Javascript has taken web application development to a different level. It has revolutionized the way of developing and made it super easier to develop software. Since its release in 1995, it has gained massive popularity among the development community. It has transformed the way of developing by introducing various frameworks.
Initially, Javascript was only used for Client-side. But, at the present time, it is capable to create client side as well server side efficiently. Not only Javascript, but even its different frameworks are also leading the development market. According to Recent reports, Javascript or its frameworks are currently ruling 98% of the websites on the web.
Isn’t it amazing? Yes, So, Today with this blog post, we are going to have an in-depth look at the 10 best Javascript frameworks including frontend and backend along with their pros and cons. Earlier we also mentioned the top backend frameworks and Best frontend frameworks, where we have mentioned the detail about frameworks, you can refer to this post if you are unaware of backend and frontend.
So, let’s dive into the best Javascript frameworks of 2024, But first, let’s talk about what is Javascript and its frameworks, and what does it.
What is Javascript?
Javascript is an open-source scripting language, released in 1995, and is one of the oldest technologies in the tech world. It enables you to create interactive and dynamic web content like applications and browsers. Javascript is so popular and the most used programming language across the world.
What is Javascript Framework and What does it do?
The javascript frameworks are collections of JS libraries, which contains pre-written codes, and helps the developer to build website and web applications at their convenience.
Frameworks provide support for building something and expanding its structure into something useful. That’s the reason, it is more adaptable to web design and hence many developers rely on it. Frameworks of Javascript are easier and smoother, making development faster.
Many tech giants are using JS frameworks for providing robust and interactive web solutions for businesses.
Choosing Javascript frameworks is a smart choice, as it provides overall efficiency to the projects that organizations expect. Know some of the benefits of the JS framework
- JS frameworks help a developer write better codes and make better UI
- Almost all the frameworks are open-source, and their libraries are available for free.
- Provides Ready-made solutions, and helps the developers to focus on different aspects
- Comparatively, by using Javascript framework development becomes faster
- Brings overall efficiency to the companies
- Development cost becomes less
- A huge number of Javascript frameworks are available, you can hire Javascript developers conveniently
Javascript is versatile in nature. It offers frameworks in both categories: frontend as well as backend.
So, At first, we will look at Javascript Frontend Frameworks
Top Javascript Frameworks for 2024
Angular JS
Angular JS is the first on our list. Angular is a Typescript-based open-source Javascript Framework, released in 2016 at Google. It is one of the most efficient and powerful JS frameworks.
Angular.js is the best choice for developing any single-page application. It brings all the features that any web application requires. You can easily trust this technology as Google is working behind it. Top tech companies like Netflix, Gmail, Forbes, Upwork, PayPal, etc are using Angular.
Features of Angular
Cross-Platform
With Angular, progressive web applications can be easily developed. It has modern web application capabilities to provide an app-like experience with high-performance, offline and zero installations. At your convenience, you can deploy an app as native or progressive.
Code-Generation
Angular turns templated into codes, that are highly optimized for Javascript virtual machines, and provides the benefits of hand-written codes. Therefore, the loading time of Angularjs is faster than any other framework.
Interactive UI
Angular js helps developers to create interactive user interfaces with easy and simple template syntax.
Angular CLI
Angular CLI is a common line interface that allows you to start building fast, add components, test them and deploy instantly.
Animations
The new component router loads the Angular apps quickly and delivers automatic code splitting.
Code-Splitting
You can create high-performance and complex animation timelines with a little code through Angular Intuitive API.
Pros of Angular
- It’s an open-source and easy-to-learn technology
- MVC architectural pattern separates the view layer and the logic layer.
- Reusable components enable the developers to reuse the codes, whenever required.
- Converting templates into codes generates high-quality standard codes.
- Two-way data binding structure builds a strong layer between the view and model
Cons of Angular
- Beginners require much effort to learn
- Requires additional tools, to implement SEO techniques.
- Can have performance issues
Where to use Angular?
- Single-Page applications
- Mobile applications
- Creating Chrome extensions
- Large Applications
- Companies Dashboards
How convenient is it to hire Angular js Developers?
