10 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2021

JavaScript is a multi-paradigm language that supports event-driven, functional, and imperative (including object-oriented and prototype-based) programming styles. JavaScript was initially used only for the client-side. However, these days, JavaScript is used as a server-side programming language as well. To summarize, in just a simple sentence - JavaScript is the language of the web.

What is JavaScript Framework, and Why Use One?

A software framework is an abstraction in which software providing generic functionality can be selectively changed by additional user-written code. JavaScript framework is an application framework written in JavaScript where the programmers can manipulate the functions and use them for their convenience.

Frameworks are more adaptable for the designing of websites, and hence, most website developers prefer them. JavaScript frameworks are a type of tool that makes working with JavaScript easier and smoother. These frameworks also make it possible for the programmer to code the application as a device responsive. This responsiveness is yet another reason why the JavaScript frameworks are quite popular when it comes to the question of using a high-level machine language. Let's have a look at the best JS Frameworks in 2021.

10 Top JavaScript Frameworks

1. Angular

One of the most powerful, efficient, and open-source JavaScript frameworks is Angular. Google operates this framework and is implemented to use for developing a Single Page Application (SPA). It extends the HTML into the application and interprets the attributes to perform data binding.

Features

Cross-Platform

• Progressive Web Apps: Modern web platform capabilities to deliver app-like experiences that are high performance, offline, and zero-step installation.
• Native: Strategies from Cordova, Ionic, or NativeScript are used to build the native app.
• Desktop: Desktop-installed apps across Mac, Windows, and Linux can be created using the same Angular methods like the web plus the ability to access native OS APIs.

Speed and Performance

• Code Generation: Angular turns templates into code that's highly optimized for JavaScript virtual machines, giving hand-written code benefits. 
• Universal: Serve the first view of Node.js, .NET, PHP, and other servers for near-instant rendering in just HTML and CSS. 
• Code Splitting: With the new Component Router, angular apps load quickly, delivering automatic code-splitting. So users load the code required to render the view they request.

Productivity

• Templates: Create UI views with simple and powerful template syntax.
• Angular CLI: Command line tools: start building fast, add components and tests, then instantly deploy.
• IDEs: Get intelligent code completion, instant errors, and other feedback in popular editors and IDEs.

Full Development Story 

• Testing: Protractor makes your scenario tests run faster and in a stable manner.
• Animation: Create high-performance, complex choreographies, and animation timelines with very little code through Angular's intuitive API.
• Accessibility: Create accessible applications with ARIA-enabled components, developer guides, and built-in a11y test infrastructure.

2. React

Created by Facebook, the React framework has earned popularity within a short period. It is used to develop and operate the dynamic User Interface of the web pages with high incoming traffic. It makes the use of a virtual DOM, and hence, the integration of the same with any application is more straightforward.

Features

• Declarative: Creates interactive and dynamic UI for websites and mobile applications. React updates efficiently and render the right components when data changes. Declarative views make the code readable and easy to debug.
• Virtual DOM: For every DOM object, there is a corresponding "virtual DOM object." It creates a virtual copy of the original DOM and is a representation of a DOM object,
• Event handling: React has its fully compatible W3C object model event system created. It also provides a cross-browser interface to a native event, meaning no need to worry about incompatible event names and fields. React reduces memory head by as event system is implemented through event delegation and has a pool of event objects.
• JSX: JSX is a markup syntax that closely resembles HTML. JSX makes writing React components easier by making the syntax almost identical to the HTML injected into the web page.
• Performance: React uses one-way data binding with an application architecture called Flux controls. ReactJS helps update the View for the user and, Flux controls the application workflow. Virtual DOM adds advantages as it compares the new data with original DOM and updates the View automatically. 
• React Native: React Native is a custom renderer for React; it uses native components instead of web components like React as building blocks. It also serves access to these platforms' features, apart from transforming React code to work on iOS and Android.
• Component-Based: In React, everything is a component of the web page divided into small components to create a view(or UIs). Every part of the application visuals would be wrapped inside a self-contained module known as a component. Components in ReactJS use to define the visuals and interactions in applications.

3. Vue.js

Though developed in the year 2016, this JavaScript framework has already made its way into the market and has proven its worth by offering various features. Its dual integration mode is one of the most attractive features for creating high-end SPA or Single Page Application. It is a much reliable platform for developing cross-platform.

Features

• Virtual DOM: Vue.js utilizes virtual DOM. Virtual DOM is a clone of the principal DOM element. The virtual DOM absorbs every change intended for the DOM presents in the form of JavaScript data structures, which are compared with the original data structure.
• The viewers view final changes that reflect in the real DOM. The method is creative and cost-effective; also, the changes are done quickly.
• Data Binding: This feature facilitates to manipulate or assign values to HTML attributes., change the style, assign classes with v-bind available, which is a binding directive.
• CSS Transitions and Animations: This feature provides several methods to apply a transition to HTML elements when added, updated, or removed from the DOM. Its features consist of a built-in component that wraps the element responsible for returning the transition effect.
• Template: It provides HTML-based templates that bind the DOM with the Vue.js instance data. The templates are compiled into Virtual DOM Render functions. A developer can use the render functions template and can replace the template with the render function.
• Methods:  We use methods when an event occurs that isn’t necessarily related to the instance data being mutated or want to change a component’s state. Methods do not keep records of any dependencies but can take arguments. 
• Complexity: Vue.js is simpler in terms of API and design. A web developer builds simple applications in a single day.

