This article will be useful for junior developers who want to increase their expertise but have not yet decided which framework to learn next, and for startups who have not yet selected a stack of technologies for their new project.
Here, we covered all the technologies you might need for web and mobile development.
- We evaluated the four most popular front-end frameworks and figured out their pros and cons.
- We took a glance at back-end frameworks and databases.
- We ranked the most popular mobile app development frameworks.
Have a look at our arguments to make a wise choice about which framework to learn or what stack of technologies to use for your new project.
Why do you need frameworks?
Frameworks are the supportive structures that multiply the possibilities of programming languages. These are automation tools connected to the libraries of ready-to-use code that you can run to perform repetitive tasks. Frameworks have two important functions: they improve the user experience on your website and facilitate developers’ work.
How do frameworks improve the user experience on your website?
- According to Google research, your website has three seconds to load. If the web page failed to load during this period, the user will probably close the tab without waiting any further. When the user closes your web page, your business loses a potential customer. Speeding up page loading is a vital task for developers and frameworks can help in completing it.
- Website design is a key element of brand image. The better your website communicates your brand values, the more likely it is that a user will stay on your page and becomes your new customer. Frameworks are essential tools if you need a beautiful interactive website with flawless design. They facilitate the creation of design elements and help your clients get the right first impression of your online business.
- Front-end frameworks help optimize navigation on your website. This improves user experience and increases the trustworthiness and attractiveness of your website.
- Frameworks are constantly updated, as every update contains fixes for previous bugs and security holes. Well-maintained frameworks increase the security of your website, and therefore the security of your visitors’ data.
How do frameworks facilitate developers’ work?
- Code reusability. With the help of frameworks, you can create blocks, modules, snippets, and design elements that can be reused multiple times.
- Less code is needed. As frameworks interact with libraries, fewer lines of code are required to create highly efficient code.
- Frameworks help prevent code duplication and make testing easier.
- Crossbrowser compatibility. Frameworks help create websites that look equally good in all browsers.
- Interactive website development. Frameworks make the development of templates that interact with browser components much easier.
- Frameworks facilitate the development of new functional components or features.
- A framework can become a ready-made foundation for your project. Thanks to frameworks, there is no need to build an app architecture every time you start a new project.
As JavaScript celebrates its ten years in a row as the most popular and commonly used programming language among developers, we will talk mostly about JavaScript front end frameworks for web development.
Image source: Stack Overflow Developer Survey
What are the best front-end frameworks for web development?
For many years in a row, React has been the most popular framework for client-side development. Vue and Angular also don’t lose their positions and are still among the top web development frameworks.
The oldest framework (actually, a library) in our selection is jQuery, it was created 16 years ago. The youngest is Svelt, it is only five years old. Every front-end developer will find a framework to their liking in this list. And each business owner will get enough information to decide which technology to use for their next project.
Image source: NPM trends
React
React.js is by far the best framework for web development. Created in 2013 by Facebook, this tool has been the most desired technology among developers for five years in a row. The main reason behind this wild popularity is that React is extremely easy to learn. The second reason is that React was created by Facebook, which promoted this technology for a long time.
| React advantages | React disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It’s not only the popularity of the framework that is constantly growing but also the demand for new React developers among business owners. You will definitely not miss it if you decide to learn React. | Poor documentation is one of React weak points. Due to the rapid development of the React frontend framework, developers don’t always have time to properly describe updates and new amendments. |
| React is an open-source framework that can be downloaded under the MIT license. The MIT license is one of the most permissive ones which means that only minimal restrictions are imposed on the use of the code. | React is believed to be perfect for single-page applications, however, it has its limitations. Some developers think that React is not the best solution for large applications. |
| React significantly speeds up web page loading and improves the user experience on your website, so React is believed to be an SEO-friendly framework. | |
| React speeds up and simplifies the work of both designers and developers. It allows you to create reusable components and use them to assemble individual parts of the interface. | |
| Another significant advantage of React is that it allows you to update an existing application while maintaining the legacy state. |
MWDN project created with React: NTG (finance)
Angular
The first version of Angular was released in 2009 by Google under the MIT license. Angular uses TypeScript features and is also equipped with many modules. Unlike React, Angular does not have a very good reputation among newbies – it is almost equally dreaded (47.73%) and loved (52.27%) by developers, and just over 7% of developers want to connect their careers with this technology in the future.
When should you use Angular?