Angular has come a long way after its release. Developers are continuously making efforts to stay ahead in the market. So, you can easily get Angular developers. Hiring Angular.js developer can cost you $10 to $30 per hour depending on their expertise.
React JS
Actually, React is not a framework, but an open-source Javascript library developed by Facebook in 2013. It is currently the most-used frontend JS technology, for creating rich user interfaces.
React.js is used to develop dynamic user interfaces for web pages, with high incoming traffic. It ensures high-speed rendering using virtual DOM. With React, integration with any application is easier. Some of the well-known companies like Instagram, Airbnb, Walmart, Wix, Skype, etc are using React js.
While many of us, often fall into a dilemma for Reactjs, is it a library or a framework? Actually React is a Javascript library for building single-page web applications and one is React Native – which is a React-based Javascript framework, used to build mobile applications. React and React Native both solve different kinds of problems
Features of React
Virtual DOM
There is a corresponding Virtual DOM for every DOM object. It creates a copy of the virtual DOM, which is a representation of the DOM object.
Declarative UI
Reactjs creates dynamic and interactive UI for web applications and mobile apps. These create the UI view readable and easy to debug.
JSX
JSX is a markup syntax, which makes the React components easier by making the HTML-like syntax and injecting it into web pages.
Performance
React uses one-way data binding with an application architecture called FLUX. It helps to update the view and Flux controls the application’s flow.
Component-Based
In React everything is divided into component-based architecture, which is used to define the visuals and interactions in web applications.
Pros of React
- Contains a lot of reusable components to build business logic.
- Offers Easy integration with Frontend or Backend
- Having Huge community support
- Virtual DOM makes the work faster
- SEO-Friendly Javascript framework leads you to implement SEO tips successfully
Read this article – 7 major Advantages of React for Web Applications if you want to know more details about React benefits
Cons of React
- Focusses only on the UI layer
- Needs to deal with complex state management
- Frequent updates, which makes it difficult for the developer to stay updated all-time
- JSX might work as a barrier for new beginners
Where to Use React?
- Single-page applications
- For handling the View layer of applications
- Large web applications
- Video Streaming Platforms
- Reusable UI Components creation
How convenient is it to hire React js Developers?
According to the Statista report, React js is the most in-demand web framework in 2022. 40.1% of software developers declared that they are globally using it to create web applications. Therefore Hire React js developer can’t be challenging, but it could be expensive, due to its popularity. React js developers charge $50 – $150 per hour.
Finding React js developers from freelancing could be expensive, so it is better to hire React js developers from outsourcing agencies, they can guide you well in every aspect.
While there is a long ongoing debate between Angular and React for finding the best for web development, both are suitable for web development, with their own benefits, and drawbacks. But, it totally depends on your projects, so you should have proper knowledge of these technologies, to find out the perfect match for your business. Refer to this article Angular vs React, to know both in more detail.
Vue JS
Vuejs is the lightweight and progressive Javascript framework released in 2016. It is considered progressive, because of its capabilities to facilitate the design of high-end single-page web applications through dual integration mode.
It effortlessly creates files of smaller sizes. Its architecture and step-by-step implementation make the development process even more simple. Besides this, Vue is a simple and easy-to-adapt framework.
Features of Vue
Virtual DOM
Vue js virtual DOM component acts as a backbone of Vue js performance. It’s a Javascript representation of each node in the real DOM tree. Finding Nodes that have been modified is faster using virtual DOM
Transitions and Animations
It has several methods to add transitions to the HTML elements when added, updated, or removed from the DOM.
Templates
Vue provides HTML-based templates, which bind the DOM with the Vue.js instance data.
Simple API
Vue js offers simple API and designs. Therefore you can build simple applications in a single day.
Pros of Vue
- Easy to learn and understand for beginners
- Open-source and light-weight progressive web framework
- Offers Easy integration with third-party apps
- Virtual DOM makes performance fast
- Provides interactive and perfect user interfaces
Cons of Vue
- Not good for extensive scaling
- Complexity arises for two-way data binding
- Fewer high-end and effective plugins
- Lack of Support for large-scale projects
Where to Use Vue.js?
- Building UI
- Single Page apps
- Complex apps
How convenient is it to hire Vuejs Developers?