4. Ember.js

The introduction of Ember.js to the software market was 2015, and since then, it has gained popularity with its wide application area. The features of Ember.js support two-way data binding and hence, establish a reliable platform for handling the complicated User Interfaces. Popular websites like LinkedIn, Netflix, Nordstrom, and many more use the Ember.JS platform for their websites.

• Creation of usable and comfortable to maintain JavaScript web applications.
• It offers HTML and CSS of the development model at the core. 
• Provides instance initializers.
• Ember.js offers routes that are the core features used for managing the URL.
• Ember.js provides the Ember Inspector tool for debugging Ember applications.
• Ember.js uses templates that help to automatically update the model if the content of applications gets changed.

5. Meteor

Meteor's application area (aka Meteor.js or MeteorJS) serves the name itself since it is varied as it covers almost the significant portion of the software development. Uses of this framework include significant areas like back-end development, management of the database, business logic, and rendering of the front-end.

Full-Stack Solution

Meteor proves to be a full-stack solution for developing and deploying web applications. 

The framework offers several built-in features, such as automatic CSS, reactive templates, and JS minification on the production server. 

Galaxy, its cloud platform, is powerful for deploying, scaling, and monitoring client applications.

It is also bundled with useful client-side technologies, including templates, helpers, and events.

Development Ecosystem

Meteor.js is not just a JavaScript development framework, but an open-source Isomorphic Development Ecosystem (IDevE). It facilitates building real-time web applications from scratch as it contains all the necessary front-end and back-end components. Thus, it aids the developers through the entire app development lifecycle, right from setup and development to deployment.

Isomorphic JavaScript Code

The same code can be used on the front-end, the back-end, and mobile and web applications. It saves developers from requiring to install and configure different module managers, libraries, drivers, APIs, and more.

With Meteor, developers can leverage JavaScript's power while reducing code length and complexity, saving a lot of production time of developers to perform context switching between server language and JavaScript.

Front-end Solution 

Meteor offers a front-end development framework, Blaze.js, which offers some useful features. It also integrates with popular modern front-end frameworks like Backbone.js to yield better results.

Meteor offers isomorphic APIs that help in communication between front-end and back-end, allowing developers to handle client-server management and server-session management. 

Data communication between client and server is automatic in this framework and does not require to write any boilerplate code.

Database Integration 

Meteor.js supports only MongoDB as of now, and that is the biggest disadvantage. So, one can not use Meteor if they need to include NoSQL database support for your applications.

6. Mithril

Mithril is a client-side JavaScript framework that is used primarily in developing the Single Page Applications. As there are no derived functions from a base class, the framework's implementation is more straightforward. It's small (< 8kb gzip), fast and provides routing and XHR utilities out of the box. It has a few features similar to React.

Full-Stack Solution

• Meteor proves to be a full-stack solution for developing and deploying web applications. 
• The framework offers several built-in features, such as automatic CSS, reactive templates, and JS minification on the production server. 
• Galaxy, its cloud platform, is powerful for deploying, scaling, and monitoring client applications.
• It is also bundled with useful client-side technologies, including templates, helpers, and events.

Development Ecosystem

Meteor.js is not just a JavaScript development framework, but an open-source Isomorphic Development Ecosystem (IDevE). It facilitates building real-time web applications from scratch as it contains all the necessary front-end and back-end components. Thus, it aids the developers through the entire app development lifecycle, right from setup and development to deployment.

Isomorphic JavaScript Code

• The same code can be used on the front-end, the back-end, and mobile and web applications. It saves developers from requiring to install and configure different module managers, libraries, drivers, APIs, and more.
• With Meteor, developers can leverage JavaScript's power while reducing code length and complexity, saving a lot of production time of developers to perform context switching between server language and JavaScript.

Front-end Solution 

• Meteor offers a front-end development framework, Blaze.js, which offers some useful features. It also integrates with popular modern front-end frameworks like Backbone.js to yield better results.
• Meteor offers isomorphic APIs that help in communication between front-end and back-end, allowing developers to handle client-server management and server-session management. 
• Data communication between client and server is automatic in this framework and does not require to write any boilerplate code.

Full-Stack Solution

• Meteor proves to be a full-stack solution for developing and deploying web applications. 
• The framework offers several built-in features, such as automatic CSS, reactive templates, and JS minification on the production server. 
• Galaxy, its cloud platform, is powerful for deploying, scaling, and monitoring client applications.
• It is also bundled with useful client-side technologies, including templates, helpers, and events.

Development Ecosystem

Meteor.js is not just a JavaScript development framework, but an open-source Isomorphic Development Ecosystem (IDevE). It facilitates building real-time web applications from scratch as it contains all the necessary front-end and back-end components. Thus, it aids the developers through the entire app development lifecycle, right from setup and development to deployment.

