Few months ago, I wrote an article on the roadmap for web development (just in case you're yet to read it, here's the link...) and I made gave brief details about some JavaScript frameworks that developers use. This article would shed more light on react and angular, its preferable use and applications in different projects. If you are a developer and cannot decide on which JavaScript framework to use for your project, this guide should help you make a decision.
Choosing the right JavaScript frameworks could be a real confusion; especially when you are a beginner who's just trying to navigate on the right path and boost your skill set. But choosing the one for the right set of projects demands knowledge of several critical aspects which have been covered in this post by making a fair comparison of Angular vs React. I, however cannot define best but can surely analyze which is better in different situations.
So let's do a brief history, shall we???😊😊 React, developed by Facebook, was initially released in 2013. Facebook uses React extensively in their products (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). It is one of the most popular JavaScript library with over 187k stars on GitHub which is used to build user interfaces on the font end. Its component-based and declarative traits let developers create interactive and complex UIs easily.
Angular, developed by Google, was first released in 2010, making it the oldest of the lot. It is a TypeScript-based JavaScript framework. It has a collection of well-integrated libraries and features such as client-server communication, routing, and more. It has a suite of developer tools to develop and scale projects from single-developer size to enterprise-grade applications.
KEY POINTS
React is more suitable for intermediate to advanced JavaScript developers who are familiar with concepts from ES6 and up, while Angular favors those same developers who are also familiar with TypeScript.
Components are integral parts of all JavaScript frameworks. A component generally gets an input, and changes behavior based on it. This behavior change depicts a change in the UI of some part of the page. The use of components makes it easy to reuse code. A component may be a signup section in a landing page or a comment box on a social network.
In Angular, components are referred to as directives. Directives are just markers on DOM elements, which Angular can track and attach specific behavior too. Therefore, Angular separates the UI part of components as attributes of HTML tags, and their behaviors in the form of JavaScript code. This is what sets it apart when looking at Angular vs React.
React, interestingly, combines the UI and behavior of components.
Learning Path:
Angular has a steep learning curve, considering it is a complete solution, and mastering Angular requires you to learn associated concepts like TypeScript and MVC. Even though it takes time to learn Angular, the investment pays dividends in terms of understanding how the front end works.
React offers a Getting Started guide that should help one set up React in about an hour. The documentation is thorough and complete, with solutions to common issues already present on Stack Overflow. React is not a complete framework and advanced features require the use of third-party libraries. This makes the learning curve of the core framework not so steep but depends on the path you take with additional functionality.
- Angular is a good choice for companies with large teams and developers who already use TypeScript while react is just old enough to be mature and has a huge number of contributions from the community. It has gained widespread acceptance. The job market for React is really good, and the future for this framework looks bright.
In conclusion, react looks like a good choice for someone getting started with front-end JavaScript frameworks, startups and developers who like some flexibility. The ability to integrate with other frameworks seamlessly gives it a great advantage for those who would like some flexibility in their code.
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Happy Coding!!!!!!!