Software development is a hectic task, and we find ways to make our work more manageable and less time-consuming during development. To make things simple, we come across many frameworks and libraries and get confused about which one to choose. The case is the same for different JavaScript frameworks. There are various frontend JavaScript frameworks, out of which two are the most popular, i.e., Vue.js and React. This article will compare these frameworks and see which is better for your next project. Let’s get started:
React vs Vue.js
User interfaces are the important module of any software. A nice, attractive, user-friendly interface can increase a software’s usability by 80%. However, creating such interactive interfaces is not a piece of cake and is time-consuming. Thanks to the frontend frameworks that allow you to create dynamic web pages most easily and quickly possible. Recently, the most popular frontend frameworks have been Vue.js and React. However, you only use one of them in your projects. So, let’s first see some pros and cons of each framework and decide which one is the best:
What is Vue.js?
Vue.js is a widely used javascript framework. It allows you to create interactive user interfaces and Single Page Applications (SPA) with less time and less effort. It will enable you to make progressive enhancements in DOM objects. You can easily create the UIs using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and split the code into modules to reuse the components.
Vue.js is so popular among new developers due to its learning curve. It is highly flexible and lightweight. You can easily integrate it into existing applications without needing extra code.
What is React?
React is an open-source JavaScript library that mainly focuses on the View part of the application. It is a component-based model in which each model is incharge of rendering a small and reusable piece of HTML. React is efficient and flexible; create simple views for your applications and efficiently update and render the components whenever your data changes. It is more search engine friendly, making web pages load quickly.
React is a fantastic library using which you can create simple and enterprise applications in less time.
Pros and Cons
Vue.js pros
- It is easy to learn and quick to get started with due to Option API and composition API, each to be used for fewer scenarios.
- It can be integrated into other frameworks or existing applications without any modifications.
- It uses Model-View-View-Model architecture to enhance the user interface experience. It keeps the View part of the application separate from the logic part.
Vue.js cons
- Any big tech company does not yet back Vue.js, which t is used in small single-page applications or simply user interfaces rather than huge and complex applications.
- Not as huge as React.
React pros
- It comes with many tutorials, manuals, and training materials to make it easy for developers to grasp React.
- React applications consist of many reusable components, each having its logic and controls outputting a reusable part of HTML code. You can use these components in various applications that speed up the development process.
- React enhances the performance of web applications with the help of virtual DOM. The virtual DOM works just like the browser’s DOM, providing a way for the developers to test and check each feature before it is implemented on the actual DOM.
React cons
- Because React is a library and not a complete framework, you still need other tools and technologies to get a complete set of tools for development.
- The documentation gets outdated quickly due to short development cycles.
Popular applications
Built in Vue.js
- Grammarly
- Behance
- 9gag
- Nintendo
- FontAwesome
- GitLab
Built in React
- Netflix
- BBC News
Similarities Between Vue.js and React
Besides all the pros and cons discussed above for each technology, both frameworks share some functionalities, which are discussed as under:
- Virtual DOM: The Virtual DOM allows the developers to check the components on a virtual DOM before it is implemented on the actual site. Both frameworks provide it. The virtual DOM considers all the HTML elements as a JavaScript objects. This way, it improves performance and allows more declarative DOM manipulation.
- Lightweight: Vue.js and React are both very lightweight and use component-based architecture. However, Vue.js is lighter than React and renders the data faster.
- Community Support: Both React and Vue.js have tremendous community support, and you get the answers to your queries quickly. Furthermore, both frameworks have many tools and libraries. Both are open-source and free.
- Integration and Installation: Vue.js and React are both easy to install and integrate into existing applications.
Major Differences between Vue.js and React
Although React and Vue.js share many core functionalities, there remain some differences in both, which are given below:
- Vue.js uses Single File Components (SFC), whereas React uses JSX as a
component format.
- Vue.js is commonly used to build web applications whereas React can be used to build web applications, mobile applications, and cross-platform applications.
- Vue.js has an adaptable architecture for complex features, and React supports various state management technologies for complex components.
React vs Vue.js: Which one to use?
After the above discussion, you can better decide which framework would be more suitable for your project. The use of each framework depends upon the type of project. No JavaScript framework is one-size-fits-all. However, before deciding which framework to use, you should understand what your application will be doing and what features must be implemented.
Both frameworks provide you with the tools and technologies for building attractive interfaces. If we compare both from the beginner’s point of view, Vue.js is much easier to learn than React. You need lots of practice to work with React or even get started with it, but experienced developers regard it as more flexible than Vue.js.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed different aspects of Vue.js and React frameworks to decide which one is better and should be used in the next project. From all the research and discussion, we can conclude that both frameworks are the best in their places if used properly. Both have pros and cons and use cases; you can decide which framework to use according to your need.