The user interface is the place at which the user or visitor to your website first interacts with. The front end is the term used to describe everything that the user may interact with while using your web app. The importance of a great UI is obvious, the user will stay if they like the UI of your web app. There are a lot of options for creating a great UI for a web application, and JavaScript frameworks is the most popular of all of them.
So, now that we know what brings us here, let’s get started with things about JavaScript and then finally the top frameworks and libraries of JavaScript suitable for UI/UX development.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a scripting language that has massively become popular all over the world. It is efficient and easy to use, JavaScript allows multi-paradigm scripting. JavaScript is highly capable, all so much, that along with HTML and CSS, it is one of the 3 pillars that World wide web is built upon.
Since a long long time, the world has relied on JavaScript for making the webpages dynamic and fast. And the frameworks and libraries are a proper aid to cut down the repetition of code, cutting both the development time and length of code, to very low levels.
Below is the list and description of top frameworks in JavaScript if you are looking for a front-end development framework.
1. AngularJS Framework
Angular as created by Google, basically for creating highly demanding single-page applications. The framework supports a multitude of different features for easing out the development process. Angular is also known for extending the capabilities of HTML by adding attributes.
If you are looking for a high-performance SPA, then you should go for AngularJS Development Services. But you may face some issues with the performance of the data object model. There are a lot of tools for aid, use them along with Angular for the best result.
The framework is claimed to be hard to learn, simply because it’s written in Typescript, a superset of JavaScript. An Angular JS developer must possess complete knowledge of Typescript to work with this framework. But even though it has a steep learning curve, it has massive popularity amongst developers due to its unmatched capabilities.
2. ReactJS framework
React was created by Facebook with one aim in mind, to ease the process of UI development. React is one of the most popular libraries of JavaScript, and certainly one of the most used ones. The reason for this is the Flux architecture and minimal reliance on taking use of DOM.
These are something you would only find with React JS development services and no other library or framework. It is used to create highly dynamic and fast single-page applications, making all the use of its great power. You won’t need to rewrite what’s already written with React, also, React Native can come to aid in a lot more ways than we can think of.
The extras you get with this library is something worth considering but be cautious that it has some features missing. The reason why React is a library and not a framework is the fact that it can do everything in Front end development.
3. Vue JavaScript framework
Vue was created by Evan You, someone who directly worked on Angular while it was being developed. Evan created Vue to shred down the unnecessary from Angular, making it lightweight and still working everything out. The difference however is, Vue is more suited to a small size and medium size SPAs and can’t take on the heavy ones.
Vue offers everything that you need for building excellent UI and is capable of being used on a page that’s already built. Angular’s limitation with the compatibility issues if not being used from the start, and the reasonless heavy components, are both removed in Vue.
Even though Vue is questionable, is not backed by some top organization, it has gained massive popularity. Dynamic lightweight applications are the most valued use of Vue as a front-end framework. The comparatively small community support might also be a burden to think about. There are things still unexplored, but that’s changing with time.
4. Ember JavaScript framework
If you ask about a package that gives you the best front end development services experience, and you will have your answer to what Ember is. One of the greatest implementations of Ember is Apple music, as a desktop app. And Ember is way more ambitious in which things it can do with SPAs and mobile apps.
Ember is one of a kind, offering so many utilities with a one-time learning process. Desktop apps have been a necessity for quite some time for a few kinds of applications, and probably more and more would be needed in the future. Ember comes equipped with a desktop app with a great user interface to work with.
It boasts exceptional backward compatibility, the one you would probably not find anywhere else. The exceptional templates give Ember an upper hand for the UI creation, and for creating SPAs. The performance is something that is never compromised with Ember, making it one of the finest choices in all JavaScript’s frameworks.
5. Aurelia JavaScript framework
The framework which became famous for its flexibility, and micro-sized modules, is what sets it apart from the top dogs. Aurelia may not be half as famous as the most popular JavaScript frameworks we have discussed until now, but it surely has to offer things you find in Angular and other top libraries and frameworks.
It was advertised as being the most advanced and user-friendly framework of the lot, and for same this may seem true. The fact that how well you are into a particular development language matters a lot in deciding that. Aurelia is user-friendly, and the features it has sure makes it a worthy contender to be a top JavaScript framework.
Main advantages of Aurelia are the dynamic routing patterns, the creation of custom HTML elements, and the data binding feature of the iconic framework. Aurelia also supports two-way data binding, which most other frameworks don’t have. Overall, it is a great package offering SPAs, web applications, and desktop applications, and definitely worth trying.
6. Backbone JavaScript framework
One of the only few libraries offering a JSON RESTful interface, Backbone is in a class of its own. Backbone has been used to create some of the best websites like SoundCloud and Airbnb. The heavy architecture compatibility is one of the greatest feats of what Backbone can conquer, along with some of the rare features you find in other packages.
Backbone is based on the model view presenter design paradigm, which has an edge over MVC and MVVC. Backbone was created with single page application development in mind. Its declarative event handling and enumerable API functions make it a number one choice for SPA development.
7. Marko JavaScript framework
The love for HTML still lasts? Marko is the future where you can get all you want. Marko adds on various features to HTML, taking it to the next level altogether. Marko is very lightweight, even much lighter than the already light React. There are a lot of things common in the two, the difference is, however, the high performance and ease of use that comes with Marko. The most important difference is, however, React is more JSX, while Marko is more HTML.
However, there is no mobile native support in Marko, giving it an edge below React. Depending on your language of choice, there is certainly nothing better than Marko is you are an avid HTML coder. The choice not only extends your capabilities to better UI but things much more than that.
8. Mithril JavaScript framework
Mithril is a small-sized package that packs a lot of great features for single page application creation. One of the greatest advantages of using Mithril is its XHR support right out of the box. XHR is a request to the server, and we have seen its compatibility in only a few good Javascript frameworks and libraries.
Mithril surely deserves attention for its performance capabilities, it sure has to offer a lot on the numbers. They have claimed to be much faster than Vue, React, Angular for starters, and the package size is very small compared to all three of them.
9. Hyperapp JavaScript frameworks
Hyperapp is known for its extra-low size, making it one of the smallest of all JavaScript packages. Hyperapp just measures about 1kb in size, much lower than even Mithril. The performance may be a bit affected, but the functionality isn’t. Overall, Hyperapp is much capable just like React but is much easier to learn because of its simpler syntax and micro modules.
The micro framework is highly capable, but it didn’t shred all that weight just like that. With limited possibilities of Hyperapp, you won’t have much luck in building heavy web apps. But the nature of Hyperapp makes it very suitable to create small scale SPAs.
10. Jquery JavaScript framework
Jquery is one the greatest and oldest JavaScript library of them all, the purpose of it was easing out the use of JavaScript throughout your website. The reason why it became so popular was for the features it had and enabled to work on an HTML page. The revolution was rightly brought about by this library, but it has faded with time to more advanced frameworks.
Jquery is still the best, as what the statistics tell us, through the websites that were made using Jquery. It is speculated that over 70% of top 1million websites use Jquery to solve their problems. Making it the most popular JavaScript library of all time.
