Angularjs vs Reactjs: Assessing Two Popular JS Frameworks
Ranging from startups to small, medium, and large businesses to enterprises worldwide, everyone is implementing robust applications utilizing enriched frameworks. One such popular framework is JavaScript and there are many popular JavaScript frameworks that are offered for frontend development.
Two such leading names in the world of JavaScript frameworks that are often compared are Angularjs vs Reactjs.
When it comes to known frontend development frameworks, be it React or Angular, developers have been appreciating the goodness of both these technologies big time. It is even more difficult for organizations to choose between the two. Angular Vs React is an interesting evaluation that depends upon several parameters.
This article takes you through an overview of both technologies, their features, pros and cons, organizations using them, and then the difference between Angular and React through a parameter-based comparison matrix. It also emphasizes situations indicating when to use which – React or Angular.
What is Angularjs?
AngularJS is a well-known open-source JavaScript-based application framework, especially meant for dynamic web app development. It leverages HTML as the template language and changes static HTML into dynamic HTML. It generates an environment that is easy to understand, fast to develop, and communicative.
Powered by Google and built on TypeScript, it has been a leading, fully featured, client-side framework to create high-performing web and mobile apps. As a structural framework for building dynamic web apps, it offers enterprise-ready web app development solutions with component-based architecture and dynamic, single-page web apps too.
There is a wide collection of integrated libraries and features such as routing, two-way data binding, dependency injection, and client-server communication that speeds up web development. There are effective developer tools that are best fit to develop small to enterprise-grade applications.
What is Reactjs?
ReactJS is a powerful open-source front-end JavaScript library that offers development companies excellent features to develop exclusive interfaces and experiences for high-performance solutions. Its scalability, adaptability, and flexibility help developer streamline the process of front-end development to offer reliable React development services.
React showcases a component-based architecture and declarative views that helps developers build fast, complicated, and interactive user interfaces, seamlessly. Powered by Facebook, it goes by the ‘learn once, write anywhere’ fundamental and makes the code easy to understand and operate.
React empowers developers to create user interfaces from reusable UI components. It uses server-side rendering for a flexible, performance-driven solution. It promotes a component-dependent architecture with modular and self-contained components, faster development, easy maintenance, and reusability of the logical part.
Reactjs vs Angularjs – Key Features
Salient Features of React-
- Virtual DOM and declarative views
- JSX advantage with the flexibility to build blocks
- Isomorphic JavaScript
- Code stability with one-way data binding
- Simplicity and time-saving
- Rapid development and enhanced user experience
- Component-based architecture
Salient Features of Angular
- Two-way data binding and dependency injection
- Inbuilt libraries and support for AJAX, HTTP
- Angular CLI and virtual scrolling
- Enhanced error handling support
- Validation and forms
- Crisp and clean coding style
- UI and business logic split
Angularjs vs Reactjs – Pros and Cons
Advantages of Angularjs
- Easy maintainability, testing, and updates
- Faster server-side rendering
- Interactive user interface with data binding
- Single routing option
- Enhanced developer productivity and performance
- Fewer lines of code owing to parallel components
- A material design like an interface
- Strong encapsulation and intuitive app structure
- Seamless updates with Angular CLI
Benefits of React
- Reusability with predictable coding
- Faster development with easy debugging
- Increased developer productivity and load time
- Flexibility to build blocks with single data binding
- Seamless integration with third-party libraries
- Easy to learn with simplistic design
- Faster and effective migration
- Quicker updates on the server side and front-end support
- HTML-like syntax facilitates templating and documentation
Limitations of Angularjs
- Steep learning curve
- Tough to integrate with third-party libraries
- Documentation is tough to understand
Limitations of Reactjs
- Integration with traditional MVC is tough
- Lack of updated documentation
- Lack of support for SEO activities
Angular js vs React js – Organizations Using Them
Companies Using Angular
Apple, Microsoft, Google, PayPal, Beam, Mesh, AWS, Telegram, GoPro, WePay, Forbes, UpWork, Delta, Santander, Samsung, Mixer, Deutsche Bank, etc.
Companies Using React
Netflix, Walmart, Asana, Facebook, Pinterest, Dropbox, Slack, Airbnb, Yahoo, Skype, Instagram, Myntra, Wix, Discord, The New York Times, Uber, etc.
