Javascript platforms are the ones that can help you create dynamic web apps, inventory, real-time chat, processing, eCommerce website, and more. There is a range of frameworks that have made their way to the market and are regularly being updated to stay in the competition. Here we will do a detailed comparison between AngularJS vs ReactJS vs VueJS vs NodeJS.

For many years developers had three frameworks to decide upon to i.e. Angular.JS vs React.JS vs Vue.JS. But in the recent past, the advent of  Node.JS has turned the tables. This has also raised a lot of confusion for entrepreneurs. Undoubtedly the preceding are the top four best Javascript frameworks in the market today. Therefore we decided to write this detailed blog that would serve as the perfect guide to make a sound decision.

This blog shares various aspects of these frameworks to help you decide the most suitable one for your business needs. We aim to bring awareness to the complete concept of judging front-end Javascript frameworks. Even if a new player enters the competition, you would know what parameters are essential to your business needs.

AngularJS vs ReactJS vs  VueJS vs NodeJS

AngularJS

Angular is a veteran of the lot and was first released in 2010 by Google. The moment of reckoning was when Google dropped JS from AngularJS and released Angular 2. Although AngularJS still receives updates, the latest version Angular 2+ still receives updates. The most stable version is still Angular 11 that was released in November 2020. You can make the best of this platform by getting in touch with an AngularJS development company.

Why Should You Choose AngularJS for Web Development?

• Angular offers seamless data synchronization between its model view and components.
• It offers an inbuilt dependency injection subsystem for dependencies. Using the same you can do fast and easy Angular app development.
• Angular templates are conventionally plain HTML. It consists of instructions in extended HTML terminologies that help map the model into the view.
• It’s testable in its initial development stages.
• The entire processing is done using Javascript controllers. But Angular views are a result of simple HTML pages.

Limitations of Using Angular

• Limited SEO Options: The low accessibility of search engine crawlers and limited SEO options are huge limitations for Angular.
• Complexity: This framework holds too lengthy documentation and hasn’t been able to correct this issue since AngularJS. You need to hire AngularJS developers to solve the issues.
• Learning Curve: The platform has a steep learning curve as compared to its competitors like React and Vue. This happens as numerous aspects need in-depth understanding.
• CLI Documentation: Developers always express their concerns with Angular’s CLI documentation. Their command line is quite helpful for Angular developers but you won’t find detailed information on GitHub. Therefore, you would have to spend a good amount of time finding answers through threads.

ReactJS

React was initially released by Facebook in 2013. Ever since then Facebook has made extensive use of the same in their products like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. The latest version in the market will be 18 that will be released soon and has received smaller incremental updates since then. Also, the most researched comparison on the internet is Angular vs React.

Why Should You Choose ReactJS for Web Development?

• It promotes client as well as server-side rendering.
• You can use JS to write native iOS apps.
• It offers highly reusable components.
• React updates the parts that must be changed or updated using a virtual React DOM.
• One can exercise a different option for a pure Javascript template.
• The framework is extremely easy for beginners to explore as it comes with a small API, hence they can directly start using the same.

Limitations of Using ReactJS

• Development Pace: As the development environment changes so fast developers should always be willing to re-learn certain methods of development. It can be daunting to upgrade knowledge continually.
• Improper Documentation: This is a limitation that arises out of a constantly updating tech. The tech is changing so rapidly that there isn’t enough time to create proper documentation. As a solution to this problem, developers write their code on their own with evolving tools in their current projects.
• Lack of Tools: You would need to select an additional tech to complete the development tech. React only offers development in the UI layers of the app.
• JSX Barrier: React uses JSX as a syntax extension that allows the mixed-use of HTML and Javascript. This might have its benefits but is considered a barrier by many developers. This is also because it offers a steep learning curve.

VueJS

 Vue can be viewed as the youngest on this list. It was introduced in 2014 by one of the ex-Google employees named Evan. Vue saw an exponential rise in its popularity without having the support of a tech giant. The latest version of this framework 3.0 was released in September 2020. Vue contributors have received great support from Patreon. You should also learn that the platform Vue 3 has a great reputation on GitHub and has transitioned to TypeScript. A VueJS development company can offer you a detailed insight into this framework.

Why Should You Choose VueJS for Web Development?

• It’s the easiest framework of the lot to set up and start using.
• The framework is best suitable for creating front-end development as it can easily integrate and adapt to big projects.
• One can code robust apps without any external plugins or additional libraries.
• VueJS offers the most descriptive and consummate library, therefore making the development process and lives of developers easier.
• One can code rapidly with Vue and maintain better code using easy and simple coding tactics. This as a result reduced bugs and the number of hours being invested to fix them.
• The framework is so flexible it can be used in different environments. You can create different components with it and add the same to existing projects. Apart from this, it offers support for PWAs that can be easily configured or added.
• Vue offers detailed documentation, which works well even for beginners who possess little knowledge of HTML and Javascript.
• As it’s based on the JS framework, it can easily be integrated with existing applications.

