About a year ago, there was a significant debate in the programming community about whether it was better to use Angular or React in projects. Of course, everyone had their own arguments, and the dispute raged on until, suddenly, in 2018, a third player, Vue.js, entered the fray, gaining ground. It’s 2019, and if you’re wondering which JavaScript framework to use in your project, we’ll try to help you make that decision by presenting the pros and cons of each technology. But let’s start with some history.
History
Angular – developed and first released by Google in 2010, it’s the oldest of the three frameworks we’re discussing today. As you probably know, it underwent significant changes in 2016, when its second version was released, dropping the last two letters from its original name (AngularJS). Of course, the original version continues to receive updates, but today we’ll focus on Angular – the latest version, Angular 7, was released in October 2018.
React – Developed by Facebook, released in 2013. Facebook uses React across its products (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). The current stable version was released in November 2018.
Vue is much younger than Angular and React, having been developed only in 2014. Over the past two years, Vue has seen a dramatic increase in popularity, despite not being supported by major companies. The current version, 2.17, was released in August 2018. Work is currently underway on Vue 3, with plans to transition to TypeScript.
Current popularity
Since Angular and React are quite popular words in English, it is difficult to measure their popularity in Google trends, so we used GitHub – an online service for programming projects – to determine their popularity.
A good way to gauge the popularity of both frameworks is to look at the job market demand. The chart below shows that Angular and React are reportedly in high demand, while Vue is only a fraction of that number (around 20%). From an employee’s perspective, it’s best to learn the first two frameworks, but given Vue’s future popularity, it could become the leader.
Before using an open-source framework, make sure you’re using its license. Interestingly, all three frameworks use the MIT license, which provides limited restrictions on reuse, even in proprietary software. Make sure you understand the licensing implications before using any framework or software.
Updates
When working on a chosen framework, you usually don’t have to worry about updates, but it’s worth keeping an eye on them because some updates may require some tweaks to maintain compatibility.
Angular – Major updates typically happen every six months
React – Facebook has determined that stability is paramount to them, as their solutions are used by such large companies as Facebook, Twitter, and Airbnb. Updates are easiest to implement here, aided by scripts like react-codemod.
Vue – FAQ Vue claims that 90% of the APIs are the same if we migrate from version 1.x to 2. There is also a helper tool that runs in the console to help assess the state of the application.
Work
There are several important features to pay attention to while working, but the most important ones are certainly the overall size, charging time and available components.
Loading sizes and times:
Angular: 500+ KB
React: 100 KB
Vue: 80 KB
The difference in size is significant, although small when compared to the sizes of modern websites, which usually exceed 2 MB.
Which one is easiest to master?
Angular is quite difficult to learn, and the learning curve is steep. It’s no surprise that mastering Angular requires knowledge of TypeScript and MVC.
React – Offers a “Getting Started” guide. It’s worth noting that some features require the use of third-party libraries. The learning curve isn’t steep, but depends on the features you’ll be using..
Vue – is easier to learn than Angular or React, but this flexibility has its drawbacks, which manifest themselves in poor debugging and testing.
SummaryChoosing the right framework isn’t easy; each has its advantages and disadvantages. Angular is the most mature of the three and has extensive support. However, the learning curve is steep, which can be discouraging. Angular is a good choice for companies with large development teams. React, on the other hand, is a very good choice for someone starting out with JavaScript, primarily due to its seamless integration with other frameworks. Although Vue is the newest player on the market, it is gaining popularity very quickly. It’s a good choice for someone who values simplicity and flexibility. Answering the question of which framework is best is nearly impossible. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Everything depends on the project and individual requirements.