Angular vs React – Key Similarities
- High-performing JavaScript frameworks
- Extensive support for web app development
- Open-source, front-end libraries
- Creation of view from data based on tools
- Client-side and server-side rendering
- Accommodates scalable development
Angularjs vs Reactjs: Difference Between Angular and React
| Parameters | Angular | React |
| Overview | An open-source framework for the creation of dynamic web apps, a part of the MEAN stack, compatible with code editors | An open-source library for the creation of user interface components, used to develop reusable HTML elements for front-end development |
| Developed By | Facebook (Meta) | |
| Year of Release | 2009 | 2013 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Type of Technology | MVC structured framework | JavaScript library |
| Performance | High-performance framework as it uses real DOM and two-way data binding | High-performance library as it uses virtual DOM and runs on single directional data flow |
| Data Binding | Two-way data binding (bidirectional) – Guarantees that the model state automatically changes when any change is made | One-way data binding (unidirectional) – UI elements cannot be altered without updating the corresponding model state |
| Learning Curve | It has a steep learning curve, with a complex component management system | It has a moderate learning curve, empowers faster application development |
| Best Suitable For | Interactive, dynamic, and highly active enterprise web applications, complex enterprise apps, progressive web apps and single-page apps | Large apps with continuous differing data, UI components, modern web apps, natively rendered hybrid apps, social networking apps, eCommerce apps |
| User Interface Components | Material Design components to ease out user interface creation | Material-UI library & dependencies to offer UI components |
| Testing Types | Supports both unit and integration testing | Supports only unit testing |
| Dependency Injection | Fully supported, automatic management of dependencies | Not supported, needs extra tools for management of dependencies |
| DOM Type | Real DOM | Virtual DOM |
| Frontend Development Criteria | HTML functionality extension with client-side rendering | Makes use of JSX, with a preference for server-side rendering |
| App Structure | Fixed, complex, component-based framework | Flexible and component-based framework |
| Usage of Libraries | It is a complete solution in itself | It can be packaged with other libraries |
| Community Support | Dependable community support | Not much community support |
| Code Complexity | Simple, easy-to-understand code | Tad difficult and complex code |
| App Architecture | MVC | Flux |
| Time of Installation | Easy to set up but can increase coding time when needed | Longer to setup but faster in delivery |
| Testing Tools | Testing and debugging can be done through a single tool and inbuilt functionalities | Testing and debugging need different types of tools like Redux to test apps and log data |
| Language Preference | TypeScript | JSX – JavaScript XML |
| Abstraction | Medium | Strong |
| GitHub Stars | 80.8K | 180K |
| Fork | 48.2K | 30.3K |
| Rendering | Client-side rendering | Server-side rendering |
| Packaging | Weak packaging | Strong packaging |
| Routing | Uses a template or control for manual router configuration | Uses several modules for router configuration |
| Migration | Easy to upgrade/migrate because of enhanced CLI feature with inbuilt commands | Easy to upgrade/migrate through reliance on external libraries with a check on compatibility |
Angular versus React – When to Choose What?
It is a tough call to make on which one to choose and when, as we compare Angularjs vs React. Here is a simple guideline that offers situations that can be referred to, while selecting the technology:
You can select Angularjs when:
- There is a need to create feature-rich, enterprise-level apps
- The application complexity level is from low to medium
- You need to create apps like video streaming apps, eCommerce apps, real-time data apps, content-based apps
- You are looking at a robust and well-defined framework
- The phase of the project is in the start phase with the need of a complete framework
- You need to develop web apps with different architectures and environment
- There is a need for dynamic web apps wherein user content will keep changing
You can select Reactjs when
- There is a need for customized or personalized application
- The application needs multiple events or sharable components
- You need to create apps like cross-platform mobile apps, messaging apps, eCommerce apps, social media apps
- There is a need to expand the app functionality in future
- You have dynamic content that can alter the business needs in future
- The code has grown complicated, and you need to handle it
- There are continuous complaints for unresponsiveness
Good Read: Angular vs React vs Vue: Which is the Best Choice?
Angular or React: Summing It Up
It is a tough task to choose between two front-end frameworks that are highly competitive and efficient. That is the case as we compare Angularjs vs Reactjs. To each their own! Some organizations may find Angular better, and some may find React better. Based on the above-mentioned criteria, you can decide between the two.
Overall, while evaluating Angularjs vs React, both come out as winners and have tremendous support from the community. There are other external parameters such as project requirements, complexity levels, availability of skilled resources, business objectives, costing and efforts, budget estimates, etc. that play a crucial role in determining the technology.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Which one is easier React or Angular?
When we compare Angularjs Vs Reactjs, React is faster to learn and easier to adapt. Angular has a larger learning curve due to its complexities and hence takes longer. React has a simple coding structure and hence is faster to learn.
- What is JSX?
JSX is a syntax extension of JavaScript that is used with React to describe the look of the user interface. Developers can write HTML structure in a similar file that has JS code.
- Will knowing React help me learn Angular?
Yes, If you know React, it will be easy to learn Angular, since Angular is a little complex to learn. Learning React will help you speed up your understanding of Angular.
- Are Angular and React totally different?
Angular and React have a few similarities since both are popular front-end development technologies, but Angular is a framework and React is a library. Apart from this, there are many differences that set it apart.
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