The JavaScript frameworks and technologies have taken the Web and Mobile applications world by storm. It’s the best choice for their programming requirements as it offers many good frameworks to choose from and selecting the better framework in Angular vs React.
React and Angular are chosen by developers out of all the JavaScript libraries and frameworks. It’s a matter of debate to select the suitable frontend platform among React and Angular. It is a cumbersome task for almost every developer & architect.
When our clients face such a dilemma and request us to suggest the best frontend framework. We also used to face a similar situation over selecting Angular & React. But after analyzing their business needs and project demands along with our experience working with Angular.JS & React.JS. We are always able to present the clear winner.
It is difficult to select the best of these two top contenders. In this article, we offer parameters based on which you can take the call. The parameters we evaluated are core technology, learning curve, features, difference, and use cases.
Hope this direct comparison of Angular and React, will help you to make a wise decision. While selecting a frontend JavaScript framework for your project.
If you want to ensure what your mobile app development company has suggested whether it stands any ground. Or as a developer, you want to understand the difference between Angular and React in detail.
Please read the blog below which will help you to make a decision. Selecting the right frontend JavaScript framework for your project is key to build a scalable solution.
So, React or Angular? Let’s check it out in detail
Angular is a software development platform conceived by Google. The first version of angular JS was released in 2010, and a major update was released in the second version in 2016. One of the initial and the most important usage of Angular JS was in Google AdWords.
It is a component-based framework built on typescript, which is used to develop scalable web applications. Angular js offers a huge collection of well-integrated features and libraries.
It follows an MVC architecture, supports client-server communication, routing, cross-platform development ability. It offers developers various tools to build scalable projects.
They can build single-page applications to an enterprise-grade application. The angular team at Google & developer communities around the world offer dedicated support.
React is an open-source JavaScript library developed by Facebook. It is a credible frontend development tool based on JavaScript and JSX (an extension of PHP).
The React Library divides the webpage into many single components and eases the task of interface development. Facebook developed React JS in 2012 to help them manage the Facebook ads with simple HTML coding. In 2013 Facebook made React Js open source.
Since then, it is being used by millions of developers and technology enthusiasts. The Facebook development team and various developer communities maintain, and support React.
It builds a captivating user interface and other UI/UX components. React is the component-based library. Declarative views make code easy to debug and predictable.
Declarative traits help developers to build complex and interactive user interfaces with ease. React js is easy to learn. It goes like the “learn once write anywhere” method to develop scalable applications.
Though Angular & React are Frontend development choices, there are fundamental & characteristics differences. Let’s understand these differences between Angular and React in the table below:-
| Fundamental Difference | Angular JS | React JS |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | It is a structural framework to build dynamic web applications | It is a JavaScript library that allows developers to create UI components |
| Model | It is based on Model View Controller (MVC) model | It is based on Virtual DOM |
| Written in | It is based on Typescript | It is based on JavaScript |
| JavaScript Library Integration | It doesn’t offer the ability to add a JavaScript library to the app source code | It enables developers to add a JavaScript library to the app source code |
| Debugging and Testing | It offers to debug and testing for entire project using a single tool | It needs a set of different tools to perform testing and debugging on project |
| Use of Library | Angular is a complete solution in itself | React can be packaged with other programming libraries |
| Installation Time | It is easy to set up but takes more time to deliver the project | It takes more time to set up, but project delivery is blazingly fast |
| Learning Curve | It requires a lot of training efforts, especially for beginners | It is easier to learn, though it is difficult to learn when augmented with Redux |
| Flexibility | It offers a limited amount of flexibility and freedom | It gives more freedom to select architecture, libraries, and tools to develop applications |
| Data Binding | It uses a two-way binding method, which ensures the automatic change in the model when any change is made | It uses one-way data binding, which doesn’t allow a change in UI components without updating the corresponding model state |
| Community Support | A massive community of technology enthusiasts and developers. | Supported by Facebook developer communities |
| Documentation | The documentation is slower due to the ongoing development process | The documentation is relatively faster if we compare it with Angular |
| Application types | Used to build SPA and Mobile applications | Utilized to develop Native apps, web apps, or hybrid apps |
| Language Preference | Typescript | JSX – JavaScript XML |
| Template | HTML and Typescript | JSX and ES5/ES5 |
| Abstraction | Medium | Strong |
In this section, we will discuss and have a brief overview of few important features of Angular and React.
React – It is a framework utilized for mobile and web development. To develop mobile apps, it can be incorporated with Cordova. We can also use React Native framework to build mobile apps. React can be used to develop both multi-page and single-page applications.
