Javascript Framework
JavaScript Framework
#Overview
JavaScript is now a major part of the web with complex and interactive web applications being developed more often. To make the development process easier, JavaScript frameworks come into existence. These frameworks simplify the process of building complex and dynamic web applications by offering a set of pre-built functionalities and components. There are many frameworks out there each with its own purpose and techniques to render the application but all aim to make the web development process manageable.
#Should You Use it?
Developing a web application can be heavy and get complex quickly when dealing with data and making it interactive. In plain JavaScript, as the HTML document and script file are separated, you need to select or manually create an element to make any changes. This can be doable if it’s only a few elements but when the most part of the website needs to be dynamic (e.g. data is delivered from a database), it’s burdensome to track every HTML element.
So the framework streamlines the data binding process by making the HTML and JavaScript work in conjunction. This allows the linking of dynamic data with the corresponding HTML element in a single document without manually selecting and updating it.
The word “complex” has been thrown a lot but you do need to think about the complexity of your website before using a JavaScript framework. If the project’s requirements are small and has no plans of scaling in the future then vanilla JavaScript will always be the best choice. Shipping the JavaScript bundle from a framework may lead to slower performance with the overengineering of your website.
#Features
Some of the main features that a JavaScript framework provides:
Rendering
The two very common rendering methods that you come across are client-side and server-side rendering. Initially, JavaScript frameworks incorporated client-side rendering but now there are frameworks being built on top of these existing ones for server-side or static rendering.
Modularity
Frameworks often encourage the creation of reusable components. As discussed in Component Libraries, a component encapsulates both the HTML template and the JavaScript logic required for a specific UI functionality. Components can be composed to build complex interfaces. This enhances code reusability and makes it easier to manage and scale your project.
Data and Event Handling
Frameworks often provide mechanisms for data binding, which automatically changes the UI when the value of data changes.
They facilitate event handling, which allows you to respond to user interactions (like clicks, inputs, and form submissions) and trigger corresponding actions on the HTML element itself. Instead of adding an event listener when using JavaScript.
State Management
Handling application state becomes crucial as applications grow in complexity. Many frameworks offer built-in solutions or libraries for state management which help you manage and synchronize data across different parts of your application.
Routing
Most frameworks provide routing capabilities, allowing you to create single-page applications with multiple views or pages without actual page reloads. This is achieved by manipulating the browser's history and changing content dynamically.