Versus: React js and Angular js in 2020

Which one is better in 2020 and why? A spoiler: both technologies are powerful and flexible, while none of them is worse or better.

At the start of any web project, the choice of software and libraries is incredibly important. Selection between JavaScript frameworks is still one of the hottest topics among the developers. ReactJS and AngularJS are perhaps the most common frameworks (according to the Google Trends) that offer absolutely various approaches to web app development.

Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally and unanimously which one is preferably — React or Angular. They are just radically different and are used for different tasks. Which ones? We will talk about this. About the profits of each, characteristic features, prospects.

ReactJS vs AngularJS

Both frameworks are excellent in their own way, advanced, and widely adopted JS technologies. On the one hand, they are so dissimilar. On the other hand, they are so identical. The point is that each has its own strengths and weaknesses. This is the main thing. And this is what our article will be about. For both beginners and professionals.

ReactJS: definition, characteristics, pros and cons

React is a JavaScript library that is great for building modern single page applications of any size and scale.

Key features: time-saving, plainness and composable, absolute maintenance by FB, the ability to use extra libraries, improved UX and high performance, rapid development, React constituent elements.

React appeared several years earlier than Angular and has undergone a lot of changes and modifications. As a result, it has become a convenient framework that most developers deservedly and reasonably prefer to use. In addition, React has a great amount of codes in its base (about 100 thousand). And there are 300 ready-made options. The program is in essence an open source library.

So, what are the other benefits of React?

  • At the core — simple programming languages.
  • Extreme application flexibility.
  • Usage of the DOM.
  • The ability of the app to withstand heavy loads.
  • “Friendship” between React and SEO. It is easier for search bots to browse sites, and the user interaction with your website is improved.
  • Immutability of the parental data.
  • An open data library.
  • A light weight of the database.
  • An easy migration between the releases.
  • Almost complete absence of the external differences between hybrid mobile apps in React and the native ones.

As for the flaws, there are much fewer of them. But they are, which means that it is necessary to say about them.

Disadvantages include:

  • Disorder of the documentation.
  • Excessive selection of the toolkit. It becomes difficult to make a decision.
  • Complexity of learning. It takes a long time to master all the nuances.

Summing up, React provides you the ability to choose the instruments, architecture, and libraries. It is perfect for contemporary web development and native-rendered apps for Android and iOS operating systems.

AngularJS: definition, characteristics, pros and cons

Angular is one of the most known JavaScript structural frameworks for designing interactive web apps that offers multiple out-of-the-box solutions and designs.

Key features: huge community support, technology compatibility, clear-cut and precise coding, extended support for mistake correction.

In Angular, components are called directives, which are used as markers for document object model (DOM) elements. They can track and define the specific behavior of each individual component. For one cause or another, Angular typically exposes some of the UI components as attributes of HTML tags, and their behavior as JavaScript code.

Among the advantages:

  • A wide variety of the functions.
  • Interdependence of the functions.
  • The ability to receive information directly, not through the third parties.
  • The ability to work separately in one section of the program using the available data.
  • Minimal risk of the mistakes.

Nevertheless, Angular has such limitations:

  • At the core — a complex programming language.
  • Errors during migration between the releases.

Summing up, Angular suggests a restricted freedom and suppleness. It is ideal to implement if you want to produce large-scale and feature-rich projects.

Comparison of the frameworks: similarities and differences

What do React and Angular have in common? Both frameworks work with native and web applications.

React:

  • native apps are developed with React Native;
  • cross-platform apps (Android, iOS) are developed with React Native Renderer.

Angular:

  • native apps are developed with NativeScript;
  • hybrid apps are developed with the Ionic.

And now let’s find out the differences.

The main otherness between React and Angular is that the first one uses the Virtual DOM. Most likely, you know about it. But that’s not all. For clarity, we suggest you take a look at the table. Then everything will become understandable to you.

Why сhoose AngularJS in 2020?

  • Has a bilateral data binding. Models and views can be linked one to the other for the updates.
  • Uses Promises. Has a built-in realization of the Promises / A + specification. Promises are a common counterpart for callbacks when working with server feedback.
  • Supports routing (navigation) and nested link generation. Routing lets interact with the browser URL. This is crucial for a positive UX if you design a single page app.
  • Has an auto view filtering. Has a construction for selecting views on the basis of variables (for instance, during searching) without the need to write the extra codes.
  • Is published under the MIT License. The MIT License is a highly permissive license that allows all kinds of use without a guarantee.
  • Extends HTML. This is a benefit, as it avoids the overhead from another templating language.
  • Has a dependency introduction. This does better the testability and modularity.
  • Has a stabilized public API. The main version number is higher than 0. This means that there will be no compatibility violation API change made by the developers.

Why choose React in 2020?

  • The file size is 3KB smaller: 78KB vs 81KB. The less the size is, the faster the download occurs.
  • Uses JSX for templates. JSX is a templating engine that lets developers write markup directly into the code. This eliminates inconsistencies between markup and code, and also improves speed for string-based templating languages.
  • It is free for DOM manipulation. Doesn’t require the use of a specific library for handling DOM manipulation and can be used with the one that the creator prefers.
  • Templates can be precompiled on the server. Supports templates that can be preliminarily placed on the server. This can increase speed, especially on the devices with low processing power.
  • Integrates with other MV * frameworks. Can be used to replace a part of another structure without removing the existing functionality.
  • Supports a partial view.
  • Allows the use of mixins. It is a programming technology that lets different objects have common behaviors, without the need for object-oriented behavior.
  • Can be brought to the server. This substantially increases the crawl ability of the search engine. Furthermore, it increases page speed, which is no less important.

Popularity of Angular. The graph shows that over the past 12 months, the popularity of this framework in the search engine has decreased. It is important to note that when checking the popularity of Angular in Google Trends, it is necessary to search for both AngularJS (written together) and Angular js (separated by a space), since there are user queries, written in different ways. You can also add the “Angular” keyword to your requests, because “AngularJS” is an outdated variation of “Angular”. However, consider that the system will take into account requests for non-technical meanings of this word.

Google trends. Angular statistic 

Popularity of React. So, we observe that the popularity of this framework, according to Google Trends, has been stable during the current year. The amount of queries in the search engine did not experience sharp drops or jumps. Nonetheless, don’t forget that because of the fact that “angular” and “react” are ordinary words, it is a complicated task to find out their real popularity from Google Trends.

Google trends. React statistic.

Job market for Angular and React. The most reliable sources of information that show the tendencies on the labor market are the different message boards. As seen from the tendencies of the first half of 2020, the number of people, looking for work in React, is more. However, learning both these frameworks is perspective, as they are the most demanded frameworks nowadays.

Google trends. Angular vs React jobs

The end

For an experienced developer, it doesn’t really make a difference which framework to pick. It just takes a while to get used to the new one. Nonetheless, if you are a newbie developer who wonders which framework is simpler, the answer is unequivocal and obvious. Angular is definitely lighter to learn. Though, React provides many times more options and possibilities. Make your decision on this basis. You just need to prioritize and choose the framework that is more suitable for a specific task.

Both React and AngularJS are ideal options for one-page apps. Nevertheless, they are both completely different tools, as we have already understood. And remember that your choice should always be based on your requirements for functionality and usability.

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