Top 10 JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries to Choose in 2024

Today, developers have a multitude of JavaScript frameworks to choose from. They provide developers with the basis required to craft applications in JavaScript, saving them the effort and hassle of building from scratch. JavaScript libraries and frameworks make it easy to develop websites and apps thanks to their wide suite of functionalities, made possible by its versatile and dynamic features. It’s possible to develop both the frontend and the backend of an application, and to test it using JavaScript. Therefore, it is today the most popular programming language globally. But what are JavaScript frameworks? Let’s first understand what it means and what it does, and then we’ll see the best frameworks for 2024.

What Is a JavaScript Framework?

It’s a set of pre-written codes in JS that simplify coding and enable better task performance. JavaScript libraries compile code that help extract specific functionality for the type of app you’re building, and this forms the base of JavaScript frameworks. You could say that the framework regulates the app structure.

What Does a JavaScript Framework Do?

Each JS framework serves a specific purpose. Numbering well over 80, there are different types of JavaScript frameworks. They are used for tasks like:

• Visualising data in maps and charts
• Handle data
• Manipulate DOM
• Manage databases
• Incorporate preferred fonts
• Deliver enhanced UX
• Add mathematical and string functions
• Add effects to images
• Simplify form functions
• Switch platforms
• Align page layouts

These are just some of the things you can do with JS. Let us now take a look at the JavaScript frameworks list for the coming year.

Next.js

This free, open-source React-based frontend framework took the programming world by storm thanks to its server-side rendering and improved SEO. It’s the best framework for web development if you want our honest opinion. It is used to build static websites, user interfaces, and universal apps. Next.js utilises components of JavaScript and React to create the UI and is influenced by community libraries, React Router, the Node ecosystem, etc. It is capable of automatically generating pages based on the project’s file system structure. Let’s say that in the root directory there is a recipes folder; for each markdown file inside it, a page will be automatically created by Next.js. As you don’t have to manually create pages for every content piece, you can develop apps faster. The incremental static generation feature enables the incremental updating of static pages every time the content is modified. It is the best JavaScript framework for achieving comprehensive server-side rendering.

Key Features

• Allows easy page creation, and using the file routing system to navigate to them.
• Image optimisation helps to adjust image sizes according to the size of the screen to ensure the best fit.
• Integrated TypeScript experience in current and new projects is available.
• Supports all current browsers.
• Static generation makes HTML pages readily available when requested.
• Server-side rendering enables creation of dynamic pages; they are transmitted from server to client by rendering at every request.
• Footer and Navbar can be wrapped on each page rather than having to be added every time you want all the pages in the app to have these components.

Pros

• Helps develop static websites quickly with dynamic functionalities.
• Server-side rendering.
• Improved SEO.
• Faster iterations.
• Shorter time to market.
• Responsive design.

Cons 

• Smaller community and hence less support.
• Longer learning curve.
• Restricted routing.
• Inadequate plugin system.
• Build time may increase substantially for larger apps.

Also Read: Next Js vs React

React JS

React JS is the most widely used open-source front end framework in JavaScript today. It was released in 2013 under the Apache Licence 2.0 but has an MIT licence now. React.js is used to develop responsive and engaging user interfaces. It is great when you need to develop large enterprise solutions. Instagram and Facebook interfaces are created with React js. React is one of the top JavaScript frameworks in use today.  React serves as the base for building mobile apps and SPAs and helps in crafting outstanding UI for web apps and interactive sites. It handles a state by rendering it to the DOM.

Key features

• React components are converted into virtual DOMs so that all new modifications can be adapted prior to making the actual changes in the original DOM.
• Used to build cross-platform apps, thanks to the custom render of React called React native that creates mobile UI with native components 
• React flux updates the React components or view on the frontend with the one-way data binding principle.
• React components can be reused and help in building consistent UI.

Pros

• Simple and easy to understand and use.
• Enables component reuse.
• Has a suite of handy tools.
• Performance can be improved.
• Testing and debugging are quick.

Cons

• Regular upgrades necessitate continuous relearning.
• Data binding, hooks, and JSX hooks, in React can be restrictive.
• It’s not comprehensive in itself.

