Comparison of Top JavaScript Frameworks In 2017 Today, the mobile application development is a hot sector and there are several JavaScript Frameworks available that a developer can take help of, to create engaging mobile apps. A developer can find a JavaScript Framework truly helpful in building an app with exceptional features. However, it is important to choose the right framework for a specific application development that can meet the requirements of a developer more precisely. Here, we are presenting a list of popular JavaScript Frameworks, with their features and unique properties, helping developers to choose the best framework for their mobile app development.
JQuery Mobile
JQuery is a popular framework building mobile apps that can easily be accessed through a variety of devices, including touchenabled devices. It is easy to integrate with thirdparty technologies and this expands its application area. With HTML5 and CSS3, a developer can easily achieve custommade user interface for his/her mobile application. The latest version of JQuery
features a lightweight code base, which help optimize the speed. Pros: • Easy to develop, if you understand HTML(HTML5) you will have pretty good understanding of jQuery Mobile • Excellent 3rd party support, what through knowledge what through plugins • Easy to debug • Better for mobile web applications • Official documentation Cons: • Sometimes slow and sluggish on mobile devices, application needs to be designed properly. • Dull look unless you are capable UI designer. All applications look the same, and it looks pretty bad on large screens. • Official documentation is lacking in some segments, too few information about jQuery Mobile architecture and JavaScript React JS
One of other top JavaScript Frameworks in today’s time is ReactJS and again maintained by a reputed brand Facebook.
Be it it’s ability to perform good in SEO (surptisingly being part of JS family), Simpler JSX, Virtual DOM or powerful JavaScript library, ReactJS is a developer’s choice to build dynamic & high traffic web applications. Stay Informed 5 Interesting Mobile App Development Trends for 2016 However, while comparing with AngularJS, ReactJS falls short in testing simplicity and component structure. Also needless to say, this does not make ReactJS to fall short from AngularJS. Pros: • It is quite easy to be mastered. • It is easy to maintain isolated components in React. • Constant rerendering of components provides efficient arranging at increasing complexity. • Convenient architecture – Flux – is highly competitive to MVC. One way data flow provides maintainability and efficient arrangement of data and DOM elements. • It is the most lightweighted framework among the ones that are widely used today. Cons: • Some issues with DOM manipulation libraries are possible (e.g., jQuery). • Frequent rerendering may slow down the work of application at handling a large set of data.
Angular JS 2.0 & 1.X Whatever the conclusion you come to, you must admit that AngularJS (maintained by Google) has the capacity to build web applications like no other. With a rapid development pace, easy code integration, readiness for unit testing AngulatJS can certainly be you choice for next project. After the most awaited official release of AngularJS 2.0, the popularity of the framework has reached a new level in today’s time. However, this is still a risky decision to jump to the new version if you are not so sure. Let us help your decision with this flowchart
Pros: •
Good documentation.
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Twoway data binding simplifies some parts of the process.
Cons: •
Twoway data binding checks for changes in the data model, which may lead to possible issues with performance and faster draining the battery of the device.
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Difficulties with understanding the code and debugging.
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Substantial framework size.
Backbone.JS
As one of the oldest of the JavaScript frameworks in this review, Backbone has lost much of its initial buzz, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from giving it serious consideration. First released in 2010 by Jeremy Ashkenas, Backbone is lightweight. Coming in at just 6.3KB when minified and compressed for production and with only one dependency (Underscore.js), it’s a highly versatile and minimalistic MVC (ModelViewController) framework that powers a lot of sites you may be familiar with: Twitter, Hulu, Pinterest and my personal favorite, Pandora Radio.
Pros: •
Highly flexible. You can choose not to implement some features (e.g Controller) based on your requirement.
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It is tightly integrated with underscore.js which is great.
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Initially you have to write more JavaScript code but it’s very easy to implement complex user interaction.
Cons: •
Designed more towards consuming REST data.
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More complex initially if compared to knockout.js.
PhoneGap
PhoneGap is essentially based on Cordova. Cordova/Phonegap provides a set JavaScript APIs that connect to the device’s native functions such as Camera, Compass, Contacts, and Geolocation. Cordova/Phonegap lets us build a mobile application without the native programming language; instead we can use a framework like jQuery Mobile. It will compile your app using the platform’s SDK and will be ready to install on the platform it supports including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and Web OS.
Pros: •
No need to learn other complicated languages to create mobile apps. All you should know is JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3.
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All the PhoneGap apps can be installed much like a native app, and are able to leverage app store discoverability.
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It follows a plugin architecture, which indirectly means that access to the native device APIs can be extended in a modular way.
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Using PhoneGap would enable you to distribute and integrate payment through the app store.
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Leverage from tons of libraries.
Cons: •
If your mobile app includes too many graphic elements, performance could be a big issue.