The main task of Angular is to speed up the development process by automating repetitive manual tasks. Angular is a good solution for large-scale projects with complex infrastructure. It is also suitable if your goal is to create a progressive web application or an application with dynamic content.
YuTube TV, Google Cloud, eBay, and Airbnb are among the best-known large enterprises written in Angular.
Of course, you can use Angular for small simple applications and websites, however, the practice of many developers shows that it may not be worth it. Choose simple frameworks for simple websites and applications, and leave Angular for large enterprise solutions.
| Angular advantages | Disadvantages of Angular |
|---|---|
| Angular has detailed and well-written documentation. | Angular is not the most SEO-friendly framework. Although it was created by Google, Angular puzzles search engine crawlers, which slows down the ranking of your website by the search engines. |
| Angular front end development allows integration with third parties, so developers get even more tools for implementing functional features within their projects. | Despite the global community and well-organized documentation, Angular is not the easiest framework to learn. |
| With Angular, all code is compiled before the browser starts loading your application. Angular compiles HTML and TypeScript into JavaScript code during development. This approach is called “ahead-of-time compilation” and it significantly reduces the loading time of your app. | |
| Elements created in Angular can be easily inserted into projects written with other frameworks. | |
| Angular has in-build testing tools – Angular CLI, Karma, and Jasmine, which might greatly simplify the testing process. | |
| Angular apps are easier to maintain thanks to multiple modules and code-splitting. |
MWDN projects written with Angular: SMUPP (messenger), iRoofing (roof construction)
Vue.js
Vue was officially introduced to the public in 2014 and today it ranks third among the frameworks that developers would like to work with. It is highly popular among businesses too. For example, Xiaomi and Alibaba websites are written with Vue.
The peculiarity of Vue’s popularity is that this framework was never promoted by giants like Google (Angular) or Facebook (React) so all the fanbase it has is the result of its simplicity and efficiency. Vue is a convenient front-end framework for creating single-page applications and it is very comfortable to work with.
| Vue.js advantages | Vue.js disadvantages |
|---|---|
| This framework is extremely simple. You just need some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to start working with it. | The language barrier. Since the majority of Vue fans are in China, most of the documentation and plugins are written in Chinese. |
| Vue is incredibly small. Due to the tiny size of this framework (only 18 kb in zip format), websites written with Vue are fast-downloaded and SEO-friendly. Despite its small size, Vue helps create effective applications and websites. | Fewer plugins. Compared to React or Angular, Vue offers fewer plugins, components, and libraries, which slightly limits the ability of developers to create additional functional features. |
| With Vue, you can add new components to existing applications without too much effort. | Vue is not the best solution for enterprise projects. For scaleable projects, it is better to choose well-established frameworks with a perfectly coordinated community. Some developers believe that Vue is not the best choice for large projects. |
When should you use Vue?
Vue frontend framework is perfect for prototyping or single-page applications. Such projects will be quickly completed without harm to the interface or user experience.
Also, Vue is an ideal solution if you need to add some features to an existing application.
Svelte
Svelte is an open-source compiler, framework, and library released in November 2016. The first version of Svelte was written in JavaScript and its third version (released in April 2019) was already in TypeScript. Svelte is an extremely popular tool, as evidenced by both 61.6K stars on Github and the fact that Svelte holds second place as the most loved framework among developers (75.28% of developers surveyed by Stack Overflow in 2022 declared their love for Svelt). The business also loves Svelte – IBM, The New York Times, and Philips websites are written with this framework.
| Svelte advantages | Svelte disadvantages |
|---|---|
| The main functional advantage of Svelte is that it significantly speeds up the loading time of applications. Unlike React or Angular, Svelte does not use a virtual Document Object Model but compiles the code in Vanilla JS. Thanks to this, the loading time of applications skyrockets. | Svelte is a very young technology, it develops thanks to svelte frontend framework contributors and donations. For that reason, as a newbie, you might lack support with this tool. |
| Simplicity is another decisive benefit of Svelte. This tool is easy to learn and easy to work with. | Svelte is compatible with fewer plugins than other frameworks. This can impose some limits on feature development. |
| Part of Svelte, SvelteKit splits the code, which also contributes to the speed of application loading. |
When should you use Svelte?
If you need your app to load super fast, opt for Svelte. Apart from the speed, Svelte doesn’t provide any additional opportunities for your project compared to React or Vue.
jQuery
jQuery is not exactly the framework but as it is one of the most popular front end libraries, we couldn’t omit it.
