React vs Angular: Which framework to pick?
What is Angular?
Google released Angular in 2016 as a redesign of Angular JS. The framework is used by numerous companies, including:
• Delta Airlines
• Deutsche Bank
• Forbes
• The Guardian
• IBM
• JetBlue Airways
• Microsoft
• PayPal
• Samsung
• Santander
• UpWork
The Angular framework is largely used to create single-page web and mobile applications.
Some of the main attributes and benefits of Angular include:
• It offers two-way data binding.
• It enables cross-platform development.
• It enables templating
• It improves performance.
• It is lightweight.
• There is extensive documentation.
• It enables faster development.
• It offers built-in support for AJAX, HTTP, and Observables.
• There is a large community.
• There is support for error handling.
• It means more readable, more concise, and cleaner code.
• It has quality problem-solving patterns.
• It identifies errors quickly and seamlessly.
• It means lightweight web applications.
Of course, Angular is supported by Google, which means that you can tap into extensive resources from the tech giant, which continues to release new versions and upgrades of the framework.
At the same time, there are some disadvantages to using Angular. For example, it can be difficult to learn for new programmers. Additionally, integration with third parties is not straightforward.
What is React?
React JS was released in 2013. Since then, it has been maintained by Facebook (now Meta).
While it is referred to as the React framework, React is actually a comprehensive library. Like Angular, it is used by a wide range of companies, including:
• Airbnb
• Atlassian
• Discord
• Dropbox
• Netflix
• The New York Times
• Shopify
• Uber
• Walmart
• Yahoo!
React also has many benefits. For example:
• It saves developers time.
• It is simple and user-friendly.
• It improves performance.
• it is easy to debug.
• It enables the use of third-party libraries.
• It has modular and cohesive components that are highly reusable.
• It improves code stability with one-directional data binding.
• Maintenance is straightforward.
• It reduces development time.
• It is fairly easy to learn.
• It is lightweight.
• It offers clean abstraction.
• It is SEO-friendly.
Plus, React is supported by Meta’s vast ecosystem.
React is sometimes confused with React Native. The latter, however, is an offshoot of the library, a framework used to create native mobile apps.
There are some disadvantages to using React, such as the library’s weak documentation and slower development speed.
React vs. Angular
Now, then, when it comes to React vs. Angular, what are the differences?
Let’s begin with the similarities. Both tools are component-based, flexible, and open source and help front-end developers speed up their programming efforts and reduce coding time. They each have a number of features and benefits to support the process and are easy to update, although the processes for doing so differ. Additionally, they each offer both client-side (front-end) and server-side (backend) rendering.
But you should also bear in mind that there are many distinctions. For one, Angular is a framework for building dynamic web applications, while React is a library that is primarily used for creating user interface (UI) components. And the differences don’t end there.
DOM and data binding
The document object model (DOM) and data binding differ in React and Angular. Angular utilizes real DOM, meaning new DOMs are compared to the previous models, and diversions are applied to the “real” DOM. Angular supports one-way and two-way data binding. React, meanwhile, uses the virtual DOM. It also only utilizes one-way data-binding.
Performance and speed
While both Angular and React are high-performance, React has a somewhat faster speed, functioning a bit more quickly than Angular.
Language
React is based on JavaScript. Meanwhile, Angular is based on TypeScript — a superset of JavaScript and a statically typed language. TypeScript is capable of writing JSX (JavaScript XML) — however, this isn’t automatically included.
Dependency injection
Angular supports dependency injection (DI), meaning more flexible testing and other procedures. React does not entirely support DI.
Popularity
React is considerably more popular than Angular. We mentioned how it is one of the most commonly-used technologies — while Angular, in contrast, is one of the most dreaded. React downloads have continued to climb, while Angular is seeing a bit of a plateau.
Learning curve
Angular is highly complex and often difficult to learn, especially for beginners. While seasoned developers can find it quite effective, newbies will likely find that the learning curve is steep. Remember, too, that you will also need to learn TypeScript in order to leverage Angular. React, on the other hand, is far more accessible for experienced developers and newer developers alike.
Mobile development
We’ve mainly discussed React vs. Angular in terms of web development, but there are applications to mobile development, too. Both tools enable cross-platform mobile development. However, Angular doesn’t officially support it. React, in contrast, has an official offshoot supported by Meta — the aforementioned React Native. This is a widely-used framework that brings many important qualities to cross-platform development, including high performance.
React vs. Angular: Which should you choose?
It’s clear that React and Angular both offer a number of important features to web developers. The one you choose really depends on your own preference and the nature of the project.
That said, in a nutshell, you should choose React if:
• You don’t have ample time to spend learning the tool or are a beginner.
• You’re looking for a lightweight tool.
• Performance is a priority.
Meanwhile, you should choose Angular if:
• You want to take advantage of the many built-in functionalities.
• You want to speed up development significantly.
• You’re working on a large business project.
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03/30/2023