Vue.js is a developer-friendly framework because of its popularity and simple structure. So hiring a Vue js developer will provide you some relief. Equally, there is high demand among various companies and organizations to hire Vuejs developers. Therefore, you can easily find developers from freelancing sites, outsourcing agencies, etc. Vue js developers’ hourly charges are $19 – $35 per hour depending upon your location and project.
Svelte JS
Svelte JS is an open-source component-based frontend framework, written in Typescript. It was released in 2016. It is considered a “Compile-time javascript framework” because it allows you to write your code once and compiled it into regular Javascript, which runs in any browser.
It is an all-in-one component-based framework because it combines all file styles, scripts, and layout code in a single .svelte file. The best part of it is that it does not require any browser processing. Some of the famous sites like Spotify, Squareup, Cloudmail, etc have used Svelte js.
Features of Svelte js
Lightweight and Speedy
Svelte js is lightweight and robust, because of having highly optimized Vanilla JS, with little overhead at runtime. Svelte offers highly optimized Vanilla JS, with little overhead at run-time. This reduces the bundle size, and memory footprint and makes the applications load fast and run smoothly.
High-Performance
Svelte js is one of the fastest frameworks, because of using Javascript. This makes it suitable for high-performance applications.
Reusable Components
It provides powerful templating systems, which provide reusable components, that can be shared across multiple projects. This even reduces the project development time.
Less Code
It offers less coding. Fewer lines of code reduce bugs, increase productivity and readability.
Pros of Svelte js
- It is easy to use, learn and understand
- Based on a component-based model
- Ideal for both server-side as well as client-side rendering
- Light-weight and high-performance framework
- No presence of Virtual DOM, so apps perform faster and smoother
- Less boilerplate code to write, so the developer can do other tasks
Cons of Svelte js
- No third-party components present
- Complex to scale up the application
- Not enough tools for debugging process
- Relatively, much smaller community support
- Lack of IDE support
Where to Use Svelte js?
- Static web apps
- Single-page web applications
- Building Reusable components
How convenient is it to hire Svelte js Developers?
Although Svelte is new, that’s why it has not got huge community support. So compared to other frameworks finding a svelte developer will be a bit difficult. But it will not take you much time to find the svelte developer. Hiring freelancing svelte developers can typically charge $60-$70 per hour.
Ember JS
Ember js is an open-source Javascript framework, released in 2011. It is one of the fascinating frontend frameworks, that utilizes component-service patterns. It is used for creating scalable single-page web applications.
It supports two-way data binding, which makes it reliable for handling complex user interfaces. This framework allows working with large ecosystems and changes part of it without affecting the others. The well-known websites using Ember JS are LinkedIn, Netflix, and Nordstrom.
Features of Ember js
Easy to use
Creates simple web applications, which are easy to maintain.
HTML and CSS
In Ember js, HTML and CSS are the core web development models
Debugging
Ember provides a special inspector tool for debugging and testing Ember web applications
Template
Ember js used template models that help to automatically update the model when any changes occur.
Pros of Ember js
- Follows COC(Convention over Configuration) approach
- Reusable and easy to maintain as well
- Offers high scalability and productivity
- Provides good mechanisms to work with APIs
- Support two-way data binding structure
Cons of Ember js
- Challenging for beginners to learn
- Not well for smaller projects
- Not very fast and efficient
- Popularity dropped from a few years
Where to use Ember js?
- Client-side apps
- Large web apps
- Complex eco-system
How convenient is it to hire Emberjs Developers?
Hiring Ember js developers is not a hassle now. You can find a talented developer who can contribute to the growth of your company. The cost to hire Ember js developer is almost $20 per hour, but it may vary.
Backbone JS
Backbone js is a Javascript-rich client-side library, released in 2010. It allows a high amount of flexibility and makes it the perfect solution for structured code. Nowadays, developers use it to create single-page web applications. It works as a supply element for Javascript-based heavy applications.
The main aim behind Backbone js is to reduce the complexity and acquire a higher level of functionalities with fewer codes. Therefore, the framework makes sure that all server-side functions are flowing through API. Uber, Pinterest, and Reddit are some of the companies, that have included Backbone js in their tech stacks.
