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The Best JavaScript Frameworks

Written by Peter Devereaux | Mar 30, 2017 5:00:00 AM

JavaScript is regularly mentioned as one of the best programming languages and one that "everybody" should learn - or at least know something about.

Demand for those skilled and fluent in JavaScript has never been higher, in fact, and one of the reasons for the increasing popularity and accessibility of frameworks.

JavaScript frameworks are simply application frameworks that are written in JavaScript. Frameworks are somewhat different than libraries in that libraries offer up the functions to be called whereas frameworks help designers/developers actually define the entire application structure itself - big difference (and a rather significant area of confusion among many).

Let's take a look at some of the best and most popular JavaScript frameworks now and find out how they differ from one another:

Angular: Maintained by Google, Angular is quickly becoming one of the main choices for those looking to adopt a JavaScript framework and build great lightweight web applications for personal and commercial use.

React: Maintained by Facebook, React also has its devotees. Ideal for building large apps with data that changes regularly, ReactJS is very efficient, creating its own DOM where the components live.

Meteor: While not as popular as Angular or React, MeteorJS is ideal for those looking to build real-time web applications as developers can work on the back-end and the client side relatively easily.

Node: Ideal for those seeking scalable and fast network applications, the popularity of Node.js has exploded over the past few years thanks to a range of benefits including fast data streaming and numerous very useful tools.

There are hundreds of other frameworks for designers and developers to consider as they weigh their options; solutions include Ember, Backbone, Vue, Aurelia and others are regularly featured within Website Magazine's Design and Development channel so make sure to subscribe to receive update on these offerings and more each week.

Not sure which is the right choice? Take a look at this infographic for insights into choosing a JavaScript framework.