JS Frameworks: Trends and Opportunities

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According to a survey made by Stack Overflow, JavaScript is considered the most famous programming language among developers for eight years in a row. It is used in both front-end and back-end applications. Therefore, It is popular among developers. That's the reason most huge companies are currently using JavaScript Frameworks.

What is a Framework

Let's start by a simple example to explain the concept of a Framework. You have a group of bricks. These bricks are the Framework. They can be used to build a house. The bricks have certain dimensions that you have to work with. You can build houses of different sizes and shapes but you can't manufacture a car or an airplane with it. You need to search for a different framework for that. JavaScript Framework provides a certain set of rules that can be used by any developer to make complex applications faster and efficient. It is easier than building an application from scratch. JavaScript is used for both client and server side so there are multiple frameworks to work with.

What is the difference between Framework and a Library

Framework is a full toolset that helps organize your website or application, while on the other side library is a collection of code functions that provide needed library of features and don't help in shaping your application. The Three main types of Frameworks in JavaScript are: Front-end Frameworks, Back-end Frameworks and Testing Frameworks.

Difference between frontend, backend and testing

• Front-end: It is the programming which focuses mainly on the client side (visual elements of a website that a user will interact with).
• Back-end: It is the programming which focuses mainly on the server side (side of a website users can't see). Front-end and Back-end work together to create a dynamic website that allows users to apply any interactive activities you might take part in while using the website.
• Testing: As the name says, testing is used to ensure the functionality correctness of the website.

Discussion of most popular JavaScript Frameworks

Front-end Frameworks

REACT

• Developer: It is developed by Facebook.
• Functionality: It helps in building interactive user interfaces. In addition, it provides a component system where code is written once and can be reused in different parts.
• In comparison to other Frameworks: It is considered number one in terms of some of the most important factors, like developer satisfaction, interest, usage, stability, and popularity.
• Popular companies that are built using React: Twitter, Airbnb, New Your Times and Instagram.

ANGULAR

• **Developer: **It is developed by Google.
• Functionality: It is more than just a framework but a platform used for building dynamic web applications. It has all the functionalities and features that can be needed by a front-end application.
• In Comparison to other Frameworks: It was popular with React at the beginning but popularity decreased over years due to lack of flexibility and requirement to be familiar with two programming languages. As angular applications are written in Typescript.
• Popular companies that are built using Angular: Guardian, IBM, Udacity and YouTube.

VUE

• Developer: It is developed by Evan You, an ex-Google employee. Currently it is maintained by a group of core team members and open source collaborators.
• Functionality: It is more flexible. It can be used as a plug-and-play library. Also, It has a lot of helper tools that can be used for creating efficient, fast and progressive single page Application.
• In Comparison to other Frameworks: It is ranked among the top 3 Frameworks. This is due to its simplicity, small size and it is much easier to set up. That's the reason it outraged the performance of a lot of competitors.
• Popular companies that are built using Vue: a lot of applications for the following companies: Apple, 9GAG, Gitlab and Dribble.

Back-end Frameworks

EXPRESS

• **Developer: **It is developed by the Node foundation.
• Functionality: It is famous for its small size, performance and high speed in getting HTTP server up and running. It provides a neat, easy and quick way, abstracted API over the more complex Node.js framework.
• In Comparison to other Frameworks: It is the most preferred JS framework until recently especially for developers who want to use JavaScript for both their front and back-end stacks. It is beginner-friendly and enables developers to build complex applications.
• Popular companies that use Express: IBM, Twitter and PayPal.

NEXT

• Developer: It is a React-based framework .
• Functionality: It builds pre-rendered React web applications for the client. Pre-rendering is important to increase the SEO performance of a website. Also, it increases website visibility to different search engines.
• In Comparison to other Frameworks: According to the statistics, it is currently the most popular Backend framework. It has zero up-front required configuration. This takes care of most of the optimizations, giving chances for developers to focus on writing the code and framework is responsible for rending.
• Popular companies that use Next: Uber, Netflix, Starbucks, Tiktok and Nike.

Testing Frameworks

JEST

• Developer: It is developed by Facebook.
• Functionality: It makes sure of JS code accuracy and correctness through an easy-to-use API for building applications.
• In Comparison to other Frameworks: It is one of the most popular Testing Frameworks. It has a complete testing framework with several features like built-in code coverage, snapshot testing and a lot of parameters under a single Framework.
• Popular companies that use Jest: Airbnb, Facebook and Instagram.

JavaScript + Bravelab

Developing a website or various applications can be a tedious task even with all the new frameworks that are introduced in JavaScript. There are multiple decisions that need to be made for example but not limited to choice of the Framework that suits your need the most on both front-end and back-end applications.

Bravelab.io saved the hustle by getting your application done in a few easy milestones under the supervision of a team of the top talented engineers in the market. Let us give the opportunity to develop your next big platform with JavaScript.

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