This article intends to highlight the differences of React and Vue.js, point out features that might aid in the making of a better project, and what factors to govern your choice when building a project.
Frameworks for front-end are needed in the making of any good website or webpage. They provide the foundation/template, which can be modified to preference, upon which these webpages we come across are built.
Over the years, several frameworks and libraries have been built, upgraded, modified, and amended to fit the growing need for technology. And this has led to the creation of several frameworks and libraries. Developers can decide to choose a particular framework or library depending on certain factors such as; proficiency levels, scalability, maintainability, and sustainability with the product being built.
By several statistical measures, vue.js, react, node.js, next.js and angular happen to be the most used frameworks/libraries. For the sake of this article, we'll be considering react and vue.js which rank as two of the most popular.
What is Vue.js?
Fondly referred to as a progressive framework, Vue.js is a javascript framework used in building User Interfaces(UIs) and Single Page Applications(SPAs). It is uniquely known for building single-page applications and employs the model-view-viewmodel (MVVM) architectural pattern. It was designed to facilitate incremental adoption of its framework.
That aside, it aids a smooth configuration brought about by its MMVM architecture feature and is relatively easy to adopt.
What is React?
React is an open-source library built on Javascript which is used in web development. It is used for building User Interfaces(UI) and handling interactive elements. It handles the view layer of the web as well as mobile apps.
Another reason react gets all the attention is that it comes with 2 key features which are; JSX and Virtual DOM. This features aids in the change in the DOM(Document Object Model) which is fundamentally the heart of any website. The DOM is simply a programming interface for HTML and XML documents that determine the structure of the document.
React can also be used for the backend when paired with a framework like Django.
When building projects, the choice of a framework to work with is dependent on some criteria. Some of these criteria include:
Applicable and performant
It is required that the framework or library to be used is the best fit for the application specification. The choice should be based on the project requirement, use cases, and features that should be found in the application
Ease of Integration
It is not unusual to need to apply additional tools in the course of the creation of the application, regardless of how sophisticated the framework you opt for is. For this reason, considering the ease of integration of other libraries which might be used is paramount.
Some of the libraries focus on a particular problem, like JSX for DOM manipulation, or jQuery which makes it easy to use Javascript on a website.
Popularity
The popularity of a framework aids in the ease of usage. The more popular it is and the larger the community provides more available resource material if you run into difficulty. Especially if the project is going to be long-term, the framework should be so widely known that you can always get feedback and support from the community.
Also, in cases where the developers have to be changed or replaced and new developers have to be added to the team, finding developers who are familiar with the framework shouldn’t be a hurdle. If the framework is popular then getting developers will not be a problem.
Developer Satisfaction
It is also an advantage if the developers have an interest in working with a framework or library. That accounts for the enthusiasm with which they build the project as well as their productivity levels and in turn, determines the underlying outcome.
Future support
A large project might require constant changes or upgrade over time. That means the framework to be used have to be around for a long-time and the presence of a strong community committed to continually improving it. Hence, make sure the framework has good prospects in terms of maintenance, compatibility with previous versions, and updates.
React for one has a strong community created by a Facebook Developers team so you can be certain of its future support.
React or vue.js? Which to go for.
React and vue.js are both unique to their use cases. So which to go for is largely dependent on the kind of project you’re going for.
In the next couple of lines, I will highlight the pros and cons of each, their main concepts, and what considerations should influence your choice.
React: A front-end Javascript library used in building user interfaces for websites and applications.
The major hurdle with React is learning it. After that, it becomes relatively easier. It also helps to have been familiar with Javascript as React is built on Javascript.
Contrary to popular notion, React is a library and not a framework. React was created to make components for web applications and the components can be used for several purposes.
There's also react native which can be used to build mobile apps. React can also be used with Next.js for server-side rendering. React can also be used for an entire web application. Facebook for instance was made using React.
Most developers would agree that their experience with React is a great one. Little wonder it ranks as one of the most popular libraries. If you put together factors like an active community, a diverse library, and the rapid development that comes with React, all of these plus more accounts for the great developer experience.
React team was aware that the DOM feature caused Javascript to be updated slowly and they took care of this by adapting the Virtual DOM and this caused react to perform better.
React has great support from Facebook. As stated earlier, Facebook was built using react and that is why they are so invested in it. For each new update to React, there is an alert of the update.
Some popular applications built with react are;
Facebook
Instagram
Netflix
Paypal
Dropbox
and Airbnb
Pros:
Ease of integration with front-end and back-end
React components feature helps save time through re-usability
An accessible open-source library with diverse tools
Regardless of how great React is, there are still certain limitations.
Cons:
An arduous learning curve
Beginner developers may find JSX difficult to understand
Continuous upgrade makes maintenance difficult
Vue: A Javascript programming framework for building user interfaces and one-page applications
The simple structure of Vue is one of its major attractions. This simple structure makes Vue easy to learn and implement. Vue can be used to develop small and large-scale templates and code errors can easily be spotted.
One distinguishable feature of Vue is its lightweight size. Its size is about 20kb and this small size is one of its attractions. The small size results in high speed.
Vue can easily be used to build single-page applications. It has a predetermined template that can be manipulated for the optimum user interface
Vue is easy to integrate as it is based on Javascript. Applications existing on Javascript can be integrated into Vue to use in building apps.
Take a look at some applications built using Vue.js
- Grammarly
- Gitlab
- Triviago
- Adobe portfolio
Pros:
It comes with a virtual DOM
Works well with SEO
Detailed Documentation
Cons:
Absence of a solid community
Excessive code flexibility
Lack of Scalability
Conclusion
The choice of framework or library you choose to go with largely depends on the product being built and if it is going to be a long or short-term project. The framework scalability should also be accounted for as well as if the application would be easily maintainable over time.
In this article, we learned about React and Vue.js in contrast to each other and highlighted their aptitudes.
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