In today’s web development, the two main objectives are a great user experience and a quick time to market. Using front-end development frameworks greatly aids in meeting those goals. However, the market’s abundance of frontend frameworks can be perplexing. Which is the best?
We’ve put together this guide on the most prevalent frontend frameworks so you can easily find their benefits and drawbacks and the best tool for your needs. But, let’s start with the introduction of Frontend frameworks.
Introduction of the Frontend Frameworks
Before we get into the best Frontend Frameworks, let’s define what they are. To understand a front end framework, we must first understand what the front end is. The front end of a website or application is what the user sees when they visit the website.
As a result, a Front-end Framework is a platform/tool for developing the front end of your website. A Front-end Framework can be used to perform tasks such as managing AJAX requests, trying to associate data with The Document object Model (DOM) elements, specifying a data format, and styling web page elements.
Frontend frameworks help developers by providing them with tools to build interactive, responsive, and fast websites. These frameworks save time on repetitive tasks and allow developers to focus on their creativity.
Examples of frameworks include utility programs, code libraries, scripting languages, and other types of software that make it easier to create and integrate numerous parts of a large software product.
Now, let’s move toward the top 10 Frameworks for Frontend Development list.
List of Top 10 Frameworks for Frontend Development
Following are the top 10 Frameworks for Frontend Development.
1. React
React is a JavaScript library for creating web applications, but it is commonly referred to as a frontend framework. ReactJS has been around since 2013, and Jordan Walke and Facebook made it. It was initially a side project, but eventually, it became the company’s primary UI library. Today, front-end development teams at companies like PayPal, Netflix, Walmart, Tesla, and others use React, proving the tool’s excellent performance, quality, and reliability.
It uses the MVC architecture but with a different presentation table and data availability. The Virtual DOM and how it handles document access and manipulation is one of its distinctive features.
ReactJS is an excellent choice for creating high-quality interfaces with minimal code, which can be very useful when developing complex apps.
Pros:
- ReactJS is more declarative than Angular as it uses a one-way data flow.
- It also has an intuitive API, making it easy for developers to create complex UIs with just a few lines of code.
- The library is also very fast as it renders components on the fly
Cons:
- ReactJS could be tricky to learn.
2. Angular
Angular is a frontend web application framework that Google developed. It is considered to be a TypeScript-based open-source web application framework. It is used for creating single-page applications and mobile apps with the help of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
The Angular framework has been designed to support the Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern. This means that we can use it for structuring an app’s code in such a way that there is a clear distinction between the data model, the view, and the controller.
Pros:
- It supports Two Way Data Binding
- Components are reusable and simple to manage when using dependency injection.
- It has a very vast community
Cons:
- Because of its complexity, Angular is heavier than React, which can adversely influence dynamic apps and necessitates code optimization.
3. Vue.js
Vue.js is a JavaScript framework used to develop interactive web applications. It has a simple and intuitive API, making it easier for developers to create web interfaces that are more reactive to user actions.
Vue.js was created by Evan You, a software engineer from China. It has become popular due to its simplicity and ease of use for developers who are not familiar with JavaScript frameworks.
Vue is focused on the view layer only, making it easy to integrate into different projects and build custom components as needed without worrying about other parts of the application or framework that are outside its scope, like routing, state management, and templating
Pros:
- Vue.js has a fast and reactive rendering which makes the user experience better
- Vue is easy to learn, which makes it easier for developers who are new to the framework
- Vue allows you to use either single file components or full components, which makes it more flexible than Angular or React
Cons:
- The documentation of this framework is a bit hard to follow
4. jQuery
jQuery is a fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library. jQuery was initially released on August 26, 2006, and has been growing in popularity ever since. The library can create powerful web applications that are cross-browser compatible and responsive.
It simplifies things like HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax with an easy-to-use API that works across many browsers. With jQuery, you can quickly develop sophisticated web applications with a lighter load on the server.
Pros:
- The DOM is adaptable in terms of adding and expelling elements.
- Allows for dynamic content
- HTTP requests are streamlined.
Cons:
- Working speed is relatively slow.
5. Emberjs
Emberjs, created in 2011, is a component-based framework that provides two-way data binding, similar to Angular. It is built to meet the ever-increasing demands of modern technology. Emberjs can be used to create complex mobile and web applications, and its efficient architecture can handle issues.
But one of Ember’s few drawbacks is how difficult it is to learn. Due to its rigid and conventional structure, the framework is among the most difficult to learn.
Pros:
- The speediest framework
- Bidirectional data binding
- Provide easy-to-follow documentation
Cons:
- Slow updates and a complex syntax
6. Backbone.js
Backbone.js is an open-source JavaScript library for creating web applications and single-page web applications with a model–view–controller (MVC) pattern.
Backbone.js is lightweight, flexible, and provides a way to structure the application by defining models, views, and controllers. It also allows developers to create event-driven programs that are more responsive than traditional asynchronous programming techniques.
Pros:
- It is free and open-source.
- Lightweight
- It provides users with the ability to develop well-structured applications.
Cons:
- Dependence on third-party libraries
7. Semantic-UI
Semantic-UI is a UI framework that helps developers create user interfaces with clean and consistent code. It has been designed to make developing applications more efficient and faster.
It comes with a set of ready-to-use components, which developers can use to build their applications without having to reinvent the wheel every time they start a new project. Semantic-UI is also highly customizable as it allows developers to easily change the theme, fonts, colors, and other aspects of its design.
Pros:
- It is more functional.
- One of the most recent frontend frameworks
- Rich UI modules and responsiveness
Cons:
- Comes with significantly larger packages
8. Preact
Preact is a JavaScript library that bills itself as the speediest 3KB alternative to React, with a similar ES6 API. In addition to DOM, Preact provides the smallest possible virtual DOM abstraction.
It is built on stable platform features and works well with other frontend and UI libraries. Preact is small in size but not speed, allowing for the development of complex web-based applications.
Pros:
- Effective use of the memory
- Very Lightweight and easy to learn
- You can use elements from the React ecosystem with ease.
Cons:
- React’s use of synthetic events is not supported by Preact in any way.
9. Svelte
Svelte is a framework for building robust web applications. It is designed to be fast, lightweight, and flexible. Svelte has only one dependency: React. You can use it with any other library or technology like Redux, VueJS, or even jQuery!
The Svelte compiler removes all the boilerplate code you don’t need in your app — this includes unused stylesheets and JavaScript files and unneeded DOM nodes in your HTML markup. This makes it easy to add new features without worrying about increasing the size of your app significantly.
Pros:
- Better responsiveness
- Easy to Learn
- A faster framework than Angular or React
Cons:
- It has a very small community
10. Foundation
Zurb developed Foundation. It is specifically designed for enterprise-level development of responsive and agile websites. It is advanced and difficult for newcomers to begin developing applications with Foundation.
It provides GPU acceleration for ultra-smooth visuals, fast mobile rendering features, and data-interchange qualities such as loading lightweight sections for mobile devices and heavy segments for larger devices. If you want to get started with the Foundation, we recommend working on independent projects to familiarise yourself with the framework and its intricacies.
Pros:
- Allows you to create beautiful websites.
- individualized user experiences for various media and devices
Cons:
- Not for beginners, it isn’t easy to learn.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed ten frameworks for frontend developers. These frameworks are all free to use and can be used to build any kind of web application. Some are better for specific purposes, like React for building interactive web applications or AngularJS for building single-page apps. We hope that this article has been helpful to you!
