Guide To The Different JavaScript Libraries Available Today
As a programmer or website developer, you may have heard of JavaScript libraries such as JQuery, but have you ever wondered why there are so many or which library is best to use? Our goal is to provide an easy-to-read overview of the various JavaScript libraries available and explain why they exist in the first place. By the end, you’ll be able to decide which library best fits your website needs.
1. React.js
React.js is a popular JavaScript library created by Facebook/Meta for building user interfaces. It has a flexible ecosystem of tools, libraries, and frameworks that makes it easy to develop web apps.
Pros: Easy to learn, faster development times, a large community of developers, and good scalability.
Cons: Poor documentation and lack of tutorials.
2. Vue.js
Vue.js is open-source JavaScript library for building user interfaces and single-page applications. It is versatile and provides excellent performance.
Pros: Easy to learn and small learning curve, good documentation, excellent performance, and good flexibility.
Cons: Not as popular as React or Angular, small community of developers, and lack of plugins.
3. AngularJS
AngularJS is an open-source framework based on TypeScript language developed by Google for building single-page applications.
Pros: Good performance, well-organised structure, expansive support community and good scalability.
Cons: Complex syntax and steep learning curve.
4. jQuery
jQuery is a popular JavaScript library for manipulating the DOM (Document Object Model). It simplifies HTML document traversal and provides cross-browser compatibility when working with events, animations and Ajax requests.
Pros: Easy to learn and use, cross-browser compatibility, large library of plugins and lightweight code base.
Cons: Poor performance on mobile devices and conflicts when using third-party libraries.
5. D3.js
D3.js is popular library for producing dynamic interactive data visualizations in web browsers using HTML5, SVG, CSS3 and JavaScript.
Pros: Easy to use with data-driven documents, creates highly customisable visualizations, supports multiple types of data sources including JSON and XML formats as well as GeoJSON and TopoJSON formats.
Cons: Limited support in some browsers and requires a large amount of processing power to render large datasets.
Why are there different JS libraries?
What differentiates one library from another? Most libraries attempt to solve specific programming problems or provide tools to make writing code faster or easier. While the syntax used in most libraries is based on JavaScript, some libraries take a slightly different approach and use a language such as CoffeeScript or TypeScript. Additionally, depending on the library, this can lead to faster execution and better code readability. Ultimately, having different types of libraries available allows web developers in Derby to choose the best one for their projects.
