Top 15 JavaScript Frameworks to Contemplate In 2024

The world of application development has seen a revolutionary change, all thanks to JavaScript and JavaScript frameworks.

Since its existence, JavaScript has reigned on the top charts and won over developers’ confidence globally. It is the most popular and utilized programming, markup, and scripting language.

As a multi-paradigm language supporting object-oriented, functional, and event-driven programming, JavaScript offers client-side and server-side support. It is considered a web language and has excellent community support.

Be it a startup, small, medium, or large enterprise, JavaScript offers frontend and backend frameworks that have been leveraged by famous names like Facebook, Google, eBay, Uber, PayPal, Netflix, Paytm, Hulu, Flickr, Groupon, and the list seems endless.

JavaScript has a lightweight design, making it ideal for web application development, desktop applications, mobile apps, game development, and server-side applications. The JavaScript ecosystem comprises frameworks, libraries, and toolkits.

Multiple JavaScript frameworks (JS frameworks) are being implemented, and new ones are coming up. It is interesting to see which will shine bright in the coming years and offer innovative experiences.

Selecting the right kind of JavaScript framework is significant and must be done with expertise and accuracy.

This write-up introduces readers to the top JavaScript frameworks that will increase their popularity quotients in 2024. Let us first understand what JavaScript frameworks are and their significance.

What is a JavaScript Framework?

A JavaScript framework is an application written in JavaScript that offers software with specific functionalities that can be changed through coding.

Developers can change the functions and implement them according to their requirements. These JavaScript frameworks assist in easing the work with JavaScript and implementing newer features.

JavaScript frameworks are a set of templates used to create application features on top of an existing structure for faster processing and efficacy.

It also has a group of JavaScript libraries for creating pre-existing code for supporting applications. This can be useful when designing UI or managing vast volumes of data.

Even functions can perform actions instead of writing all the code from scratch.

Popular JS frameworks can be based on two categories: frontend JavaScript framework and backend JavaScript framework.

These frameworks collect shared resources like images, documents, libraries, etc., and package them to make them helpful to developers. They mainly help developers by preventing them from writing code from scratch.

Best JavaScript Frameworks facilitate

• the manipulation of user interfaces depending on data, as well as writing easy code that is readable and maintainable. Use domain-specific languages like TypeScript, JSX, etc.
• Solving usual challenges
• Reusing components
• Communication of ideas and patterns
• Standardization of UI elements like buttons, color, and typography
• Enhanced developer experience by writing tests and debugging code
• Automation of installation and library configuration, packages, tools, etc.

15 Best JavaScript (JS) Frameworks to Know

• AngularJS
• ReactJS
• Vue.js
• Ember.js
• Node.js
• Backbone.js
• Next.js
• Express.js
• jQuery
• Meteor
• Polymer
• Sencha Ext JS
• Mithril.js
• Svelte
• Preact JS

#1 AngularJS

AngularJS is a frontend JavaScript framework that has been highly popular for years thanks to its salient features. It is an open-source framework ideal for developing single-page applications (SPA). It is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, making it simple to create dynamic applications. It offers an extension of HTML vocabulary for creating interactivity with the help of directives, creating expressive and readable code.

Features of AngularJS:

• Progressive web apps
• Easy DOM manipulation
• Turns templates into optimized code
• Simple and powerful template syntax
• Angular CLI for the Creation of components
• Two-way data binding and dependency injection
• Easy creation of custom libraries and modules

#2 ReactJS

Powered by Facebook, ReactJS is one of the best JavaScript frameworks for creating a dynamic user interface leveraging the features of a virtual DOM. It is concerned with sending data to the DOM and hence asks for more state management libraries and routing. It facilitates reusing components and self-contained code modules, saving time writing code across applications. It can be extended to servers and supports JSX for simple and short syntax.

Features of ReactJS:

• Compatible W3C object model event system
• Declarative views with readable code
• JSX markup syntax to make the writing of React components easy
• One-way data binding with Flux controls
• High performance due to virtual DOM
• Supports server-side rendering for better performance
• Supports enterprise applications with ease

#3 Vue.js

Vue.js is a modern frontend JavaScript framework that offers data-reactive components with a simple and flexible API. It is considered a trustworthy platform for cross-platform development and showcases dual integration features for building user interfaces and single-page applications. It is also known as a progressive JavaScript framework. The core libraries are meant to be customizable and extensible. It is flexible and lightweight.

