Comparing React.js, Vue.js, Angular, and Svelte

React.js, Vue.js, Angular, and Svelte are all popular JavaScript frameworks or libraries used for building interactive user interfaces. Each has its own philosophies, strengths, and weaknesses. Here's a detailed comparison:

React.js

Approach: React is a library for building user interfaces. It is declarative, component-based, and allows developers to create reusable UI components.

Features:

• Virtual DOM for efficient updates .
• One-way data binding with props.
• Extensive ecosystem and community support.
• Integration with other libraries and frameworks is straightforward.

Code Example:

import React from 'react';

function HelloMessage({ name }) {
  return <div>Hello {name}</div>;
}

export default function App() {
  return <HelloMessage name="Taylor" />;
}

Expected Output: This code will render a div with the text "Hello Taylor" on the page.

Vue.js

Approach: Vue is a progressive framework for building user interfaces. It is designed to be incrementally adoptable.

Features:

• Reactive and composable data model.
• Simple and flexible API.
• Two-way data binding with v-model.
• Detailed documentation and a gentle learning curve.

Code Example:

<template>
  <div>Hello {{ name }}</div>
</template>

<script>
export default {
  data() {
    return {
      name: 'Taylor'
    };
  }
}
</script>

Expected Output: Similar to React, this Vue component will display "Hello Taylor" on the page.

Angular

Approach: Angular is a platform and framework for building single-page client applications using HTML and TypeScript.

Features:

• Full-fledged framework with a rich set of features.
• Two-way data binding.
• Dependency injection.
• Use of TypeScript for static typing.

Code Example:

import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-hello-message',
  template: `<div>Hello {{name}}</div>`,
})
export class HelloMessageComponent {
  name: string = 'Taylor';
}

Expected Output: This Angular component will also display "Hello Taylor" on the page.

Svelte

Approach: Svelte shifts much of the work to compile time, producing highly optimized vanilla JavaScript at the end.

Features:

• No virtual DOM. Updates are made to the DOM when the state of the app changes.
• Less boilerplate code than other frameworks.
• Reactive programming without the explicit use of a state management library.
• Great performance and small bundle sizes.

Code Example:

<script>
  let name = 'Taylor';
</script>

<div>Hello {name}</div>

Expected Output: As with the others, Svelte will render "Hello Taylor" on the page.

My verdict

• React is often chosen for its large ecosystem and community, as well as its flexibility and the ability to integrate with various other tools and libraries.
• Vue is appreciated for its simplicity and detailed documentation, making it a good choice for new developers and small to medium-sized projects.
• Angular is typically selected by those looking for a comprehensive solution with a lot of built-in functionality, and it's often used in enterprise-level applications.
• Svelte is a newer choice that is gaining popularity for its innovative approach to building user interfaces by doing much of the work at compile time, resulting in faster runtime performance and less code.