Understanding the Most Popular JavaScript Frameworks

JavaScript is very much at the heart of the internet. According to Statista, it is without a doubt the most popular programming language in the world with close to 70% of developers worldwide utilizing it. This was followed by HTML/CSS at just over 63% and SQL at around 54% usage. As you can see, JavaScript is far in the lead. 

With this evident popularity understood, let’s talk about the most popular JavaScript frameworks available. Before we do this though, it’s important that you have an understanding of what a JavaScript framework is.

A framework, in a nutshell, is a collection of JavaScript code libraries that developers can use in different ways based on the website requirements. These differing frameworks are prized by developers working on mobile apps and websites based on the power and functionality they provide. There are many different JavaScript frameworks available to developers. All of the most popular JS frameworks are robust and powerful, but they might not be appropriate for every single job. 

Choosing the one that is the best fit for a project depends on what the project requirements are. What works for one team and project will not work for all. At NIX we have an in-depth familiarity with many of these popular frameworks. We asked a small team of 90+ NIX developers what they believed were the best frameworks. We’re going to give you some information on the ones they believe are the most significant right now.

Why Should You Use a JavaScript Framework?

Let’s first discuss why you should use a JavaScript framework in the first place. If you’re going to be building a website or mobile app, there are several key reasons to utilize a JS framework. Here are some of the biggest ones to keep in mind.

Efficiency

This is probably the biggest reason to use a popular JavaScript framework. They provide a host of well-structured and prebuilt modules that you can easily use. With the associated libraries available within the framework they can save significant amounts of time. When it comes to high-end mobile and web apps, this time saving is critical and cannot be discounted.

Community

The great thing about using one of the more popular JavaScript frameworks is the community around it. These developers help each other and can provide support to ensure that issues are addressed and resolved in a timely manner.

Cost

Developers need to have an understanding of the cost of their tools. Most of the popular JS frameworks are open source. This lets developers build robust apps and websites in a very cost-effective manner.

React.JS by Facebook

This is one of the newer frameworks in our list. Developed by Facebook it was released in 2013 and quickly became a very popular choice for developers. It is obviously used on two of the biggest social networks around – Facebook and Instagram – but it is also used on a host of other recognizable sites like Netflix, Paypal, Dropbox, and the BBC.

React lets you create large web applications that can update on the fly without a reload is required. This is really important and added to that benefit is the fact that it allows you to manage view layers for web and mobile apps. React lets you use lots of different tools when developing to further extend its functionality. Some of these libraries include Redux, MobX, Fluxy, Fluxible and Reflux JS.

NIX Expertise

We had an opportunity to use React.JS with an organization called CarSoup. CarSoup is an online marketplace that connects sellers and over 20,000 car dealerships throughout the USA with qualified buyers. Buyers can search new and used vehicles and across a variety of different makes and styles.

NIX helped build a stable high-performing site for CarSoup that offered a user-friendly car-buying environment for CarSoup customers. In addition, NIX implemented the SPA (Single Page App) using React.JS and completed the integration of different third-party platforms to improve reporting and analytics.

Angular Empowers Faster Development

Angular is Google’s progeny and is an excellent tool for web applications and websites. It is open-source and is one of the top tools for building single-page applications. Angular is an excellent solution for dynamic web applications as well as hybrid mobile apps. As one of the most popular JS frameworks, Angular has a robust ecosystem with four different data libraries and support in IDEs.

Angular is in use with several different sites that you might be familiar with. These include LinkedIn, Freelancer and even Lego. With the dynamic app functionality that Angular provides, it empowers faster web development. In addition, Angular lets developers use HTML as their template language and combines the functionality of HTML, CSS and JavaScript together. This makes it extremely powerful.

NIX Expertise

At NIX we get a chance to use lots of different technologies and one of our top picks is Angular. The client has an intelligent platform that offers digital labor powered by Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence(AI), and Cloud Computing to automate administrative back-office processes that work exactly like a human.

Using Angular, NIX was able to create a stable modularity process and plug-in application system. An integration with openwork cognitive servers and automation of platform deployment helped to solve business complexities.

Node.JS – An Extensive Ecosystem

A list of the most popular JavaScript frameworks could not be considered complete without the inclusion of Node.JS. This is another framework released by Google and is in fact built on Google Chrome’s JavaScript engine. A significant advantage to Node.JS in comparison to other frameworks is the ability it provides to build end-to-end web applications just using JavaScript.

Node.JS is free, lightweight and efficient and runs on multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux and macOS. With Node.JS apps don’t require data buffering which is something companies like Walmart, Uber and Paypal put into good effect.

NIX Expertise

We used Node.JS when we built out a trading platform with another client. This platform helps empower financial advisors. Specifically, it lets them handle investment portfolios for their clients and supervises the overall trading system. 

The individual portfolio models are created by investment managers. These managers then post the portfolios on the web as a service to their clients. Clients who use the model outside of the services provided are charged separately. The NIX team realized API and backend with the help of Node.JS ensuring high load of data, realtime configurations and scalability.

Which Framework is the Best?

At NIX we’ve got lots of experience with different projects and frameworks. While JavaScript is definitely going to be a factor with websites and web development for years to come, picking the right framework is not that simple. This is where NIX can help. We are a team of passionate engineers and we understand which frameworks are best based on requirements and circumstances. 

NIX knows how to implement the right framework to successfully implement projects and we can help you understand which solution will work for you. Contact us to find out how we can help you succeed with JavaScript.