On the one hand, there is a belief that jQuery’s popularity is declining because of the rise of highly functional frameworks, moreover, most of jQuery’s best features are now available in HTML5 and CSS3. On the other hand, more than 77% of all websites use jQuery and this library is still in the top three most commonly used web technologies.
jQuery library was created in 2006 and for many years has been an indispensable tool for DOM traversal, working with DOM elements, HTTP requests via AJAX, and animation. Today, most of these features are either partially or completely outdated, as they are provided by more modern and easy-to-use technologies. However, jQuery still has something to offer!
| jQuery advantages | Disadvantages of jQuery |
|---|---|
| jQuery has well-written documentation and an extensive user community. | As jQuery constantly manipulates the DOM elements, it can slow down your web pages, especially large applications. |
| jQuery is compatible with a huge number of plugins. No other library or framework has access to as many plugins as jQuery. | Even if you need just a few features from jQuery, your website has to download the entire library, which weighs 86kb. This can affect the loading speed and the user experience on your website. |
| Modern technologies offer cross-browser development for modern browsers. jQuery, on the other hand, allows you to keep the same interface on all browsers, including legacy ones. | |
| jQuery is easy to learn. | |
| jQuery is probably the most stable library/framework among the latest frontend technologies. |
When should you use jQuery?
jQuery comes in handy when creating applications of any type, from small landing pages to huge e-commerce websites. This library can be used both for prototyping and for creating complex interactive animations.
jQuery is also necessary to support the legacy code of applications created several years ago.
Is that it?
These five front-end frameworks are not the only ones on the market.
There is also Preact, a fast alternative to React and one of the smallest frameworks. The New York Times, Etsy, +Babbel, and Domino’s websites are written with this technology.
There is Ember, an open-source framework that works best for large websites with dynamic functionality. Linkedin, Apple Music, and Twitch have their apps written with Ember.
There are React-powered Next and Gatsby, and Vue-based VuePress and Nuxt.
However, if you are looking for the best framework to build a website, you should first choose among our top five frameworks. Here is a graph by NPM trends where the above-mentioned small frameworks are compared to React.
There’s so much more to cover…
A front-end framework is not enough to create a full-fledged application. To create an app, you will also need to cover the back-end, the operation of your application on the server side, databases, and the mobile version of your app.
The most popular back-end frameworks in 2022
According to Stack Overflow, the most popular backend framework in 2022 is JavaScript-based Node.js. More than 47% of the surveyed developers work with it.
MWDN also loves Node: we have used it for the server side of NAX Technology Group and BSupport for Bezeq.
ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core hold the second and the third places in popularity among back-end frameworks. They’re both built by Microsoft using C#.
Python-based Django and Flask, and PHP web framework Laravel close the top 5 backend frameworks.
Almost all front-end frameworks are written in JavaScript or TypeScript. The selection of programming languages for back-end frameworks is more diverse; server-side frameworks can be written in PHP, Python, Java, Golang, Perl, or C#. If you have doubts about which technology to choose for the server side of your app, contact our team to get professional advice for your particular case.
Best databases to use in 2022
Three elements are required to create an application: front-end (client-side work), back-end (server-side work), and databases (server-side work with client data).
The statistics compiled by Statista show that the most popular database tools as of August 2022 are Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. The statistics are based on the frequency of mentions of databases on the web, the frequency of search queries, the frequency of technical discussions, and the number of job offers for experts in the listed tools.
Image Source: Statista, Ranking of the most popular database management systems worldwide
Statistics collected during the annual Stack Overflow survey are a bit different. According to Stack Overflow, the most popular database among developers is MySQL, while Oracle holds ninth place.
If we were to create our own list of the top 3 databases, we would mention Oracle, MySQL, and MongoDB.
Oracle is the oldest database that is still in use in 2022. Its first version was released back in 1979. It is by far the most commonly-used database and is also the choice of business giants like Netflix, eBay, LinkedIn, and MIT. Oracle is the most stable and mature database which might make it the perfect solution for working with data. However, Oracle has one huge drawback. It is not an open-source database, and its price is quite high.
MySQL was also created by Oracle Corporation and was first released in 1995. Today this database is used by Facebook, Uber, and YouTube. While MySQL has an open-source option, the advanced features are only available with a subscription that will cost your business several thousand dollars a month.
