Angular, React, or Vue.Js for My Web App?

So, you have a project on your mind that would make for a killer web app and are thinking about hiring software developers to turn that project into reality.  What kind of developer should you be on the lookout for?

At first glance, the answer may seem simple: a full stack developer who can handle both the frontend and backend of your app. And when it comes to the frontend, it’s almost a certainty that you need someone with JavaScript experience.

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as simple. See, JavaScript experience can mean different things to different people, and 2 developers with equal JavaScript experience may have vastly different skill sets depending on which framework they know and have worked with in the past.

When it comes to frontend development and web apps, there are dozens of frameworks out there, but the 3 most popular based on JavaScript (or TypeScript) are: Angular, React, and Vue.

React might be the most popular and loved among developers nowadays, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best solution for every project out there. Depending on the nature of your web app, Angular or Vue.js might be a better solution, or perhaps another framework altogether.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a popularity contest, nor a competition. Each framework will deliver a great result in the right hands, but each shines in a different area, and that’s what you should be considering when making a choice.

So, let’s dive into what you can get out of these frameworks and what projects they are most suitable for.

Angular

Angular.js is the oldest of the 3 frameworks we are going to talk about today. Originally released by Google back in 2010 with a major rework made in 2016 called Angular2 (or simply Angular, dropping the js), this framework it’s well known for its component-based structure and ease of maintenance.

One of the reasons why Angular is extremely popular is the fact that it works with TypeScript, a superset of JavaScript designed by Microsoft with the intent of creating a programming language with a similar syntax to JavaScript.

For all its strengths, flexibility, and ease of use, JavaScript wasn’t originally intended as a language for large projects. That’s why TypeScript exists and that’s why Google favored it for Angular: it was the no-brainer choice to build a framework designed for advanced and complex projects.

Angular is well known for its compartmentalization. In this framework, each part of the UI is a component, a section of the application encapsulated with its function, all of which are structured under a defined hierarchy.

In large-scale projects, it’s not uncommon for different developers to work on different parts of an app, and Angular excels in this kind of situation. That’s because each component can be created independently and then assembled into a final product.

Maturity is Angular’s biggest drawback. This framework is massive and has a very steep learning curve. Much like Django, it’s a toolbox with dozens upon dozens of tools, and there is very little incentive to use it if you are designing a small app, so much so, that the library may even be bigger than the app itself.

React

React (or React.JS) was created by Facebook in 2013 and released under the MIT license. Since then, it has grown into a healthy frontend framework with a strong community and active development.

Extensively used by Facebook, React is an integral part of both the social network’s webpage as well as the web versions of both WhatsApp and Instagram. It was designed to create lightweight single-page and mobile applications, and in that regard it delivers.

For example, it’s a well-known fact that Netflix turned to ReactJS while searching for a way to create faster loading applications that could work in low-end smart TVs. The result? The streaming giant managed to halve loading times and increase performance in almost all devices.

Much like Angular, React uses its brand of JavaScript called JSX (short for JavaScript XML) which can be both a blessing and a curse.

JSX is a syntax extension that allows HTML and JavaScript to be mixed and used together, allowing developers to create JavaScript objects with HTML syntax. For those who already know how to use it, it’s a godsend. For those just starting, it’s the biggest hurdle to overcome when learning React.

Having said that, JSX is optional. Software engineers can use React with good old JavaScript and HTML, but most experts agree that it’s better to get used to the new syntax since it ends up being a lot more flexible.

If speed and optimization are the core strengths of React, its poor documentation is its biggest downside. Fortunately, it’s very easy to find help online with such an active community.

React is a great tool for small-scale projects and mobile browsing. If you think that your user base might be working with low-end devices, this framework is well worth a look.

Vue.Js

Out of all 3, Vue.js is the newcomer and, as it often happens in the world of software development, it brings some fresh ideas to the table. It also means it tries to solve some of the perceived problems of other established frameworks but has less community support than its brethren.

That’s not to say that Vue.js isn’t liked – quite the opposite. Created by Evan You as a more friendly alternative to Angular for single-page projects, it has quickly grown to become one of the most loved frontend frameworks on the market.

It’s well known that Vue.js was heavily inspired by You’s experience with Angular so, naturally, the syntax of both frameworks is strikingly similar. What this framework offers is a less opinionated approach which in turn provides more flexibility for the developer.

Vue.js differentiates between the roles of directives and components. Directives are DOM manipulations, while components are self-sufficient elements with their view and logic.

It has support for both traditional HTML and JSX, which means that anyone coming from Angular or React will feel right at home.

Much like React, one of its strengths is how well optimized and lightweight the framework is, with the additional perk of being very intuitive and having very detailed documentation full of examples.

While full of potential, Vue.js still has ways to go. Right now, its biggest drawbacks are a lack of plugins, code flexibility, lack of scalability, and difficulty when dealing with mobile devices. Many of these issues will be solved with Vue3, which is ditching JavaScript in favor of TypeScript.

If you want a very simple framework for a small-scale web app that’s mostly intended for desktop use, then there is no better option than Vue.js.

Deciding which framework to use on your project shouldn’t be a decision based upon the popularity of the framework, but rather on the needs of your project and how each framework approaches the problems you’ll find in development. As you can see, Angular, React, and Vue all serve specific purposes and can power different projects. Keep that in mind when selecting the framework for your next project.

If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out our other Vue articles.

• My Experience With Vue 3
• Streamline Your Design with Nuxt and Tailwind
• Harnessing Vue $Emit for Effective Event Handling
• Vue JS Routing: A Comprehensive Guide
• Best Vue UI Frameworks & Component Libraries