Read more about the top features and benefits of React JS

Vue JS

Vue JS is one of the ideal JavaScript frameworks that allows you to develop cross-platform apps and websites and supports the development of SPAs or single page apps. It offers a simple and quick solution for UI, apps, and for building engaging web-based interfaces. It is versatile, user-friendly, and extremely popular. In fact, it’s often called the best front-end framework in JS.

Key features

• Economical virtual DOM.
• Inbuilt component for animations and CSS transitions.
• Accurate two-way data binding.
• Easy to understand and learn.

Pros

• Lightweight. 
• Easy integration.
• Single-file components and readable.
• Two-way communication.
• Flexible.
• Strong tooling environment.
• High security for frontend.
• Great for large projects.

Cons

• Paucity of necessary plugins.
• Extensive scaling may not be possible.
• Language barriers.

TezJS 

We have included Tez in this JS frameworks list for specific reasons. This open-source JavaScript framework allows programmers to scale and ensure excellent performance. Tez.js is simple to code, super-fast, and efficient. Since its emergence, frontend developers are able to build modern Jamstack websites easily. Tez.JS is built on Vue.js using the bleeding-edge frontend tool Vite. For the backend it uses Strapi (headless CMS). Used in this combination, the Tez.JS framework offers a superlative experience for developers and reduces the need for configuration. It’s super easy to learn – anyone with basic knowledge of JavaScript will be able to code with this. Which is why it’s one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks for web development.

Key Features

• Loads images with service workers.
• Content lazy loading.
• Automatic and route-based code splitting.
• PRPL pattern.
• Supports headless CMS architecture.

Pros

• Open-source.
• Blazing fast.
• Integrates two robust technologies.
• Follows serverless architecture driven by components.

Preact

This is one of the fastest, smallest, and most efficient of JavaScript libraries, and is a good alternative to React, which is why it’s a part of this JS framework list. In fact, we can say that Preact is a streamlined version of React with a built size and includes all essential features of contemporary frameworks of JavaScript. Many developers often switch to Preact from React once in production. The small size of this framework allows the code to be the most important component of your app.

Key Features

• Superfast virtual DOM library.
• Allows sharing of reusable objects.
• Possible to use React components.
• Automatic updating for better performance.

Pros

• Lightweight and superfast.
• Enhanced version of React.
• High compatibility.
• Link-state module.
• Robust command-line interface.

Cons

• Small developer community.
• No support for propTypes.
• Codebase is large and complicated.
• Permits only stateless components.
• Typescript conflicts may happen.

Angular

Angular.js is a very powerful JavaScript framework which allows all contents to be transmitted directly from servers to browsers, and helps to organise all the concurrently created web pages. It is one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks in vogue today. Thanks to the specific NativeScript it has, it’s easy to build native apps in Angular. For hybrid apps, it facilitates an Ionic framework. Angular.js is a cross platform framework and its code is easy to understand and clean, with a low error frequency thanks to its data rendering method and accurate controller.

Key features

• Enables development of high performing PWAs.
• Suitable for different types of OS.
• Progressive and instinctive API.
• Enables instant error discovery and feedback selection.
• Enables getting smart code at the end. 

Pros

• Immaculate synchronisation between model and view.
• View and data sets can be isolated.
• Changes are immediately showcased correctly in view.

Cons

• Complicated and longer learning curve.
• Framework is heavy.
• Developers must know MVC.

Also Read: Angular vs React

Node.js

This is a JavaScript runtime environment capable of building server-side apps, so it’s considered by many to be the best JS framework for the backend. Since its launch in 2009, it has become very popular, as developers can build high-speed, scalable web applications with it. Node.js apps are run on Node.js runtime though they are written in JavaScript. This means they can run on any Noide.js supported platform. These apps are scalable and efficient as they are usually event-driven and single-threaded. The NPM or Node Package Manager makes it easy to implement and handle dependencies for its projects. This is a top choice in the list of JavaScript frameworks for the backend.

Key Features 

• Event-driven or asynchronous responses enable super-fast execution.
• Single-threaded and event looping models enable asynchronous response, ensuring scalable servers.
• Data is not buffered but generated in chunks.
• With Chrome V8 JavaScript engine as its base, Node.js code is run at high speed.

Pros 

• Robust performance.
• User-friendly and easy.
• Large and helpful community.
• Capable of handling thousands of concurrent connections in a single process with minimal overhead.

Cons 

• Over-reliance on callback.
• Code maintenance is difficult due to asynchronous programming.
• Certain tasks necessitate dependence on third-party libraries.
• Inability to process multiple requests simultaneously.