Features of Backbone JS
Simple
Backbone is a simple library, which separates logic and user interfaces. It makes your code simple and structured. It acts as the backbone of your system.
Extension-Rich
It’s an open-source and free library that contains over 100+ extensions.
Dependencies
It has a soft dependency with Jquery as well as hard dependencies with Underscore.js.
Organized Development
Backbone js helps the developer to create client-side development and server-side development in a well-organized format.
Building Blocks
Backbone provides numerous building blocks like models, views, routers, and collections for assembling client-side web applications
Pros of Backbone js
- It offers you to create single-page applications
- Easy to use, learn and understand
- Having own development and architectural decisions making
- Vast ecosystem and extensive community
- Well-maintained coding standards
Cons of Backbone js
- Poor user experience for big-sized data structures
- Lack of precise controller building blocks
- Testing could be difficult
- No built-in support for data binding
Where to use Backbone js?
- Large-scale Javascript projects
How convenient is it to hire a Backbone js developer?
Backbone js has been in the market for a longer time, and still it is used for web development. The demand for JS developers is equally high. Therefore the cost of hiring a backbone js developer is $19 per hour, but it totally depends on your project and its requirements.
So, Above all the basically frontend framework of Javascript, mainly focuses on client-side development. Now. let’s move to the backend framework of Javascript.
Meteor JS
Meteor is an open-source, full-stack backend development framework, released in 2011. It is a one-stop solution for creating functionalities like rapid prototyping and cross-platform code creation. This framework is built using Node js for creating web and mobile apps for IOS and Android.
Meteor js can be integrated with other frameworks like Angular, React, and Express and can be integrated with MongoDB for building hybrid apps. Furthermore, it also allows the automatic transition of data changes. Companies like Accenture, Shelf, Deloitte, etc are using Meteor js.
Features of Meteor js
Full-Stack Solution
Meteor js is a full-stack solution for developing and deploying web applications.
Database Integration
Meteor js supports any database integration with Node js driver. But MongoDB is a mainly used database.
Iso-morphic codes
It uses the same code on the client side and server side as well as for mobile and web applications. It eliminates the need to install and configure different libraries, module managers, API drivers, and more.
Front-end Solution
Meteor js provides a proper front-end solution. Although it is not an advanced framework, it still offers good features. It can be integrated with popular frameworks like Backbone.js to yield better results.
Development Ecosystem
It allows us to build real-time web applications and it contains all necessary components for the frontend and backend.
Pros of Meteor JS
- It easily converts web apps into smartphone apps
- It saves a lot of time with packages
- Having an active and supportive community
- It is developed with a single language
Cons of Meteor JS
- Lack of control over loading files
- No native server-side rendering
- Not possible to make a mobile web application run as effectively as with native
Where to Use Meteor JS?
- Modern web and mobile applications
- Developing prototype
- Interactive applications
How convenient is it to Hire a Meteor js Developer?
Meteor is a popular Javascript framework and one of its simple technology to build scalable applications. Therefore, Meteor js developers are not so difficult to find out. Hiring a meteor js developer could cost $14 per hour, depending on the project’s complexity
Node JS
Node js is an open-source cross-platform Javascript runtime environment for the backend, released in 2009. It executes Javascript code outside the web browser. This framework is capable of driving asynchronous I/O with its event-driven architecture.
It is mainly designed to build scalable network applications. It develops I/O intensive web applications, video streaming platforms, single-page applications, and other kinds of web applications. Companies using Node js are Netflix, PayPal, Uber, eBay, etc.
Features of Node js
Event-driven and Asynchronous
In Node js, all the APIs are asynchronous, which means that servers don’t need to wait for the API to come back with Data.
Fast
As it is built on Javascript v8 engine, the execution of code in Node js is faster.
Single-threaded
Along with event-looping, it follows a single-threaded model
Highly-Scalable
Node js follows an event mechanism, which allows the server to respond in a non-blocking manner. That in turn makes it highly scalable.
No Buffering
Node js cuts down the processing time while uploading audio and videos. Therefore it reduces the processing time, which does not buffer any data.