Angular – Angular is also preferred for both mobile and web development. For mobile apps development, we can use Ionic. Angular also uses an additional mobile development framework – Native Script. Angular can be used to develop both multiple-page and single-page web apps.
React – React is a framework for User Interface development. React application requires additional libraries, such as Redux, Helmet, or React Router.
They are used for state management and optimization, interaction with API, and routing. Functions like project generation, data binding, form validation, dependency injection, or component-based require additional libraries or modules to be installed.
Angular – It is a full-fledged framework for app development, which doesn’t need modules or libraries. Angular package includes all such features like project generation, form validation, data binding, component-based routing, and dependency injection.
React – Here the performance has been enhanced with the introduction of the virtual DOM. Since all virtual DOM trees are built of the server and are lightweight, the load on the browser reduces to a great extent.
It uses a unidirectional data-binding process, which is unidirectional, and these bindings are not assigned, watchers. This helps in the reduction of workload on the applications in a real-time environment.
Angular – As far Angular performance is not so great in the case of dynamic and complex web applications. The major cause behind that is Angular’s bidirectional data binding, where each binding is assigned a watcher to keep a track of all changes.
This loop continues until all the watchers along with associated values are checked. This process creates performance bottlenecks as more watchers are created to support data bindings in complex applications.
Google has made great improvements in its recent Angular updates, to enhance its capabilities up to a certain extent. But still, it is not preferred for complex applications which use a higher degree of data binding.
React – The fundamental structure of React offers developers wider freedom to choose. It is mandatory to design the application structure at the beginning of project, it’s quite cumbersome sometimes.
Apart from that, React JS offers only the View layer, whereas the Model and Controller layers are added using additional libraries. React application architecture is component-based. Where the code is composed of React components and rendered by React DOM library.
Angular – On the other hand, Angular’s structure is complex and fixed, which is more suitable and preferred by experienced developers. It is of three layers – Model, View, and Controller. In this structure, the object responsible for the Model is initiated by the Controller, and the View layer helps it to display.
The Angular application code consists of different components, each being coded in four separate files. An HTML file defines the view, a TypeScript implements the component, a CSS file defines the stylistic features, and a special file is dedicated for testing purposes.
The structural logic of the application can be displayed by linking these files by writing them in the application directive. All Angular components are reusable, which gives it an upper hand over React.
React – User Interface tools for React are designed by the community. React portal also offers a plethora of open-source, free, and paid UI/UX components. All you need is to install the additional library, Material UI library, and Dependencies to use UI material design components in React.
Angular – It offers an in-built UI material toolset, to use a variety of pre-built UI/UX design components. Angular UI components toolset has various components like buttons, indicators, layouts, form controls, and pop-ups. This makes UI configuration a lot faster and easier for developers.
React – It does not completely support dependency injection. As it does not follow the idea of data immutability and functional programming. Instead, it offers a global state for all the objects and components.
Angular – It completely supports dependency injection, which makes it way better than React on this front. Angular enables different lifecycles for different stores. It’s a preferred framework when dependency injection is a must.
React – Data binding is a synchronization process between the View and Model layer. React is usually augmented with Redux, which helps developers to work with immutable data and ensures unidirectional data flow. It also uses predictable Unidirectional binding, which assists with the debugging process.
Angular – It works with mutable data and bidirectional data binding. The benefits of immutable and mutable data are a matter of debate. But it is always preferred to work with bidirectional data. The fact is bidirectional data binding impacts the performance. Angular automatically develops a separate watcher for each binding in real-time.
React – It is supported by multiple code editors such as Sublime Text, Atom, or Visual Studio. In order to bootstrap an application project, one can simply use Create React App (CLI) tool. For server-side rendering requirements, we can use the Next.js framework.
Multiple tools could be used for testing and quality assurance, such as Enzyme (component testing), Jest (JS code testing), React-unit (for unit testing), and so on. React offers React Dev Tools to perform app debugging in the development mode.
Angular – It also supports a variety of code editing tools, such as Sublime Text, Aptana, and Visual Studio. We can set up a project with Angular CLI and Angular Universal tool for Server-side rendering. Angular can be fully tested with a single tool.
We can use Protractor, Karma, and Jasmine to perform end-to-end testing. It offers browser extension augury to perform application debugging.
React – Once can easily learn React js if he/she has adequate knowledge of JavaScript. It is minimalistic, with no dependency injection, no complicated features, and no classic templates. Thus, it is extremely easy to learn and use.