MongoDB is a source-available database program that first appeared in 2009. Mongo’s key difference from other databases is that it uses the NoSQL approach. Also, it is a document-oriented database that allows you to store JSON-like documents with optional schemas.
Top mobile development frameworks
In 2022, users are more likely to surf the web with their mobile devices. This means that no matter how great the web version of your application is, to achieve commercial success, it must work flawlessly on a mobile device too.
Just several years ago, developers believed that mobile development could be only native to every existing platform, as this was the only way to get a high-quality application that will work equally well on Android, iOS, and Windows.
However, in 2022, when we talk about mobile development, we almost certainly refer to cross-platform development. Cross-platform development tools allow you to write code once and then use it to run the application on all existing platforms.
Cross-platform frameworks significantly speed up and reduce the cost of development. Just a few years ago the speed and low cost of development almost certainly were at the expense of quality but with the modern cross-platform development tools, the quality of the application almost doesn’t suffer.
We chose five top mobile app development frameworks and they all turned out to be tools for cross-platform development.
Flutter
Flutter was introduced by Google in 2017. This is a cross-platform framework that is designed to create a native-like feel for mobile applications. Today, the framework is very popular – it is used by Google Ads and Alibaba. Developers also consider Flutter an ideal tool for creating MVPs, as it is a fast and cost-efficient tool.
Its popularity is about to grow in the years to come – more than 13% of developers surveyed by Stack Overflow would like to learn Flutter. This trend is quite understandable, as Flutter is easy to learn and work with – 68% of those who are already working with this framework have declared their love for it.
React Native
React Native is an open-source cross-platform development framework for Android and iOS. It is written in JavaScript but also allows developers to write modules in Java, Objective-C, and Swift. React Native allows you to perform complex operations, such as editing images and processing videos. It helps create a smooth, responsive interface, thus giving your mobile apps a native-like feel. Another advantage of React Native is its good comparability with third-party plugins and extensions.
React Native is extremely popular with the business. Mobile applications of Airbnb, Skype, and Amazon Prime are written in React Native.
Apache Cordova/Phone Gap
Apache Cordova, also known as PhoneGap was first released in 2009 and then bought by Adobe Systems in 2011. It is a cross-platform mobile framework that uses HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to create native-like apps for different platforms. The main advantage of Apache Cordova is that its plugins can use all the built-in features of different devices, including the Camera, GPS, Audio recorder, and phone book.
Ionic
Ionic was created in 2013 based on AngularJs and Apache Cordova. After the latest updates, developers can choose a convenient interface of React, Angular, or Vue for their Ionic development. If you are familiar with these Javascript frameworks, learning Ionic will be easy for you. Ionic helps create highly interactive applications, which is why this framework is often used for PWAs. Also, with the help of Ionic, you can create a mobile micro frontend, which can later be deployed into existing native mobile applications.
As Ionic uses Cordova plugins, Ionic applications can get access to the device’s in-build tools, such as the Camera or GPS, and this, in turn, is very useful for cross-platform mobile development, since it allows you to create a variety of applications that will work perfectly on all platforms.
Xamarine
The main feature that differentiates Xamarin from React Native and Flutter is that it is written in C#. This programming language is considered to have advantages over Objective-C and Java in mobile development. With Xamarin, you can create extremely native-like mobile applications as it is linked to native libraries and uses specific plugins and APIs. Many libraries can be used with Xamarin, including those written in Objective-C, Java, and C++, which allows developers to reuse codebases written in these languages.
Another advantage of Xamarin is that it supports the “Write Once, Run Anywhere” approach, which makes this tool cost-effective.
Summing up
Statistics show that at the moment there are unquestionable leaders in each of the areas of development. You can hardly go wrong with React for front-end development, React Native for cross-platform mobile development, Node.js or Django for server-side development, and MySQL for databases.
However, this stack of technologies, although extremely popular for building both single-page and enterprise applications, is not universal.
Choosing a technology stack for a new project depends on many factors.
- What is your startup about?
- What should go first, web or mobile?
- How fast do you want to get the MVP?
- How much time and money are you willing to spend on legacy code support?
- How do you see the future of your project?
- Do you want to scale it up in the future?
- Do you plan to add new features to the existing code?
Only by answering these questions, you will be able to move on to the next one – what kind of developers do you need for your project?
Luckily, MWDN can help you with the latter one. Tell us about your startup and we will match you with a dream team able to turn your idea into reality quickly and cost-efficiently.