7 Must-Learn JavaScript Frameworks for Developers in 2019

JavaScript continues to be one of the most popular and widely used programming languages. Thanks to a robust ecosystem of sophisticated frameworks, JavaScript remains the most widely used programming language till date. After being touted as a language for web development for years, some JavaScript frameworks have become unbeatable for mobile app development as well. JavaScript is also making way for integrating the latest technologies such as Machine Learning and Augmented Reality.

The evolving range of sophisticated and most utilitarian frameworks is the main strength of the JavaScript programming language. Here we are going to explain some of the leading JavaScript frameworks that developers must learn in 2019.

Angular

Angular, which was earlier called AngularJS, is a JavaScript framework that has gone through some extensive evolution. Regarded as one of the most powerful open-source JavaScript frameworks, it is capable of extending HTML attributes with Directives and binding expressive data to HTML. Built, maintained and updated by Google, the framework can handle all regular web tasks. With the introduction of Angular 5, which is capable of removing all the irrelevant runtime code, the framework ensures building a more lightweight, fast-paced and low-footprint app.

React

Built and maintained by Facebook since 2011, React is one of the leading open-source JavaScript frameworks that developers use to develop high-performance apps across niches. With a large developer community of skilled React developers, the structure continues to dominate the development scene. Simple code syntax and reusability of the code are two key strengths of React framework.

React continues to evolve with every new update by offering more sophisticated features. In 2018 the React update introduced features and value-additions like React Profiler, Create React App 2.0, lifecycle methods, Context API, suspense for code splitting and several others. In 2019, the latest React update is going to offer one of the most awaited features called Hooks. This new feature is likely to enable developers some features like State without depending on the JavaScript classes.

Vue.js

Released in 2014 by taking inspiration from Angular to build a lightweight framework, Vue quickly became popular among app developers because of its simplified approach and high extensibility. Vue quickly became one of the most popular interactive libraries for building web interfaces.

Vue comes as a library equipped with versatile and simple API for high-speed development of lean apps. In contrast to other major JavaScript frameworks like React or Angular, Vue is credited to deliver a clean HTML output. Vue, as a framework, also offers a whole array of advanced JavaScript features like developing custom tools for specific apps through supporting libraries, routing, state management, etc.

Node.js

Node.js has emerged as one of the leading JavaScript frameworks thanks to its excellent scalability, development speed and productivity output. The best thing about NodeJS is that it allows building both the front end and the back end by using the same language. Thanks to the awesome performance and scalability NodeJS is often considered as the best framework for enterprise app development.

NodeJS approach to app development is based upon the unique generic implementation of the framework with the addition of more code based upon the specific use case. It boosts performance and saves a lot of time by providing a bounty of tools, guidelines and suggested practices for the app developers.

Backbone.js

Backbone.js is another popular open-source JavaScript framework which is mainly known for giving web applications better structure through integrating key-value binding and custom events with the models. App developers also acclaim the framework for declarative event handling, a rich API of enumerable functions and ability to connect the app with all APIs.

BackboneJS comes equipped with a RESTful JSON interface and follows MVP design protocol. BackboneJS is extremely lightweight framework as it doesn’t have any other dependency except on the JavaScript library, Underscore.js and jQuery. For building well-Structured single-page apps and for keeping multiple web app components synchronised, BackboneJS is widely preferred.

Ionic Framework

Released in 2013 this open-source, frontend development framework is hugely popular among developers of hybrid mobile apps. This framework uses the right mix of the leading web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS to build versatile and flexible cross-platform apps for a variety of platforms such as native iOS, Android, desktop, and the web.

Ionic is a great framework to build apps with a sophisticated look and feel. It is a great framework for delivering an interactive user interface. It always requires a native wrapper such as Cordova for running the app on specific mobile platforms. With the use of wrappers, Ionic utilized platform-specific device features like GPS, accelerometer, Camera, Flashlight, etc. Ionic is the ideal framework to build Progressive Web Apps (PWA) that can be run using a browser shell such as WebView in Android or UIWebView in iOS.

Ember.js

This hugely popular open-source JavaScript framework was developed in 2015 to make the development task easier. It comes with a bounty of developer-friendly APIs that can be readily used. With the two-way data binding support, EmberJS is more capable of building a complex and multifaceted user interface that constantly requires syncing data. It comes with a set of UIs and a lot of inbuilt testing tools. A whole array of leading websites like LinkedIn and Netflix use EmberJS framework for their websites and mobile apps.

Conclusion

Which JavaScript framework is suitable for my app? There is no straightforward answer to this question. Every JavaScript framework has its pros and cons. It all depends upon the development priorities and the kind of app you want to build. But when it comes to the availability of expert developers, most of the leading frameworks with robust worldwide community come at the forefront.