Aurelia

Aurelia JS is a modern, open-source user interface framework that enables developers to build outstanding web and mobile apps. It boosts the capabilities of JavaScript and helps developers to do more with their code. There is no need of writing unique code, tags, or keywords to run it as Aurelia is a non-intrusive framework. This is a huge asset for developers who rely on JavaScript for all their development requirements. You only need to write simple JavaScript code and run it with Aurelia. This is not usually seen in the JavaScript framework list, but it’s powerful, and is future-ready.

Key Features

• Lightweight core.
• Well-defined modules that deliver several functionalities.
• Support for multiple languages.
• Extensible.
• Clean documentation.
• Commercial support.

Pros

• Add or remove tools easily.
• Easy to build and execute.
• No dependencies.
• Simple code reduction.
• Minimal configuration.
• Self-directed to web standards.

Cons

• Not suitable for small projects.
• Smaller ecosystem and community.
• Fewer resources.
• Longer learning curve.

Backbone.js

Backbone.js is one of the most popular JavaScript libraries for building Single Page Apps (SPAs). It is based on the MVC or Model View Controller pattern and provides MVP or Model-View-Presenter (MVP) architecture and synchronisation for web apps. It supports components like Views, Models, Routers, Collections, Options, Sync, and Events. Apps are able to communicate with backend services through the asynchronous communication level present. Backbone.js is designed with SPAs in mind.  SPAs load all the resources required for using the app the first time the page loads. This means there’s no need for page reloads when users navigate to various sections in the app. Airbnb, Tumblr, and Walmart use this library.

Key Features 

• Designing apps and front-end is made simple.
• Has 100+ extensions.
• It functions as your project framework and helps to organise your code so that you have an easy to maintain codebase.
• Helps in the management of related models.

Pros 

• Lightweight. 
• Flexible and simple to use.
• Mix and match components most suited for your app.
• Excellent documentation.

Cons 

• Restricted with regard to RESTful API.
• Creating unit tests is difficult as long lines of mock code are required.
• Empty and superfluous div elements are created for the view.

Read more about the future and scope of web development.

Ember.js 

This robust, open-source JavaScript framework was specially designed to help build ambitious web apps. It follows the "convention over configuration" approach and offers a suite of best practices and behaviours to streamline development. This helps developers to decrease the amount of boilerplate coding needed. Ember.js has a robust templating engine and whenever underlying data is altered, it auto-updates the DOM. This feature allows developers to craft intricate and engaging user interfaces. It ensures that the code is consistent and maintainable thanks to a robust suite of conventions and substantial components. Other features include state management, an inbuilt router, and an Ember CLI for development, scaffolding, project generation, and build-pipeline tools. It has a vast and all-inclusive ecosystem, making it ideal for crafting web apps that are not just large in scale but are also packed with features, as productivity and code maintainability are vital here.

Features

• Allows development of usable, easily maintainable web apps.
• Offers instance initializers for classes.
• Provides HTML and CSS of the development model.
• Offers routes to manage the URL.
• Inspector tool helps in debugging apps easily.
• Templates can be used to auto-update the model when contents are altered.

Pros

• Robust routing capabilities.
• Convention over configuration.
• Substantial component library.
• Vast ecosystem.
• Focuses on stability.

Cons

• It is a bit difficult to learn.
• Comparatively larger in size.
• Reduced flexibility.
• Inadequate community support.

Framing the Big Picture

We don’t claim that this is a complete JavaScript libraries list, but these are the best ones in our opinion for the coming year. As the digital world becomes stronger and customers more demanding, developers will need frameworks and libraries that will give them the most bang for their buck. And we feel that it is these ten frameworks mentioned here.

At Webandcrafts, the leading digital transformation services company, we have talented JavaScript professionals who have varied expertise in different types of frameworks. We also have dedicated teams of developers working on Next.js, React, Node, Angular, and other frameworks, creating awe-inspiring mobile and web apps for our customers.

WAC leverages different JavaScript frameworks and libraries to craft apps that help customers achieve their business goals quickly and efficiently, giving them increased ROI. 

Are you looking for an efficient and savvy team to build your web or mobile app for your business? You’ve come to the right place! Contact us now and tell us your requirements. We’ll get back to you at the earliest.