It seems every few years there is a new trend in software frameworks. How do you make the decision of which framework to use in your company while ensuring that you avoid short-term trends that fizzle out, but leverage the right technology for your needs?

Projects in the world of web development are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, there is a growing need for Javascript frameworks to help developers manage these complexities.

The reason why most projects are complex is that they involve a lot of data. This data needs to be displayed in an organized way, and it also needs to be updated frequently.

There are two popular Javascript frameworks that are widely used for managing data-driven projects: Angular and React.

This article will compare and contrast these two frameworks, looking at their differences in terms of features, performance, and popularity.


An Overview of Javascript Frameworks

Before diving into the details of Angular and React, let's take a step back and review what Javascript frameworks are and why they exist.

Javascript frameworks are libraries of code that make it easier to develop web applications. They provide pre-written code for common tasks, which makes development faster and more efficient.

There are many different types of Javascript frameworks, each with its own set of features and capabilities. The two most popular types are front-end frameworks and back-end frameworks.

Front-end frameworks are used for developing the user interface and handling user interactions. Back-end frameworks are used for application logic and server-side communication. Each type of framework has its own benefits and drawbacks, and different projects may benefit more from one framework or the other.

In fact,  some projects may use both types of frameworks, depending on the needs of the project.

A Breakdown of the Angular Framework

Let's now take a closer look at the Angular framework, starting with an overview of its key features.

Angular is a front-end Javascript framework that was originally developed by Google. It is designed to help developers build complex, data-driven web applications quickly and easily.

Some of the key features of Angular include:

  • Powerful templating capabilities that allow developers to efficiently work with dynamic data sets.
  • A component-based architecture that helps organize application code into logical modules.
  • Speed and efficiency in terms of performance and load times.
  • Extensive community support, with a large number of open source libraries and tools available for use or modification.

As you can see, these are some of the key benefits that have made Angular one of the most popular Javascript frameworks today.

A Breakdown of the React Framework

Now let's take a look at React, another popular Javascript framework for data-driven web applications.

React is a front-end framework that was developed by Facebook. It is designed to make it easier for developers to build large and complex web applications that involve handling lots of data.

Some of the key features of React include:

  • An innovative "virtual DOM" approach that helps increase efficiency and speed up rendering times.
  • Flexible component architecture that allows developers to easily create reusable components for their application code.
  • Extensive support from the open-source community, with many tools and libraries available.

When it comes to performance, React is generally considered to be faster and more efficient than Angular. This is one of the reasons why React has become so popular in recent years.

Angular vs. React: A Comparison

Now that we have a general understanding of Javascript frameworks, let's compare Angular and React in more detail.

Features

Angular is a full-featured framework, meaning it has everything you need to develop a complete web application. This includes tools for data binding, routing, templating, and more.

React is not a full-featured framework like Angular. Instead, it focuses on one specific feature: building user interfaces. Because of this focus, React is sometimes called a "UI library" instead of a full-fledged framework.

This difference in features means that developers who use Angular will have an easier time setting up a complete application. However, it also means that they may need to rely on other libraries or frameworks for certain features.

Performance

It is difficult to make generalizations about the performance of these two frameworks, since different applications may require different amounts of computing power.

However, it can be said that React generally performs better than Angular in terms of memory usage and rendering speed. This is because React is designed specifically for building user interfaces, which tend to be more computationally intensive than server-side logic.

In spite of this difference in performance, both Angular and React are widely used in production environments, so neither framework should be considered inherently faster or slower than the other.

Popularity

Finally, let's take a look at the popularity of Angular and React.

According to Stack Overflow data from 2018, Angular was more popular than React in terms of both questions asked and tags used. However, React has been steadily gaining ground over the past few years, so it may overtake Angular in popularity soon.