Features of Vue.js:

• Data binding and Virtual DOM
• CSS transitions and animations
• Simple in terms of design and API
• One-way data flow model
• Tiny size makes it more performance-driven
• Reactivity with Composition API
• Easy to adapt and learn

#4 Ember.js

Ember.js is a well-known name on the JavaScript frameworks list for 2024. It has a vast application area and is considered a trustworthy platform for managing complex user interfaces. It makes web development effective and robust through its complete toolset, encompassing the development procedure through a view layer, router, and library. It uses FastBoot technology to serve pages without any download. All services and components in Ember are accessible anytime, anywhere.

Good to Read: Ember vs React: Comparing Two Popular Frontend Frameworks

Ember.js Features:

• Easy Creation and maintenance of web apps
• HTML and CSS features at the core
• Ember Inspector tool for debugging
• Offers instance initializers for classes
• Makes use of templates for updating the model in case of any change
• Component-based JS framework
• Server-side rendering of apps

#5 Node.js

A well-known JavaScript backend framework, Node.js is a server-side JS runtime environment competent in driving asynchronous I/O owing to its event-driven architecture. It depends upon the V8 JavaScript engine and executes on the Node.js runtime from any platform that supports Node.js. These applications are single-threaded and event-driven, hence becoming scalable and effective. It is cross-platform, showcasing properties like loop formation, packaging, threading, etc.

Node.js features:

• Follows a single-threaded model
• Faster code execution
• Faster audio/video uploading because of no buffering
• Good community support
• Easy to grasp if known to JavaScript
• Management of concurrent connections
• Optimized for effective management of resources

#6 Backbone.js

Backbone.js is one of the best JavaScript frameworks. It is fast to grasp and ideal for creating single-page Applications. It emphasizes that all server-side functions must go through an API to fulfill complicated functionalities quickly with less coding. It offers a Model-View-Presenter (MVP) architecture for web applications. The library supports routers, models, views, options, events, sync, collections, etc.

Backbone.js Features:

• Lightweight, convenient, and easy to use
• Free and open-source library with 100+ extensions
• Soft dependency on jQuery and hard dependency on Underscore.js
• Detailed documentation support
• Easy combination and matching of components
• Creation of web and mobile apps in an organized manner

#7 Next.js

Next.js figures on the list of best JavaScript frameworks since it has a popularity quotient. It is a free, open-source React framework that creates user interfaces, universal applications, and static websites. Through server-side rendering, it uses JavaScript and React components to make the user interface. It has the competence to generate pages automatically depending on the file system structure of the project. It offers an integrated TypeScript experience in all types of projects.

Following JS Features:

• Quick development process
• Incremental static generation
• Good community support and SEO friendly
• Pre-designed components saving time and money
• Supports responsive design
• Creation of pages and navigation through a file-routing system

Good to Read – Nest.js vs Next.js: What’s Ideal for Your Project?

#8 Express.js

Express.js is at a leading position in the JavaScript frameworks list. It is a web application framework for Node.js to create APIs and web apps. It is scalable and based on the component-based web application design. There is a set of inbuilt middleware packages to manage AJAX requests from the client side. It works well as a frontend JavaS framework and a JavaScript backend framework. It is known for finishing complicated server-side rending activities.

Features of Express.js:

• Easy routing, minimalistic and fast
• Soft dependencies
• Effective plug-in system
• Easy to learn and grasp
• Fastens web development process
• Free and open source

#9 jQuery

jQuery is a known name in the JavaScript framework world. It is easy to adapt and open-source. It is utilized mainly to simplify DOM and help ease the navigation of the DOM tree. It is ideal for creating simple applications. Significant community support helps in the easy grasping of the framework. Though it does not showcase much modernization, it is still a potential JS framework.

jQuery Features:

• Fit for simple and smaller applications
• Open-source and easy-to-learn
• Easy DOM manipulation
• HTML, DOM, CSS manipulation
• Simple, light-weighted, and progressive

#10 Meteor

Meteor is one of the top JavaScript frameworks that has proven to be a full-stack solution for creating web applications. It portrays multiple usage management, backend development, frontend rendering, and business logic. It offers good support for functional, object-oriented, and event-driven programming. It is based on the Node.js model and utilizes an asynchronous programming model. It is meant to develop real-time web and cross-platform apps that function well on diverse actions.

