React vs Angular: Which JavaScript Framework is Best for Front-end Development?

What do these apps have in common - Facebook, Airbnb, Pinterest? They are all created through reactjs. What do these apps have in common? Do Gmail, Upwork, PayPal, etc., have anything in common? These apps have been created through Angularjs. 

And the app Netflix - is created using both React and Angular. So one thing is clear, the debate surrounding React and Angular is for a reason. These technologies have remained up to par, and have delivered amazing results in whichever web solution they are used. 

In this blog, we will look at the detailed picture of both technologies and mainly look at which one you should use for your web application. Let’s head on straight - React or Angular?

What is React? 

React is a front-end framework. It is a JavaScript library used to build fast, interactive user interfaces by breaking them into reusable components. It focuses on updating only the parts of a webpage that change, making it efficient and easy to manage. 

However, do not confuse React js/React to React Native. Both React js and React Native are different. React js is for web applications and React native is for mobile applications.  

What is ReactJS?

ReactJS is the latest framework in the field of web applications. It was released in 2013 by Facebook aka Meta. We can say it is a developer’s favorite programming language, with reusable components. 

Moreover, it helps create a website 3x faster, compared to any other programming language. Created by Facebook in 2013, it is maintained by individual developers and developers’ communities at Facebook. 

ReactJS is a framework for developing web applications, rendering in browsers with HTML. The latest in the JavaScript framework, it helps create web applications.

What is React Native? 

ReactJS is a framework for developing mobile applications, with native components for iOS and Android. It helps create an app, that can work both on iOS and Android, Released in the year 2015, React Native has become the most preferred app development technology among developers. 

Delving deeper, so yes, don’t confuse ReactJS with React Native. The main similarity, between them, is that they both are created by Facebook aka Meta.

Benefits of using React for web development

Reactjs offers a wide range of benefits for app developers, and customers alike. 

• Has amazing features, with a rich UI interface
• Offers a great React library
• Faster server-side and front-end support
• React hosts a huge community of developers
• Easy to learn the language, can easily be learned by Android or iOS developers 
• Allow developers to easily migrate an app to Reactjs
• React has reusable components, and thus easy to debug
• Maintained by Facebook, thus easy to debug
• SEO -friendly, great benefits for developers
• Quick testing, quick debugging

Benefits over Angular

• JSX Benefits
• Flexible Building Blocks
• Isomorphic JavaScript Support
• One-Way Data Binding

Popular apps that use React JS 

• Instagram
• Whatsapp
• Airbnb
• Pinterest
• Discord

What is Angular?

Angular is an open-source framework used to build dynamic web applications. It helps developers create websites where different parts of the page can update without reloading the entire site. It organizes everything neatly, including data, design, and how the website works, making it easier to handle large, complex projects.

Angular was first released by Google in 2010 as AngularJS, but it was completely rewritten and rebranded simply as Angular in 2016. It receives regular updates, typically every six months, with the latest versions offering new features and improvements to keep up with modern web development needs.

Benefits of using Angular for web application development

• Clean Code and Dependency Injection: Angular promotes clear and maintainable code with built-in dependency injection.
• Rich Libraries: A variety of Angular libraries help in creating robust and flexible templates.
• Unit Testing: Angular supports unit testing by allowing mock data injection into controllers and inspecting results. You can build individual pages and then assemble them using components.
• Single Routing: It provides a single routing solution and interactive UIs with data binding.
• Enhanced HTML Syntax: Angular extends HTML with directives to create reusable components.
• Synchronized Data: Ensures consistent data between the model, view, and components.
• Portable Code: Uses Plain Old JavaScript Objects (POJO) to make code structure portable and independent.

What does Angular have over React?

• Released much earlier than React
• MVC Architecture
• Dependency Injection
• Comprehensive Full-Stack Framework
• Two-Way Data Binding
• Robust Application Structure

Popular apps that use Angular js

• Gmail
• Amazon
• PayPal
• Google
• Forbes

Angular vs React - What’s the difference?

Type:

• AngularJS: A full-fledged framework developed by Google. It offers a comprehensive solution for front-end development, including routing, state management, and form handling.
• ReactJS: A library developed by Facebook, focused primarily on building user interfaces, especially for single-page applications. It is lightweight and only concerned with the view layer.

Architecture:

• AngularJS: Follows an MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture, where different components (like models, views, and controllers) are managed separately.
• ReactJS: Uses a component-based architecture, where everything is broken down into reusable components. It often follows a unidirectional data flow.

DOM Manipulation:

• AngularJS: Uses real DOM, which updates the entire tree structure, leading to potential performance hits with large applications.
• ReactJS: Uses a virtual DOM that only updates the parts of the UI that have changed, resulting in better performance for dynamic applications.

Data Binding:

• AngularJS: Supports two-way data binding, meaning changes in the UI automatically update the model, and vice versa.
• ReactJS: Uses one-way data binding, where data flows from parent to child components, making debugging easier and performance more predictable.

Learning Curve:

• AngularJS: Steeper learning curve due to its complexity and comprehensive nature.
• ReactJS: Easier to learn, especially for developers familiar with JavaScript, since it focuses primarily on the view layer.

Templating:

• AngularJS: Uses HTML templates with embedded directives for logic.
• ReactJS: Uses JSX, a syntax that allows embedding HTML-like code within JavaScript.

Performance:

• AngularJS: This may suffer in performance for very large applications due to the real DOM and two-way binding.
• ReactJS: Generally faster due to the virtual DOM and component re-rendering only when needed.

Community and Ecosystem:

• AngularJS: A robust ecosystem with a lot of built-in functionality, but it’s more rigid in how things should be done.
• ReactJS: Has a larger ecosystem of third-party libraries, giving more flexibility, but also requiring more decisions about tools.

Use Cases:

• AngularJS: Ideal for building large, enterprise-level applications with many features out of the box.
• ReactJS: Better suited for building lightweight, dynamic UIs and single-page applications.

ReactJS or AngularJS - Which one should you choose?

The debate about which framework to use for your web app has been going on forever. The reason is, that both are super technologies that have so much to offer. Trust us, choosing any of them will prove beneficial, and will work wonders for you.

Conclusion

We have already listed the benefits, and what each technology offers. And what does each technology have over the other. It is time for you to decide, which one to go with. It’s time to take the lead and decide for yourself. Each technology has its pros and cons. Moreover, you can also decide based on what types of apps have used React or Angular, and it has helped them thrive. If you are still confused, you can consult our web development consultant, he will give you a detailed idea and the best possible solution.