React vs. Angular vs. Vue

JavaScript has become one of the most popular programming languages in recent times. It’s an object-oriented language that web developers often use to create the interactive aspects of websites.

Many don’t hardcode these scripts themselves. Instead, they rely on libraries of scripts that provide them with a base to work from. Furthermore, these libraries allow for easier integration of JavaScript with other popular web languages, such as PHP and CSS.

As JavaScript’s popularity grew, so too did the number of libraries available to users. In this article, we examine three of these libraries to discover the best option for web developers.

React pros and cons

React is a popular JavaScript library that sees plenty of use when designing large web applications. It is particularly efficient when used for applications with changeable data.

One of the main benefits of this framework is the easy learning curve. Its syntaxes are a lot easier to understand due to their simplicity. A good command of HTML is generally enough to master React, so there’s no need to become an expert in TypeScript.

The framework is also quite flexible and very responsive. It can work at a very high load with ease when combined with ES6/7, which is another scripting language. Another interesting feature is the way data binding works. In React, the data flow from the child elements doesn’t affect the parent data.

This also makes React a light framework which allows user side data to be represented on the server side at the same time.

Last but not least, this framework is open source and gets plenty of updates on a regular basis from developers around the world.

But, there are some minor drawbacks when it comes to React. Due to its open-source nature, there aren’t any official documents to browse through. Contributions are made to the framework in a way that is not systematic at all as they’re generally made by individual developers.

Angular pros and cons

Angular has been around since 2009 and it has maintained a pretty sizeable market share. It is mostly used for creating highly interactive web apps.

If you’re going for Angular, then Angular 5 is the framework of choice. Its new and improved HttpClient launcher and enhanced RXJS feature allow Angular to have a faster compilation rate, sometimes less than 3 seconds.

The framework comes with detailed documentation and plenty of resources. For an individual developer this is almost like a gold mine of information. It also means that you don’t have to waste time on researching how to use the basic scripts that the library contains.

In Angular, data binding is a two-way process. Because of this, you’re able to enable singular behavior for your apps which should minimize the number of possible errors.

It’s also an MVVM framework which, needless to say, gives it a considerable advantage over its competitors when it comes to combining efforts from multiple developers on the same app.

Although Angular doesn’t have many integration issues to speak of, migrating from an older model to a new one may cause some issues, depending on the complexity of the application.

The learning curve is also quite high even with the many resources available. This is because the syntax is rather complex. Even with Angular 5 using TypeScript 2.4 these days, it will take some getting used to.

Vue pros and cons

Vue is a framework designed for complicated single page applications and user interfaces with high adaptability.

Its architecture is similar to React and Angular, which should allow for a quick switch over between other frameworks and Vue. Perhaps even more similar to Angular than some people give it credit for, Vue can easily be used to optimize HTML blocks with multiple components.

In terms of integration, Vue exceeds its initial promises. Although designed mostly for single page applications, it does seem to handle more complex web interfaces too. This is largely because small interactive elements are easy to integrate into an existing infrastructure without negatively impacting the entire system.

If you’re interested in developing large reusable templates, Vue is a solid choice. These are easily designed without having to allocate extra time. Why? – Once again, it’s because of Vue’s simple structure.

In terms of size, Vue is as light as they come. Occupying around 20KB of data, it manages to maintain speed and flexibility in a way that rivals its top competitors.

Is all of this enough to give it a clear edge? – It really depends on what you’re looking to achieve. Keep in mind that Vue has a tiny market share. This means that it comes with a higher learning curve due to the lack of available resources.

Some stages of development are even harder since not all the documentations have yet been translated into English. This may also cause some issues with troubleshooting, especially when integrating Vue in large projects and complex applications.

Opportunities

One quick look at any large job site and you’ll be able to see how the workload is spread among these three frameworks. React dominates the job market even in 2018. Angular has a decent chunk of the market share, but it’s still probably only 1/3 of React’s.

Vue is at the bottom of the totem pole. Despite the framework’s obvious benefits, it’s not yet mature enough to demand more attention.

Final word

The choice between these three libraries depends on what you’re looking for. Vue offers a simple structure that initially makes it attractive to novices. However, the comparative lack of resources could create a larger learning curve than you expected. You may also experience troubleshooting issues due to translation issues.

Angular offers a larger market share and one of the fastest compilers on the market. It’s also one of the most resource-rich JavaScript libraries, which makes navigating its features much easier. However, its complex syntax could create a roadblock for some users.

That leaves React as the top choice of the three. The most established of the libraries, it boasts a much large market share. It also makes use of simple syntax, which makes it user-friendly even if you might struggle to find documentation.

Finally, it’s regularly updated due to its open-source nature. As a result, you can rely on it to keep pace with other web technologies as they evolve.