We’re living the years of the Javascript, as the language swiftly climbed to the first rank on Github, and is continuously gaining momentum across different applications, not just front-end application development. Nowadays, Javascript is used in the frontend, the backend, building mobile applications, and even for building AI applications. The chrome V8 engine is pushing its performance on the server-side as it is doing on the browser.
Frameworks make it easier to create applications with Javascript. Two of the most popular are Angular and React.
Confused about your next job?In 3 simple steps you can find your personalised career roadmap in Software development for FREE
Every time front-end programming is required, the Angular vs React debate occurs. The answer relies on a variety of circumstances, and even front-end developers have debated the topic for years.
Angular is a Google-developed and maintained web framework that was first released in 2010 under the name AngularJS. It quickly became one of the most popular web frameworks at the time. This was owing to capabilities like two-way data binding and dependency injection, as well as the fact that it was supported by a tech giant.
Angular (also known as Angular 2.0) was released in September 2016 as a complete redesign of AngularJS (Angular 1.0), which was first released in 2010.
React, a JavaScript library used by Facebook, was open-sourced in 2013. This framework popularised a web development concept known as component-based architecture, which has a number of benefits, including:
Components that are modular and coherent, making them highly reusable and contributing to a faster development time.
It’s used in mobile development since it allows developers to reuse the logical section of an app while simply changing the view.
Easy maintenance and improvement due to self-contained components.
React immediately swept the market, overtaking most of the frameworks available at the time, including AngularJS. As a result of the community’s passion for component-based architecture, Google improved their JavaScript framework in 2016 and named it Angular2.
Software Developer, Tech Enthusiast, Runner. Current project http://sqlcheater.com/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wolfe-176212125
React, on the other hand, is not a framework. Instead, it is a JavaScript library. React can also be packaged with other programming libraries, as in itself it is not a complete solution. Because React is only a library, you are in control of the flow of the application. This means you decide when the code is called or the library is integrated. React was created by a developer from Facebook, and is currently being maintained by Meta.
Angular isn’t too difficult once you get used to the syntax, however. It’s difficult for beginners and takes time or training, but once you’ve gotten used to it there isn’t too much more difficult past the initial learning. React does take a little getting used to as well, from my experience, but when compared to Angular there is an easier learning curve with React.
More content at plainenglish.io. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. Get exclusive access to writing opportunities and advice in our community Discord.
Overall, I feel like I understand the difference better, and am now better prepared to answer the interview question that I couldn’t confidently answer before. Hopefully, you thought this was an interesting read as well. Until next time, cheers!
What do you understand by Virtual DOM? Explain its works.
A virtual DOM is a lightweight JavaScript object which originally is just a copy of the real DOM. It is a node tree that lists the elements, their attributes and content as Objects and their properties. React’s render function creates a node tree out of the React components. It then updates this tree in response to the mutations in the data model which is caused by various actions done by the user or by the system. Check out this Web developer course online to learn more about react.
This Virtual DOM works in three simple steps.