Pros of Node js
- Node js achieves scalability because of load balancing and handling the number of concurrent connections
- It provides efficient performance and makes the development process easier
- It quickly develops MVP(Minimum Viable Product)
- Support for a huge number of libraries and reusable templates
- It is lightweight and massively reduces the application development time
You can also read the Advantages of Node js for developing web applications
Cons of Node js
- Unstable API
- Does not have strong library support
- Asynchronous programming Model
Where to Use Node js?
- Building Real-time applications
- Video-streaming platforms
- Server-side programming
- For building API
- Building Scalable network applications
How convenient is it to Hire a Node js Developer?
Hiring Node js developers seems difficult because there are a lot of them available in the market, but not all of them are experienced and experts. There is also high demand. The cost to hire Node js developer could be $38/hr.
Express JS
Express js is an open-source backend web application framework of Node js released in 2010. It is used for building Restful APIs. It has been called the defector standard server framework for Node js.
It is fast, robust, and asynchronous in nature. Express can be assumed as a layer built on top of Node js, that helps to manage servers and routes. Companies using Express js are IBM, PayPal, and LinkedIn.
Features of Express js
Fast Server-side development
Express js has the beneficial feature of Node js, which saves a lot of time for development.
Middleware
It is a request handler, which has an access to applications request – respond’s cycle
Templating Engine
It provides templating engine, which builds dynamic content on the web pages by creating templates on the server.
Debugging
It makes the debugging process easier, by identifying the exact part of the bugs.
Pros of Express js
- It is unopinionated and can be customized
- It can be used for accessing requests
- Fast to link with MySQL, MongoDB, etc
- Single language used on both backend and frontend side
Cons of Express js
- So many issues with callbacks
- Difficult to understand the error messages
- Sometimes code becomes difficult to understand
Where to use Express js?
- Single page applications
- Multiple page applications
- Hybrid web applications
How convenient is it to hire an Express js developer?
It is not so difficult to hire an Express js developer. You can hire them from various freelancing sites or outsourcing agencies. The cost to hire an Express js developer ranges from $30 to $100 per hour.
Next JS
Next js is the latest open-source web development framework released in 2016. It enables React-based web applications with server-side rendering and generating static websites. It provides a rich user experience.
It is considered one of the fastest-growing React frameworks which is perfect to fit static websites. Companies like Netflix, Uber, Twitch, and much more use Node js
Features of Next js
Built-in CSS
It allows you to import CSS records from JS files and broadens the idea of importing beyond Javascript.
Typescript
It gives a coordinated Typescript experience and allows you to create a Typescript project.
Full-stack capabilities
Next js makes it easier for React developers to add backend code to the project. It is very easy to add code for storing data and getting data.
Dynamic components
It easily allows you to import Javascript and React components dynamically
Pros of Next JS
- Ready-to-use components of Next make building MVP much faster
- Various dependencies, user data as well as other sensitive information are safe
- It is fully omnichannel, i.e. Next js web applications and apps run on any device
- Next js websites are superfast, so visitors will be more satisfied with the performance
Cons of Next JS
- Difficult to handle routes, as it uses only a file router
- It supports only static sites, so building apps with multiple pages can take a longer time
- No built-in state manager available for the Next js framework
Where to use Next JS?
- Large multi-user sites
- Client-side rendered web applications
- Big eCommerce sites
- Web portals
How convenient is it to hire Next JS Developer?
Next js is a great choice if you want to buid static side and it is SEO-friendly too. Therefore hiring Next js developer can cost you $30 per hour.
While Next js and React js both are best considered for developing web applications. But there is a battle that arises between Next js vs Express js, for who is best. Refer to this article to learn more about them.
Conclusion
So, Javascript is a vast ecosystem and it contains dozens of frameworks. We have explained the best 10 Javascript frameworks. Each one is good with its own benefits and drawbacks. So it’s not easy to determine the best among them. If you want to select one for your web development, then you should have a brief knowledge of your business requirements and needs. Then you should select the best frameworks, that absolutely fit your business. So choose wisely and build smartly.
If you have any doubts, we at UPSQODE, are always ready to provide you best solution. You can contact us anytime and share your requirements with us.