Meteor Features:

• Multiple inbuilt libraries for many practical activities
• Automated JS and CSS modification
• Command line to create web apps
• Isomorphic JavaScript code
• Effective database integration
• Open-source, Isomorphic Development Ecosystem (IDevE)

#11 Polymer

As an open-source JavaScript framework, Polymer is adept at creating websites and web applications with Web Components. It supports both one-way binding and two-way binding. It is a comprehensive framework that is flexible with reusable components and is ideal for mobile and single-page applications. It is created on top of web standards APIs that permit the Creation of custom HTML elements.

Polymer Features:

• Flexibility to create own components with HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Supports responsiveness with app layout components
• Offers cross-browser compatibility with web components
• Makes use of Google Material Design for the development of hybrid mobile apps
• Offers Polymer command line interface for dealing with simple components to complex web applications

#12 Sencha Ext JS

A comprehensive JavaScript framework, Sencha Ext JS has been popular among developers. It assists in creating cross-platform applications with data-intensive HTML5 applications for modern devices. It includes over 140 UI components like pivot grid, HTML5 calendar, menus, toolbars, trees, panels, windows, D3 adapter, etc. Many user extensions are accessible from the Sencha community. Sencha Test assists developers in enhancing the quality of their applications by functional and unit testing for Ext JS apps.

Sencha Ext JS Features:

• Protocol agnostic data package
• Creation of enhanced applications with Sencha tools
• Advanced MVC architecture
• Fast and easy prototyping
• No compatibility issues
• Supports MVC and MVVM architecture

#13 Mithril.js

Mithril.js is a modern JavaScript framework for creating Single-Page Applications on the client side. It is tiny in size and hence offers faster processing. It also provides routing and XHR utilities. It has no dependencies on other libraries. Mithril has more documentation in its GitHub repository than source code. It is an open-source tool that offers a templating engine with a virtual DOM.

Mithril.js Features:

• Supports routing and componentization
• Rendering model to recreate the virtual DOM
• Easy to learn and grasp
• It gives hierarchical MVC components
• Intelligent auto-redrawing system
• It does not offer base classes to extend

#14 Svelte

Svelte is competent in creating cybernetically enhanced web apps. It has its way of operating and is different from the traditional working method. It is a simple framework that is gaining traction among the developer community. It is also called a Disappearing framework since the browser has no framework-oriented work. Users can write CSS in the Svelte files within the style tags.

Svelte Features:

• Component-based frontend framework
• It does not use Virtual DOM and executes at build time
• Easy to learn and implement
• Faster execution since there is no framework
• Very tiny bundle sizing

#15 Preact JS

Preact JS is one of the smallest, thinnest, and fastest JavaScript frameworks with Virtual DOM abstraction on top of DOM. It is a streamlined version of React and can be utilized directly in the browser. It has strong community support and fast performance. Preact is so tiny that the application code is the most vital component of your app. The design leverages hundreds of elements that are accessible in the React ecosystem.

Preact JS Features:

• Weighted, efficient, and fast in performance
• Robust command-line interface
• Automatic updates in batches
• Easy sharing of reusable objects
• High-end compatibility
• Presence of a link-state module

Few Other Popular JavaScript Frameworks

• Jest
• Next JS
• Jasmine
• Aurelia
• Gatsby JS

JS Frameworks: Wrapping It Up

As you set to explore the wide variety of JavaScript frameworks, specific parameters help in ascertaining which is the best JavaScript framework that can be of help to your organization:

• Speed to ensure the chosen framework offers excellent performance in terms of selecting the right metrics and memory utilization
• Size limit to suit your project size and deadlines, offering lightweight solutions
• The complexity of the project as against the skills that developers possess
• Sizing of the developer community to get the latest updates on trends and performance
• The popularity of the JavaScript framework
• Design and features of your application

Hence, organizations must analyze in depth which is the most popular JavaScript framework mentioned above.