This difference in popularity suggests that if you are looking for a new project, you may be more likely to find experienced developers who use React. However, this does not necessarily mean that your project will be better off using React instead of Angular. It simply reflects the fact that many developers have more experience with one framework than the other. Interestingly on LinkedIn as of May 2022, there are 2x the job openings for Angular when compared with React. (200k+ vs. 100k+). I am not totally sure what this means, it could be that there is a shortage of Angular talent and hence more jobs remain open, or it could indicate a surge in usage of Angular. Let’s see!

Another big factor is the open-source community. React has a huge amount of open-source resources when compared with Angular. For example, on GitHub, there are over 200k open source projects for React when compared with 30k Angular open source projects. Having access to open-source resources can be a huge advantage for your team. Why reinvent the wheel?

Who’s using it?

While not always the most important indicator, looking at which companies use a framework can be a good indication of which frameworks are building in popularity.

ReactJs

Netflix is leveraging some important benefits of ReactJS components like efficient running performance, modularity, and fast execution speed. The development team at Netflix ensured the streaming giant is listed among the best users of ReactJS. The streaming giant utilizes a popular platform among developers – React on Gibbon, a platform made for low-performance TV devices.

Yahoo! Email uses React; since ReactJS is very easy to work with, it was straightforward for the development team to incorporate the component. It is easy for them to operate, debug and learn. Because it does not depend too much on platform libraries, some components can be individually distributed with strong community support; this all contributed to making ReactJS a good option.



The most common thing to do on Pinterest is to share and pin ideas on a variety of topics covering everything, with interior design and recipes as the most popular. Their decision to use ReactJS is the same as other companies using ReactJS. This is because the component can share code on different platforms. Obviously, React offers a wide range of amazing features compatible with both Android devices and iOS platforms.

Angular

Since Gmail was created in 2004 as a single-page emailing program, it has provided the ideal use case for integrating AngularJS. When a user accesses Google's email service, the web app displays a single HTML page that is dynamically updated based on new messages or notifications. Whether you are reading an email, composing a new message, or switching tabs, AngularJS manages all actions on a single webpage.


Using AngularJS on its front end, Forbes facilitates quick page load times and a responsive user experience. With Angular, news and articles may be smoothly updated for subscribers within seconds after publishing. Forbes has set the trend as one of the largest media businesses that use Angular.

PayPal facilitates fast online money transfers and offers an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders. PayPal employs Angular to design dynamic web pages that enable real-time PayPal transaction data streams.

The Needs of a Modern Engineering Manager

We've looked at how Angular and React differ in terms of features, performance, and popularity. But what does this all mean for engineering managers?

As the technology landscape continues to evolve, it's becoming more and more important for engineering managers to keep up with the latest trends. This is especially true when it comes to Javascript frameworks, as new versions are released on a regular basis.

In order to make informed decisions about which framework to use for a new project, engineering managers need to be aware of the pros and cons of each option.

Angular and React are two of the most popular Javascript frameworks available today. While they share some similarities, they also have many differences that can affect your decision about which one to use.

Ultimately, the right choice will depend on your specific project needs and preferences. But with careful consideration, you can make the best decision for your team and your organization.

Final Thoughts on Angular vs React

So now that we've looked at the critical differences between Angular vs React, which one do you think is right for your team?

As with any technology decision, there is no single right answer. It all depends on your specific project needs and preferences as an engineering manager. I have personally used both Angular and React and they are both fantastic. I love a clear separation between backend and front-end data and both of these tools do a good job of this.

That said, it's important to keep up with the latest trends in order to make informed decisions about what technologies to use for your projects. Whether you prefer Angular or React, be sure to stay up-to-date with the ever-changing landscape of Javascript frameworks so that you can always make the best choices possible for your team. In summary - you can't really go wrong with either Angular or React, they are both well used in massive companies, have great resources, and will get the job done. That being said, I would personally go for React given the large number of open-source resources available and also the increased talent market. Upstack, a leading toptal alternative, has expert ReactJS developers ready to help.