Angular – Learning concepts of associated components is a bit difficult due to the large library. Angular is difficult to learn, as component management is intricate. It uses a lot of unnecessary syntaxes.
Angular comes with many complicated features as part of the core framework. Thus, its mandatory for developers to learn it. It’s difficult to learn if we compare it with React.
React – It is based on JavaScript ES6+ along with JSX script. JSX is indeed an extension for syntax, which makes JavaScript code like an HTML written code. Thus, understanding and writing the code is easier.
The typographic errors and other lapses can be identified easily. React is augmented with Babel (code transition tool) to compile the JSX code in a browser.
Angular – It can use TypeScript or JavaScript, which is considered a superset of JavaScript. It is utilized for scalable project development.
TypeScript is compact than JavaScript, which enables developers to navigate easily, spot the errors in lesser time. Angular uses a Code refactoring process, which makes the code faster and simpler.
Angular offers the following Advantages and Disadvantages to the developers and the users.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Improved Performance and Speed | Angular is complex and verbose |
| Rapid Development Process | Offers Limited SEO options |
| Efficient Cross-Platform Development | Steep learning curve |
| Superior application Quality | CLI documentation lacks details |
| Effective Problem-Solving Patterns | Difficult to debug Limited Routing |
| Exceptional Material Design Library | 3rd party integration is very complex |
| Easily Readable and Testable Code | Challenges in migrating from old version to new |
| Lightweight Web Application Development | Lack of extensive, all-inclusive, and clear documentation. |
React offers the following Advantages and Disadvantages to the developers and the users.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It’s easy to code with JSX | The high pace of development |
| Due to simple design, it is easy to learn React | ReactJS covers only the User Interface layers of the application |
| Offers strong framework for content-focused app development | It is difficult to integrate Reacts in the traditional MVC framework like Rail |
| Easier to migrate between different versions of React | JSX act as a barrier for development process |
| React expertise can be utilized for Native development. | It takes more time to fix problems |
| It is preferred to manage heavy app loads with relative ease | Lack of Conventions and Flexibility |
| It offers HTML-like syntax to make documentation templates | It is not a full-fledged development framework |
| It offers extended support for server-side rendering | Not so effective SEO Handling |
Angular has been utilized by renowned enterprises to develop their enterprise-grade and popular applications. Here we are providing two examples for the same.
It is the most popular platform for freelancers and professionals to offer their services. This platform is massive in size with more than 10 million freelancers. For such highly functional platforms, it is important to utilize technology like Angular to maintain the application functionalities while reflecting the changes immediately.
It is undoubtedly the most popular and largest used payment gateway in the world. It has utilized Angular to develop the PayPal checkout system, which offers important features and functions such as Adding cart and Payment review pages. These pages carry a high degree of security concerns along with seamless functionalities as primary requirements.
React is highly popular among developers and communities due to its enormous benefits to developing complex and popular applications. Here we are providing two examples for the same.
It has developed an innovative project to show the appearances of celebrities on the Oscar red carpet. This project was developed using React JS platform, which helps users to find pictures of their favorite celebrities by applying filters. React has made it the most impressive and popular feature among users.
Netflix is the world’s largest media streaming platform, which uses React JS for low-performance devices and gadgets. React JS is also used to enhance startup speed, runtime performance, and modularization.
We have covered several aspects of Angular in detail, and we would suggest considering these points before selecting React JS for software development.
We have covered several aspects of Angular in detail, and we would suggest considering these points before deciding to use Angular for software development.
Well, we have covered all the aspects of both frameworks. Angular is a full-fledged web and mobile app development framework. Whereas React JS is a framework for User Interface development only. We need to use additional libraries to turn it into a full-fledged software development solution.
React is simple and less complex for learning. But one must also learn a lot of other libraries, tools, and JavaScript frameworks to make good use of React.
Angular itself is quite a complex framework, which requires more effort to master. It is a powerful tool, which offers a complete web development experience, and once developers learn it, they can easily reap the fruits.
Both the frameworks are supported, maintained & updated by their developers and communities. In the end, we can say that React vs Angular is all a matter of personal and project preference. It is a matter of project development approach and developers’ skills.
As a beginner, one can start with React JS due to the easier learning curve & later on move to Angular. Once you gain the experience, then you can take the decision according to your development experience & project needs.
As a Business Owner or Project Manager, you are required to discuss with your web development team to make a clear choice. Test their experience and reference work tech stack selection sound similar to the reasons above.
If the reason for the selection of the JavaScript framework suited for your project is also based on the above, you have a clear winner. Whether it is React or Angular, we are pretty sure that this blog will help you to take the correct decision.
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