Limitations of Using VueJS

• Small Community: Vue is a comparatively new platform that doesn’t support a large community of programmers. This also accounts for a smaller development team. Too many options and flexibility can also be considered problematic, as it can be difficult to handle different developers.
• Future Competitors: A small development team means that a strong contender can also capture the interest of this community. This can pause the growth of this framework or even force them to shut it down for good. This matters as Vue has to compete with strong frameworks backed by Google & Facebook.
• Over Flexibility: Many developers are involved with a large project. VueJS is so flexible that it requires a large community to sort out every issue. There can arise situations when the user has to pay a price for the over the flexibility of the platform.
• Limited Plugins: As the platform is comparatively new to others on the list, not many plugins are available. But one can make use of Angular and React to fix this issue. This is a primary issue due to which developers are at times forced to switch to a different language.

NodeJS

NodeJS is about 12 years old. The inception of this framework was done in 2009 and was adopted by companies such as Uber & Linkedin in the year 2011. 2012 saw a healthy adoption by many companies and found its first big blogging platform known as Ghost. The latest version is Node.JS 16 that was introduced in 2021.

Why Should You Choose NodeJS for Web Development?

• Using the same Javascript you can use NodeJS to code both front and back end.
• Using the same one can listen to network traffic, listen and reply to HTTP requests, and directly access their databases using a computer.
• Node.JS has become a hot favorite for microservice architecture because it’s highly lightweight and scalable.
• Due to Chrome’s v8 engine, NodeJS is considered extremely fast. Instead of using an Interpreter, the platform uses the engine to compile Javascript into machine code.
• With the constant investment of Google, the Javascript community makes constant improvements in the engine.
• The performance issues can be easily solved using the non-blocking input-output model. NodeJS is the perfect platform for developing real-time apps that require constant data updates.
• One can also process numerous requests at a time using a non-blocking input-output model. This makes processing more requests with less CPU usage possible for NodeJS.

Limitations of Using NodeJS

• Unstable API: An API can at times be problematic as it keeps changing with time. The lack of stability can affect the development pace of the project. New APIs always face the problem of backward-incompatible changes. Therefore it becomes essential for developers to make changes in the codebases to make them compatible with the latest version of NodeJS API. A feat that is difficult to achieve and might make you hire NodeJS developers.
• Underequipped Library: When compared to other frameworks, Node doesn’t offer a well-equipped Javascript library. So developers have to seek external help to execute simple tasks such as image processing, object-relational mapping (ORM), XML parsing, and database handling. This acts as a hindrance even while implementing common coding tasks.
• Programming Model: It’s essential to adopt an asynchronous programming model if you wish to develop scalable applications. This framework is more difficult as compared to linear blocking I/O programming. One of the other drawbacks of using Node is that the code becomes clumsy after a while and the programmers have to depend on nested calls.
• Performing Heavy Computation Tasks: A downside to using NodeJS is its incapability to perform heavy computation tasks. It’s capable of conducting Javascript code on a single thread basis. The real challenge is faced when it’s assigned a CPU-bound task. A task that needs expert assistance from a NodeJS web development company. For instance, a request is first processed by NodeJS and then switches to other requests. This slows down the processes of an event loop. Due to the preceding reasons, NodeJS is not suitable for performing heavy computation.

AngularJS vs ReactJS vs VueJS vs NodeJS: Final Verdict

Angular happens to be the oldest of all frameworks. Therefore it’s mature and has a huge backup community. It’s a complete package so to speak in terms of contributors. Though the concepts of Angular can be hard to grasp for new developers. But Angular is the perfect choice for large firms that have dedicated developers that are proficient with TypeScript.

React is also an experienced and powerful player in the game with prominent backup from the Facebook community. The framework has received huge appreciation and acceptance from developers all around the globe. As Angular and React are the most used frameworks, you can also try AngularJS vs ReactJS to know more about the same. If you’re just getting started with front-end Javascript frameworks or are a startup that wants a flexible environment, React is the perfect fit for you. A stand-out feature of connecting with almost all other frameworks gives React an advantage over others.

Vue is a fairly new player in the game with no major backing from renowned companies. Yet the platform has proven its worth by offering strong competition to React and Angular, especially with the arrival of Vue 3.0. With Chinese giants like Baidu and Alibaba choosing Vue as their primary front-end Javascript framework. So, if flexibility and simplicity are your top requirements, you should surely choose Vue. For more references, you can find comparison blogs between VueJS vs ReactJS.

Node offers a framework that works by itself without demanding any unnecessary effort from the developer. With the high level of scalability it offers, Node is perfect to create apps of various sizes. You can easily develop microservices, server-side apps, and web applications using Node. The framework functions on a single-threaded event loop Node is built using Chrome’s V8 engine and follows asynchronous execution.

Wrapping Up

Here’s a wrap to this read. We being a Javascript development company are proficient in using the preceding frameworks. So, if you’re ever in the need to hire front-end developers, you know which doors to knock. Get in touch with us today by signing up for a free consultation on our website.