Isomorphic JavaScript Code

The same code can be used on the front-end, the back-end, and mobile and web applications. It saves developers from requiring to install and configure different module managers, libraries, drivers, APIs, and more.

With Meteor, developers can leverage JavaScript's power while reducing code length and complexity, saving a lot of production time of developers to perform context switching between server language and JavaScript.

Front-end Solution 

• Meteor offers a front-end development framework, Blaze.js, which offers some useful features. It also integrates with popular modern front-end frameworks like Backbone.js to yield better results.
• Meteor offers isomorphic APIs that help in communication between front-end and back-end, allowing developers to handle client-server management and server-session management. 
• Data communication between client and server is automatic in this framework and does not require to write any boilerplate code.

Database Integration 

Meteor.js supports only MongoDB as of now, and that is the biggest disadvantage. So, one can not use Meteor if they need to include NoSQL database support for your applications.

Database Integration 

Meteor.js supports only MongoDB as of now, and that is the biggest disadvantage. So, one can not use Meteor if they need to include NoSQL database support for your applications.

7. Node.js

Node.js is a server-side JavaScript run-time environment, which works on cross platforms and is open-source. The framework is capable of driving asynchronous I/O with its event-driven architecture. It works in the JavaScript Runtime environment and shows JAVA's similar properties like threading, packaging, o forming loops.

Features:

1. It is swift:

The library of Node.js is fast when it comes to code execution, as it is built on the V8 JavaScript engine of Google Chrome.

2. I/O is asynchronous and Event-Driven:

All the APIs are asynchronous, which means that its server does not wait for the API to come back with data. Here the server calls the APIs one by one and keeps moving to the next one while using a notification mechanism of Events to generate a response from the API, called previously. This makes it fast too.

3. Single-threaded:

Node.js, along with event looping, follows a single-threaded model.

4. Highly scalable:

Node.js follows an event mechanism that makes it possible for the server to respond in a non-blocking manner, which eventually makes it scalable.

5. No buffering:

When it comes to uploading audio and video files, Node.js cuts down the processing time significantly. It does not buffer any data, and here the application gets out the data in chunks.

6. Open source:

Being open-source, Node.js's community has come up with several amazing models that can be used to add better capabilities to the Node.js applications.

7. License:

It has been released under MIT license.

8. Polymer

The polymer is an open-source JavaScript library developed by Google, which can create the website's elements without going into a complex level. Also, it supports both one-way and two-way data binding, hence making a more extensive application area.

Features:

• Polymer.js is a JavaScript library built on top of the web-standard APIs that provides the simplest way to create custom HTML elements. 
• It gives the polyfills for creating customized and reusable elements.
• It is used for the creation of reusable widgets in web documents and applications.
• It uses Google material design to develop mobile applications for fast and easy to development of mobile applications.
• The custom elements are distributed across the network and allow users to use these elements with the help of HTML Imports.

9. Aurelia

Aurelia framework is the latest version of JavaScript, which can be used to implement any interface. It is the next generation of the framework for developing far more robust websites. The framework of Aurelia can extend the HTML for various purposes, including data binding. Also, its modern architecture ensures that the purpose of toll is for interpretation client-side and server-side at a time.

Features:

• Components: Components are building blocks of the Aurelia framework and are composed of JavaScript view-model pairs and HTML views. 
• Web Standards: It is one of the cleanest modern frameworks. It completely focuses on web standards without unnecessary abstractions.
• Extensible: The framework facilitates an easy way to integrate with the other needed tools.
• Commercial Support:  This framework offers commercial and enterprise support. 
• License:  Aurelia is open-sourced and licensed under MIT license.

10. Backbone.js

It is one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks. It is effortless to understand and learn. It can be used to create Single Page Applications. The development of this framework involves the idea that all the server-side functions must flow through an API, which would help achieve complex functionalities by writing less code.

Features:

• BackboneJS uses JavaScript functions, making the development of applications and the frontend in a much easier. 
• Building blocks such as models, views, events, routers, and collections are provided for assembling the client-side web applications.
• It is a simple library that helps in separating business and user interface logic.
• It is a free and open-source library and contains over 100 available extensions.
• It is a backbone for any project and helps in the organization of the code.
• BackboneJS has a soft dependency on jQuery and a hard dependency on Underscore.js.
• It allows us to create client-side web applications or mobile applications in a well-structured and organized format.

Conclusion 

When it comes to web development, Javascript continues to be the dominant language, and therefore, we have several Javascript frameworks to choose from. We hope our suggested list of frameworks for Javascript helps you choose the perfect one for your project. Therefore, carefully study your project requirements before choosing your framework for your application as every framework comes with unique features that you may require during development.  Apart from the features, also consider the learning curve, complexity, compatibility documentation, and community support.

If you are want to learn JavaScript in-depth, udemy's The Complete JavaScript Course would be a great stepping stone for you.

That ends our list of 10 top JavaScript frameworks. Which one is your favorite? Any exceptional JS framework that we missed?

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