React vs Angular: Which JS Framework to choose for Front-end Development?

Both Angular and ReactJS are widely used to build new web applications, but their approach is quite different. Angular is a proper framework that provides a highly structured development environment with built-in features. In today’s fast-moving web development, it is essential to choose the best of frameworks to build efficient and scalable web applications. Among the two of the most famous conflicts are Angular and ReactJS.

However, it is difficult to determine which one is best suited to your goals because of the clear pros and cons. In this Angular vs ReactJS article, we will compare Angular with ReactJS comprehensively, clarify the decision when choosing a framework, and allow for sufficient informed decisions.

Angular and React overview

In short, React is one of the front-end JavaScript frameworks, but Angular is a full framework. Angular is a complete front-end framework dependent on developers and React is a JavaScript library used by React developers to design interactive UI elements. Both have form validation, but let’s look at different aspects.

What is Angular?

Angular is a powerful framework for building web applications, especially single-page applications (SPAs). Imagine that SPA is a website that feels like a traditional application that makes smooth transitions and dynamic updates without reloading the entire page. Angular realizes this by providing a structured development environment. For such complicated projects, TypeScript, which is a version of JavaScript that incorporates features like type checking, should be used? It can also be very helpful for large programs in code organization and maintenance.

Angular also uses MVC architecture to enforce separation of concerns. This allows you to clearly organize the code by separating data (Model) and display method (View) and user interaction (Controller). Angular requires a little learning, but its structure and functionality make it a great choice to build large enterprise-level web applications.

Main features of Angular

• Easy to build, manage, test and update.
• Built-in features include Rxjs and AngularCLI.
• Easy to build, manage, test and update.
• Supports view without browser side rendering.
• Server side rendering is performed quickly.
• Powerful encapsulation and clear application framework.

What is React?

Unlike Angular, ReactJS is a JavaScript library specifically designed to build a user interface (UI) for web applications. Provide a more flexible approach around reusable components instead of a complete framework. Imagine building blocks that can be combined to create complex interfaces. Each component manages its own data and functions, making it easy to understand, maintain and reuse in various parts of the application. 

ReactJS also uses virtual DOMs that act as in-memory representations of actual web pages. This allows React to efficiently identify changes and update only the required parts of the actual DOM, greatly improving the performance of dynamic UIs that are constantly updated. This makes it ideal for building interactive web functions, single-page applications focused on UI, and utilizing the vast ecosystem of pre-built libraries for various functions.

Key Features of ReactJS

• Using declarative views makes debugging easier.
• Shorten development time and increase developer productivity.
• More predictable and reusable code
• Easy migration between multiple versions.
• Suitable for mobile development as well as React Native use.

Angular vs ReactJS

After understanding what Angular and React JS are like, let’s dive into their essential features, architecture, performance, popularity and community support.

Learning Curve

Angular: It is steep for non-users who have been used to other concepts such as Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture and TypeScript. 

 React: Conversely because it uses component-based architecture and JavaScript, it is easier to learn especially among people with a good background in JavaScript.

Architecture

Angular: Angular uses MVC patterns to isolate clear concerns. This facilitates code organizing and simplifies the maintenance of large projects.

ReactJS: A component-based architecture that encapsulates UI and functionality with reusable components. This approach promotes flexibility and rapid UI development.

Conformity to various projects

Angular: Angular’s robust structure and data binding excels in building complex single-page applications (SPAs) and enterprise-level web applications that require scalability and maintainability.

ReactJS: ReactJS is suitable for building dynamic user interfaces that deal with frequently changing data. Component-based architecture promotes modularity and reusability, making it suitable for interactive web features and complex UI elements.

Components and sizes

Angular: Angular runs on Real DOM and follows the MVC pattern. Angular follows bidirectional data flow and is larger than React (approx. 92KB.

React: React runs on Virtual DOM, a lightweight copy of Real DOM. React follows one-way data flow and is smaller than Angular (approximately 46KB, subject to change).

Migration and Community Support

Angular: Angular releases and updates new versions every six months. Therefore, there are two major releases and updates per year, and necessary changes are made. Since Angular was released, developers have experienced many changes. Angular is supported by Google’s huge and active community, with a current version of 7.0.

React: React is maintained by Facebook and the current version is 16.0. React upgrades are easier than Angular, and stability is of great concern when Facebook releases a new version because big companies like Twitter and Airbnb use React. We also provide community support.

Performance

Both are optimized for performance.

ReactJS: Because the bundle size is small and there is a virtual DOM, it can be fast with simple apps.

Angular: AOT compilation and detailed change detection may shine with complex SPA. When choosing a framework, focus on the developer’s experience and project needs. In most web applications, performance differences are often negligible.

When choosing Angular

• Large enterprise applications: Angular’s structured approach and scalability are ideal for complex projects.
• SPA with complex workflows: Angular data binding and dependency injection streamlines the development of SPAs with large amounts of data flow.
• Focus on code serviceability: Angular’s TypeScript enforces type safety, leading to a highly serviceable codebase in the long run.

When choosing ReactJS

• Simple and interactive web applications: ReactJS’s component-based architecture enables rapid development of user interfaces.
• Projects that require frequent UI updates: ReactJS’s virtual DOM ensures efficient rendering of dynamic UIs.
• Leverage the enormous library ecosystem: A wealth of third-party libraries for ReactJS provides pre-built solutions for a variety of functions.

Application

Angular: Angular is a full-fledged framework, so it is most widely used in large-scale applications like video streaming apps and instrument apps. Angular is used by companies such as Google, Forbes, YouTube, Wix, and telegram.

React: ReactJS is just a library, so it is suitable for applications that do not require SPA (single page applications) or many formats. React is used by companies such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Airbnb, Netflix, Paypal and Uber.

Difference between React and Angular (React vs Angular)

Understand the difference between React and Angular:

Performance

React implements virtual DOM differential algorithms to reduce DOM operations and optimize performance. Update only modified components. Conversely, Angular uses a dirty check mechanism that detects changes in the entire application and updates the affected parts. When the size of the application increases, the operation may become heavy. In general, React’s rendering efficiency is better than that of Angular.

Code Configuration

One-way data flow and reusable components are important features of React. Angular’s MVC structure is more rigid and consists of components, services, directives, etc. Therefore, Angular applications can be difficult to maintain. React’s streamlined component architecture facilitates code organizing and reuse.

Learning Curve

React is generally easy to learn, especially for beginner developers. Components, states, and objects are intuitive concepts. Angular’s API surfaces are very large, imposing stricter learning curves such as robust encoding systems, services and dependency injections. But Angular CLI makes development easier.

Application Development

Because of its simple nature, React performs exceptionally well in the development of small applications that do not have much complex data flow. Angular’s comprehensive MVC framework demonstrates its capabilities when building large enterprise systems that incorporate complex functions such as routing and animation. Angular is scalable and suitable for migrating legacy applications.

Conclusion

The competition between Angular and ReactJS is not a zero-sum game. Optimal selection depends on project specific requirements. If you prioritize complex application structure, scalability, and maintainability, you may choose Angular. After determining which Angular or React is right for your purpose, working with ReactJS and custom AngularJS development leading companies like Witarist ensures a smooth transition from concept to completion. If you’re looking for application development, share your requirements with Witarist experts now!