017 and its acceptance can be attributed to community development and the features it provides. Following are the 6 most widely used JavaScript frameworks of 2017:
1. React
While React may be a complex library rather than complete framework, there is no denying its rising popularity. Released by Facebook, it provides tools to create front end user interfaces and features DOM optimization. React is highly versatile, enabling integration with existing architectures without issues and is capable of handling dynamic applications receiving high traffic, providing solutions for load intensive web applications.
Even though React has a high learning curve, its reusability regarding existing components in applications, modifications in their usage and streamlined development has lent it favor among developers. Normally, DOM operations result in redundant and erroneous code. React simplifies DOM processing by providing developers a Virtual DOM, comparing it with existing DOM and integrating changes in a batch operation systematically to create an updated version.
Benefits
⦁ Integration: Easily integrated with existing frameworks.
⦁ Deployment: Supports client and server side deployment.
⦁ Virtual DOM: Enhanced performance through Virtual DOM by reducing time and resources required to update.
Limitations
⦁ Only View Layer: Supporting tools and technologies required for usage since React comprises of the View layer only.
⦁ High Learning Curve: Requires skill for development.
2. Meteor
Meteor is a complete package covering the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) featuring database management, front and back end development and handling of gloaming operations. Any modifications to the database are seamlessly updated on the user interface regardless of server response time or programming languages involved. Being modular in nature, Meteor libraries can be used systematically for rapidly developing mobile and web applications in JavaScript.
Benefits
⦁ Simple Learning Curve: Learning curve is simple combined with easy configuration and implementation
⦁ Supportability: Provides official support for Angular and React frameworks.
⦁ Active Community: Abundance of community development.
⦁ Single Language: Client and server side require JS only.
Limitations
⦁ Lack of SQL Support: Only support MongoDB and lacks official support for SQL databases.
⦁ Lack of Testability: Official framework for testing is absent.
3. Backbone
The popularity of Backbone framework can be attributed to 2 key elements – simplicity of understanding it and high usability. It includes basic libraries required for building single page applications to enable development under time constraints. Backbone follows a minimalistic approach by using an API for directing all server side actions to deliver functionality of complex frameworks through simpler and easier coding.
Benefits
⦁ Two-Way Binding: Real time updating of modifications from backend to application UI.
⦁ Set Standards: Supports conventional framework standards for structured web and mobile application development.
⦁ Simple Learning Curve: Simplicity of usage.
⦁ Event Driven: Event driven communication between various elements.
Limitations
⦁ Lacks Complex Development Features and Tools: Unadvisable for developing complicated web based applications.
4. Vue
Combining user friendliness with an approach to allow developing web interfaces with minimal coding, Vue offers two-way data binding, scalability and understandability which has made it an instant hit back when it was released in 2016. An emerging framework, it can easily be added to other projects and provides the latest tools for developing single page applications.
Benefits
⦁ Lightweight: Vue consumes only 18kb after gzipping.
⦁ SPA Development: Tools present for efficiently building single page application and large scale templates.
⦁ Two-Way Data Binding: Mirrors real time changes to UI.
Limitations
⦁ Lacks Community Development: Community development is lacking compared to other frameworks.
⦁ Natural Language Gap: The community is mostly comprised of non-English speakers which complicates development for the framework.
5. Angular
Angular is a widely used for its ability to facilitate rapid development of web based applications and distinctively present business and presentation logic by. Its Model View Controller (MVC) framework is designed to be customized by user according to their requirements.
Delivering benefits ranging from easy coding, testing and integration of modifications in real time from backend to user interface, Angular is perfectly suited for both startups and established businesses. With the largest community of developers and users, Angular is the choice framework when developing single page applications.
Benefits
⦁ Efficient Coding: Facilitates swift coding and development.
⦁ Modifiability: All features and functionalities can be modified according to specifications.
⦁ Libraries: Supports an extensive list of libraries.
⦁ Testability: Features high degree of testability through unit, end to end and integration testing.
⦁ Two-Way Data Binding: Modifications to the backend are displayed on user interface in real time.
⦁ Generates Dependencies: Rather than requiring specific coding for dependencies, generates dependencies for components.
Limitations
⦁ High Learning Curve: Learning curve for Angular is complicated.
⦁ Angular Specific Libraries Required: Libraries coded for Angular are required for avoiding issues during development.
⦁ Lack of Support for External Tools and Libraries: Usage of tools and libraries other than those available within Angular environment is either unsupported or complicated.
6. Node
Node is an open source server running JS that supports event driven communication. It is utilized for networking and server side development and since the operations are non-blocking due to single threaded event handling, it offers enhanced performance.
Benefits
⦁ Testability: Supports out of box unit testing.
⦁ Caching on Application: Caches modules into memory for performance boost.
⦁ Scalability: Horizontally and vertically scalable.
⦁ Lightweight: Allows swift and efficient development.
Limitations
⦁ Queueing May Cause Application to Hang: Single threaded event loop execution causes requests to be queued.
⦁ Unsuitable for Resource Intensive Applications: Unsuitable for developing applications which require heavy CPU and network resources.
⦁ Instability of Updates and Lack of Backward Compatibility: Frequent updates in API are often backward incompatible and hence the code requires modifications.
⦁ Relational Databases Unsupported: Relational databases are not supported.
Choosing Frameworks for the Future
Frameworks come with their own set of features and limitations. From these popular frameworks of 2017, you can select the one that fits your requirements and specifications of the task you’re working on.
