Several competitors in the JavaScript front-end market came into existence about ten years ago. These included Angular.js, Vue.js, React.js and Ember.js. (Fun-Fact - Back in 2006 the future the creator of one of these technologies worked on this site's underlying code base in as a summer student). For some time, Angular had the high ground but in a merit based environment React and Vue began to win over developers.

Vue is a very well-thought-out platform. We develop with Vue via one of it's frameworks; NUXT.js. However, as developers, by necessity we prefer React.

React’s advantages are …

• It is solidly backed by Meta but allowed to move along on under it's own direction.
• It has deep roots in mobile app development thanks to React Native that appear to have withstood the test of the arrival of Flutter on the scene.
• It is broadly implemented with a lot of React programmer talent out there. This community has a deep bench of knowledge on leveraging the platform.
• Its only competitors in the spaces it moves as of late are Vue on the desktop front and Flutter on the mobile app front. In both cases it dominates.
• Vercel.com is a major supporter of React and has championed the standardization of the use of NEXT.js (based on React) to positive effect and utility.
• In the fall of 2022 Next.js became capable of both client-side and server-side rendering meaning it can work in the front-end and the back-end. As such it has crossed over to being 'full-stack' as an option. This is a non-trivial task. Many of React's competators have been less effective at achieving this goal.

If you are looking for a Javascript framework so you can start building real-world complex websites, we suggest NEXT.js as your first choice as a sole soultion. We prefer Rails in the backend and React in the front end. This is based on our deep bench of knowledge in both. Rails is still a better back end .. if you have the resources or know Ruby already.

If you want to try out mobile app development and you prefer a solution that allows you to ship one solution for both IOS and Android, then head on over to React Native.

Posted: April 19, 2023 by Greg Van de Mosselaer
Regions: International
Tags: Programming

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