The Best Frontend Frameworks for Web Development in 2022

Users don’t care about what’s happening in the background of a website, all they want is a seamless experience at their end (precisely on the frontend). That’s what all successful brands or companies focus on- building a simplified user interface and providing a rich user experience.

For all the amazing websites that exist, there are some outstanding frontend frameworks supporting them. However, developers often find themselves in a state of turmoil when it comes to selecting the best framework out of the myriad frontend frameworks.

Also Read: 8 Ways to Improve Your Website’s Frontend Security

In today’s blog post, we have compiled a list of the top 5 frontend frameworks that you can consider for your next web development project. We have listed their pros and cons so that you can easily pick the most suitable one for you. Let’s have a look.

1. React

React or ReactJS is an open-source JavaScript library developed by the Facebook (now Meta) community for building user interfaces. It is one of the most widely used and popular web development frameworks out there, and also one of the simplest frameworks to learn.

The reason behind the popularity of React is the virtual DOM which remarkably improves the performance of web applications and PWAs. The framework has strong community support and is compatible with numerous plugins, libraries, and workflows.

React uses the MVC architecture and utilizes the JSX syntax. It is ideal for building single-page applications and progressive web apps. The framework possesses the ability to handle a high volume of traffic.

Pros

1. Reusability of components in other parts of the application.

2. The use of virtual DOM enables consistent and seamless performance.

3. The tools and plugins are advanced and extremely useful.

4. SEO-friendly.

5. Easy to get started with.

Cons

1. JSX can be a bit intimidating for developers who have just started to learn React.

2. Unopinionated as it is only concerned with the view component in the MVC architecture.

3. The constant changes in the framework have made it difficult to create proper documentation.

Consider React-

when building single-page applications or an interactive interface.

Avoid React-

if you don’t have any hands-on experience with JavaScript.

Used By-

Netflix, Facebook, Uber, PayPal, Microsoft

2. Angular

Another web development framework that dominates the front-end space is Angular. The framework is based on TypeScript and is developed by the tech giant Google. The list of frontend frameworks that deliver high performance cannot exist without Angular. Mainly used to build PWAs and multi-page applications, Angular also offers the flexibility to create static and dynamic websites.

What makes this framework unique is its two-way data binding feature. In other words, there is real-time synchronization between the model and view component- any change in the former can be witnessed directly in the latter, and vice versa.

Also Read: React vs Angular: Which is Better and Why?

Pros

1. Features like two-way data binding reduce the amount of additional code.

2. Has a lot of plugins, libraries, and integrations available.

3. Reusable components which can be easily managed using the dependency injection.

4. Backed by Google, huge community support

Cons

1. Has a difficult learning curve.

2. At times, dynamic apps don’t perform well due to their complex size and structure.

3. Not ideal for small-scale applications.

Consider Angular-

for enterprise-based applications and dynamic web apps.

Avoid Angular-

if you want to create an application with limited scopes as you would not be able to leverage the resources that Angular offers.

Used By-

YouTube, Walmart, Gmail, Forbes

3. Vue.js

One frontend framework that is getting good popularity these days is Vue. Vue.js is a modern yet simple web development framework that does a good job at removing the complexities associated with Angular. The framework also offers a two-way binding feature and is interoperable with both TypeScript and JavaScript. The two best things about Vue are it is component-based and has virtual DOM.

Vue is a versatile framework. From developing web & mobile apps to PWAs, Vue.js can manage both dynamic and simple developments with ease. It can be used to create single-page applications efficiently even with the availability of limited resources.

Pros

1. Has a simple syntax and due to its similarity with HTML and JavaScript, it can be easily understood.

2. Small in size and can be easily installed.

3. Beginner-friendly

4. Detailed documentation

5. Versatile and Flexible

Cons

1. Smaller community support as compared to React and Angular.

2. Fewer plugins

3. Language barrier as most of the plugins are written in Chinese.

4. Components lack stability

Consider Vue.js-

for flexible design structures.

Avoid Vue.js-

If the application requires stable components or possesses complexities as you may not good receive support from the community for your queries.

Used By-

Alibaba, Xiaomi, Tencent, Adobe, Grammarly

4. jQuery

Introduced in 2006, jQuery is one of the oldest and most popular frontend frameworks. It was the talk of the town in 2013-14, but its popularity has been declining since then. Its usage might have dipped as compared to the other frontend frameworks like Angular and React, however, it is still quite relevant and used by many developers. When JavaScript was still in the development stage, at that time, jQuery used to provide standard DOM manipulation APIs. What’s best about jQuery is that it helps avoid writing excessive code. It focuses on two aspects- ease of use and simplicity. jQuery has a large community of developers because of its wide reach and usage over the years.

A cross-platform library, jQuery is used to manipulate CSS and DOM to achieve certain functionalities. It tends to make the client-side HTML scripting easier and also helps with many other tasks like event handling, Ajax, animation, and more.

Pros

1. Compatible with all major browsers and devices.

2. Easy learning curve with excellent community support.

3. Facilitates dynamic content.

4. DOM flexibility for addition and deletion of elements.

5. Has a very simple process of sending HTTP requests.

Cons

1. Lacks performance as compared to the modern-day frameworks.

2. Not many advanced options

3. Large download size affects load times

Consider jQuery-

for developing desktop-based JavaScript applications.

Avoid jQuery-

for developing large-scale applications as it can make the app heavy 

Used By-

Twitter, LinkedIn, Udemy, and more.

5. Ember

EmberJS is a JavaScript framework that was developed in 2011. It is based on the MVC pattern, and just like Angular, it also offers two-way data binding. The framework can seamlessly handle the increasing complexities of modern-day technologies. Emberjs can be used to develop complex mobile and web apps, and its architecture can efficiently handle any concerns. Although the framework is widely popular for web application development, it offers flexibility for desktop and mobile applications too.

Pros

1. Two-way data binding

2. Well-organized

3. Extensive documentation

4. Delivers high performance

5. Contains a number of tools that help accelerate the development process

6. Very stable

Cons

1. Has a comparatively smaller community than other modern frameworks

2. Steep learning curve

3. Complex syntax

Consider Ember-

if you are thinking to create modern applications having a rich user interface. It’s a perfect framework for large-scale projects as it offers a ready configuration, useful binding, and custom properties to render the page as required.

Avoid Ember-

if you have a small development team. It requires experience and business logic to solve the complexities. Also, it may not be the ideal choice for writing simple ajax functionalities.

Used By-

LinkedIn, Groupon, DigitalOcean, etc.

Summing Up

So, these are some of the best front-end frameworks that can utilize for web development in 2022. From the frameworks suitable for small-scale projects to the ones suitable for large ones, the list covers all. You may now take a call as to which one should you go with depending on your project needs.