Choosing the right JavaScript web framework has become too difficult these days as there are numerous frameworks of JavaScript available. Angular and React are the most popular JavaScript frameworks out of all frameworks.
There are many debates on the topic of Angular and React on the internet. Therefore, I am going to explain the comprehensive difference between these two frameworks.
In this article, you will learn about the reasons for the popularity of both frameworks. This article will help you to develop your future projects using JavaScript. So, keep reading this article.
Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source JavaScript framework. It was invented and powered by Google, and it is compatible with a variety of code editors. Angular is used in front-end development and is required for the creation of dynamic web apps and websites.
The first version of Angular is called “AngularJs”, which is released in 2010. The second version and a complete rewrite of AngularJS were released in 2016. Google AdWords, one of the company’s most important projects, makes use of Angular.
Facebook creates React, which is a JavaScript open-source library. It is built with JSX (a PHP extension) and JavaScript. The React Library divides the webpage into single components, making UI development easier.
React was created in 2012 when managing Facebook ads with simple HTML coding became difficult. It was open-sourced in 2013, and millions of developers have used it since then. React has been widely used in the user interfaces of Facebook and Instagram.
Reasons For The Popularity of Angular and React
Now, I am going to discuss the reasons for the popularity of each framework. So, Let’s get started!
- Stack Overflow
Angular was the most popular JavaScript framework in 2016 while React is gaining popularity continuously. According to a Stack Overflow report, React and Angular was equally popular among the developers in 2018.
After that, most developers used React, and it has become the most popular open-source JavaScript Library. React was the number 1 JavaScript backend framework in 2020 while Angular got 3rd rank in the list of most used frameworks. React has become the choice of every developer that’s why it is gaining more and more popularity.
- Google Trends
Google Trends does not show the actual usage of the frameworks, but it shows the most emerging framework in the world. It shows the framework in which the people are most interested. In this technology era, React is the most talked-about framework.
- NPM Downloads
In this matrix, React is again the winner. React framework is downloaded five times more than Angular.
Working With Frameworks
When you are working with front-end JavaScript frameworks, there are a few things to be considered:
- Maturity of Framework
When you are adopting a framework for your project, framework maturity is a crucial aspect. Yes, we all want innovative technologies to complete our projects. But we have to maintain a balance between newer technologies and work approaches.
If you choose an unmatured tool, it will create difficulties for you in the future. You must examine the tool whether it creates bugs in your project or not. If you don’t select a well-known tool, you will face difficulties that can’t be solved by anyone.
You can examine the maturity of your framework by the GitHub community’s response. Angular has about 59K stars while React has almost 146K stars on GitHub. These stats state that both frameworks are quite mature. There is a large community base for both front-end JavaScript frameworks.
- Learning Curve
The learning curve is not only the ease in coding but also the ease in testing and debugging. This is the most important aspect while developing long-term projects.
The entry-level of Angular is tougher than React. When you want to adopt Angular, you must understand the basics concepts — modules, decorators, directives, templates, and services.
When you get your hands on it, you move to the advanced level of Angular where you learn AoT compilation, Rx.js, and many more. Angular is one of the most famous frameworks of JavaScript as it shows clear bugs on the screen. It assists developers to fix the issue easily.
When you start working on React, you have to understand the working of JavaScript XML (JSX). You must learn the writing components, internal states, and props for configuration.
You should also learn how to work with routing libraries. The most important state management libraries are MobX and Redux. You should learn both of them to get expertise in React.
- Development Speed and Productivity
The Command Line Interface (CLI) of Angular gives developers a great development experience. You can design the website swiftly by just adding some lines of code. There are also many built-in processes that assist you to solve your coding issues easily.
Third-party libraries enhance the performance and productivity of React. There are numerous tools in React. You can manage the tools according to your project’s requirements and needs. It can take a lot of time to update an app because it is difficult to understand the code for a new developer.
- Backward Compatibility
Angular has 4 versions and Angular 4 is compatible with the previous 2 versions. But Angular 2 is not compatible with previous versions. This backward compatibility is a great drawback for this front-end JavaScript framework. On the other hand, React is compatible with its previous 16 versions. But Angular 2 is not backward compatible with AngularJS.
Conclusion
There are several JavaScript web frameworks in the world but we have discussed the two most popular frameworks. React is the most popular framework in the world as it is the most downloaded framework. It is on the top of the google trends and top ranks in Stack Overflow.
React has easy coding methods and approaches which provides developers with the facility of easy debugging. In the end, I have concluded from the stats that React is way better than Angular.
I hope you have understood the comparison of Angular Vs React. If you want to learn more about it, you can search on the internet.
