If you are aware of the web app architecture, then you must be knowing about the fact that ReactJS and AngularJS have nothing much in common. Though these two frameworks let you develop powerful and efficient web apps. Now, picking one from these two would certainly be a difficult task. Well, this blog would help you know more about the two frameworks, help you compare them from different aspects to help make informed decisions. So let us begin.
What is the Angular framework?
It is a web framework that offers an architecture for the developers to work on different projects. It can be used to develop dynamic web apps. Angular is an open-source framework written in Typescript.
What Is React Framework?
It is a free & open-source library managed by Facebook. As compared to UI frameworks React proves to be fast and offers higher flexibility to merge with. It means it is faster compared to UI frameworks and also provides the flexibility to blend with several frameworks.
Use Cases of AngularJS
Well, the AngularJS framework is used mainly for front-end development in web and mobile apps. Some of the known use cases of AngularJS are
- Dynamic Web Apps
- Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
- Enterprise Web Apps
Use Cases of React
React can be used to build reusable UI components with a declarative coding method. This method cuts the development efforts significantly. Some of the use cases of React are
- Ecommerce or Retail
- Social Networks
- Cross-platform Mobile Apps
Comparison - Angular vs. React
When it comes to comparison between these two frameworks, the main difference is that Angular is a JavaScript framework used for front-end development in mobile and web apps whereas React is itself a JavaScript library.
Angular is used to build complex enterprise-level apps like PWAs. On the other hand, React is used to build UI elements for mobile apps with frequently changing data.
Now, let us look at some of the other differences between Angular and React-based on different aspects like
1. Language
Angular utilizes JavaScript as well as the TypeScript which is its superset. Typescript is sleeker as compared to JS which makes the code easy to navigate. This also enables an easy refactoring process.
React is developed on JSX and JavaScript ES6+ script. It makes JavaScript code similar to the code in HTML. So, the code becomes easy to comprehend and errors can be identified easily.
2. Popularity
When it comes to React, it has more searches as compared to Angular as stated under Google Trends in 2022.
Well, most people are inclined to Angular as it offers plenty of ready-made solutions. We can say both frameworks are emerging in the market. So, in terms of popularity, both are equal.
3. Learning Curve
Angular comes with a steep learning curve as compared to React. So, for Angular web development, the developers need to be familiar with various languages and concepts like pipes, TypeScript, dependency injection, templates, RxJS, etc.
Talking about React.js it is easy to learn and you can work on mobile or web application development in the React environment if you know JavaScript. Also, ReactJS offers plenty of useful resources for newbies to learn about the framework and build an app even just after the new updates are released.
4. Community
Angular has a huge community of expert web developers which helps keep the framework updated with the advancements.
Well, Angular is not easy to learn and master, the framework takes a lot of time. Hence, not many developers prefer this framework. Still, Angular has millions of expert developers in the community as it is popular among various platforms like Reddit, Gitter, YouTube and Google which indicates that it has a bright future ahead.
On the other hand, React is a quite popular framework having an active community of millions of developers backing React native development services. So, if you have opted for React, you need to keep learning and update yourself with new introductions as this framework will keep evolving. The documentation that comes with this framework may not be enough and staying updated with new developments can be challenging.
5. Usability
Whether you are offering mobile or web development services, Angular can be used for both. The framework can be used for building video streaming applications like YouTube PlayStation 3 or content-based websites like Upwork & New York Times. You can use it to create single or multi-page web apps too.
Well, React can also be utilized for web and mobile development. It is used mostly to build dynamic web apps. For example e-commerce portals and social networking sites.
6. Testing
Angular IO testing & debugging gets easier with several tools like Protractor, Karma, and Jasmine.
Also, Angular has a built-in testing tool, TestBed which offers certain amazing feature separation of the unit of the syntax and is coded considering the testability. Well, the same is not available with React js app development. Here, some tools are needed to conduct testing of each unit like skin deep used for Render testing utils & React-unit required for unit testing. It requires more effort to test a React App.
7. UI Components
A toolset accompanies the Angular framework and supplies an array of material design components. Here, you can get a lot of layouts, buttons, forms, and pop-ups within the framework. This in turn offers convenience for UI configuration. Also, it saves time, effort, and in turn the web app development cost.
Talking about React community, it has designed several UI tools. On React portal you can get paid and free UI components. If you want to use these material design components, you need to install Material-UI Library and Dependencies.
8. Flexibility
Angular offers you limited liberty. For example, Angular 7 lets you utilize Angular components only within other frameworks. When compared with React, Angular comes with fewer options for customization.
When it comes to complete freedom, React framework offers you the liberty to work with libraries and tools you prefer. It helps you engage in-app customization using the tech sack and features you need.
9. Code Quality
If you want to search for the best coding practices for the Angular framework, the best place to look for is the Angular Style Guide. The guide has everything required to learn about the framework.
You can use a tool – Angular CLI to improve your code further. It lets you be more efficient by taking up some monotonous tasks like working on a project and brushing up your coding skills.
In the case of React code, you can improve your code using tools such as DeepScan and ESLInt. You can identify the errors present in your code and resolve them using the ESLint tool. DeepSCan lets you identify the quality issues and runtime errors. It helps you enhance the quality of your JavaScript code to a greater extent.
10. Code Maintenance
One of the main use cases of Angular is a single page. The reason being they contain multiple programming modules and are complex. Here Angular can be useful as it lets manage the complexity of the project by creating maintainable JS.
With React the code can be reused multiple times as needed. The ReactJs based code acts as a separate module and reduces the repetition in the code and allows developers to maintain it easily.
Benefits of Angular Framework
- Scalable
- Trustworthy & Reliable
- Fast and Secure
- Improved Design Architecture
- Fully Customizable
Benefits of React Framework
- Helps create Dynamic Web Apps easily
- Easy to Learn & Use
- Reusable Components
- React Developer Tools
- High Performance
How To Select The Right Framework Between Angular and React?
Yes, it is not easy to choose between the two. As both the frameworks help build web applications, choosing one should be based on your project requirements. Hence, it is important to know the differences between these two frameworks.
For example, if you want to develop an MVP with limited functions, you can choose the Angular framework. This is because the Angular framework supplies all required components for an MVC stack to help developers develop a completely functional app.
On the other hand, if you want to build single-page apps having multiple functions, then React is the ideal framework to go with. The reason is React lets you re-use the components all through your app. So, it will take less time and reduce the complexity involved in the development process.
Conclusion
The differences covered in this blog would certainly help you get the answer to the question Angular or React? Certainly, you can choose only one of these technologies, so make sure you assess your project requirements before you choose one.
If you are not sure about which one to choose, you can seek help from a trusted web development company that offers end-to-end Angular and React JS Development Services. If you haven’t found any, X-Byte Enterprise Solutions, a reliable web, and mobile app development company can assess your requirements to help you select the right framework. Get in touch with us to share your requirements.