You would need a Javascript Framework(sometimes even multiple frameworks) to make a decent website. Today, we’ll be going over the top choices and deciding which Javascript framework you should use.
React: The Most Popular Javascript Framework
Even though some do not consider React as a Javascript Framework, React can do almost anything a Javascript framework can do. React can even be paired with other Javascript Frameworks to enhance its functionality too.
| Pros | Cons |
| SEO Friendly | Not as many Features |
| Components can be Reused | Documentation not as clear |
| Decent load times | JSX can be overwhelming |
React does not work like some other frameworks, it combines the two into a language called JSX. Which basically is the combination of HTML and Javascript, allowing you to write HTML in Javascript.
React is also component-based, allowing you to reuse the code you wrote before.
Vue: The fastest and most liked Javascript Framework
Vue is not as popular as React but still makes quite remarkable considering it was only developed in 2014. It is extremely Lightweight, only using up to 18k of storage if installed as a zip. By far the easiest framework to learn(followed by React).
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast | Not suitable for larger projects |
| Extremely Lightweight | Lack of experienced developers |
Vue is one of the most popular Javascript frameworks, having the most Github stars out of all the other ones covered on this list.
AngularJS: Best for building Larger Projects
AngularJS is the framework in a popular technology stack called the MEAN stack.
- M – MongoDB
- E – ExpressJS
- A – AngularJS
- N – NodeJS
| Pros | Cons |
| Good for bigger projects | Really Complex |
| Use of typescript | Large learning curve |
AngularJS uses Typescript, a programming language that is quite similar to Javascript. AngularJS is also built extremely complicated, making it not beginner friendly at all.
NodeJS: Most active community
NodeJS is a popular backend framework that is heavily used by lots of developers worldwide. It’s highly scalable and open-source, making it one of the best backend frameworks on this list.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast | Difficult to maintain |
| Active Community | Single-Threaded |
NodeJS is not a frontend framework, meaning that you would need to pair it up with a frontend framework to make any proper website, but it’s quite a decent backend framework used by millions of developers worldwide.
Lit: The lightweight framework
Lit is a really beginner-friendly Javascript framework, developed by Google. Lit is extremely simple and lightweight.
| Pros | Cons |
| Small and lightweight | Not as popular |
| Beginner friendly | Not as feature-rich |
Lit is not as widely used as the other frameworks on this list, to be honest, I have never heard of it before researching this article. But after looking at its documentation and testing it out myself, I believe Lit is still a decent framework.
Conclusion
Now, which framework should you use? There are a lot of options on Javascript frameworks out there, but which one is the best? The only way you can really answer that question is to test them out! But I’ve created this table below based on my personal opinion.
| Best if you want a lightweight framework | Lit, Vue |
| Best if you want a popular framework | React, Vue |
| Best if you want to find a job | React |