The Evolution of JavaScript Tooling

JavaScript application source code is often spread across JavaScript, HTML, and CSS files, as well as events and data flowing through a number of non intuitive paths. While various frameworks and libraries have been created with the intention of dealing with this complexity, learning the intricacies of these frameworks or libraries has become its own issue.

Among these frameworks and libraries, React, Angular, and Vue vie for the title of JavaScript king. Each brings its own vast repertoire of unique components and tools that set it apart from the others, and as can be seen below, the popularity of each of these continues to grow.

Figure 1: NPM Downloads of Popular Frontend Libraries
Source: https://levelup.gitconnected.com/a-recap-of-frontend-development-in-2018-715724c9441d

Whether you prefer to work within React, Angular, Vue, or another framework, there are a number of perks to working with each of these popular frameworks, and each has pros and cons to consider depending on your preferences as a developer, requirements for your application, as well as business-level needs that may lead you in one direction or another. Are you looking for a framework or tools best suited to build Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) or Single-Page Applications (SPAs)? Do you have business requirements to test your applications before pushing them to market, or require additional support and maintenance to supplement internal resources? Perhaps you’re just looking for a framework or tools that will allow you to deploy your app the quickest?

Our latest guide for modern developers, The State of Modern JavaScript Tooling, extensively analyzes the pros and cons of some of the most popular JavaScript libraries and frameworks available today to help with your selection process. You can download the 12-page guide for free today: https://staging.sencha.com/resources/whitepaper/the-evolution-of-javascript-tooling/.