React vs Angular: Which JS Framework is Better for Front-end in 2024?

In web app development, choosing between React and Angular is a key decision for front-end enthusiasts entering 2024. React and Angular are widely discussed, each with unique strengths and benefits.

React is well-known for its flexibility and simplicity. Thanks to its component-based approach, it helps developers create interactive user interfaces easily.

Angular is a robust framework. It offers a complete set of tools and a structured environment for those looking for a comprehensive front-end solution.

The ongoing debate of React vs Angular is always there. Our goal here is to compare this framework and the Javascript library to understand their strength, performance, learning curve, community support, and much more to help you figure out your needs better in 2024.

What is React

React is an open-source JavaScript library for front-end development that enables users to build interfaces with reusable components. Its building-block approach allows developers to create interactive UIs easily.

The 'learn once, write anywhere' principle enables scalable app development across various platforms. Managed by Facebook's React team and a vast community, it undergoes continuous improvement.

Features that make React stand out from Angular:

• Clear views: Makes things simpler for developers.
• JSX: A cool way to blend HTML and JavaScript for easier coding.
• Virtual DOM: Updates only what's needed, making things super fast.
• One-way data binding: Streamlines data handling.
• Flexible building blocks: Allows mixing and matching for creative designs.
  

Advantages of React

Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of React:

1. Simple to learn because of its straightforward design
2. Easy to reuse and predict how the code behaves
3. Easier debugging and view-oriented
4. Faster development time
5. App migration between different versions is very easy
6. Supports a React Native library for mobile app development
7. Faster updates on both the server side and front-end support side
8. Easier integration with third-party libraries

What is Angular

Angular is an open-source front-end JavaScript framework based on TypeScript. It excels in building scalable, high-performing web and mobile apps. With integrated libraries, client-server communication, cross-platform functionality, and the MVC (Model View Controller), Angular accelerates front-end development speed.

Angular is developed and maintained by Google's Angular team. The latest version, Angular 17, offers a range of developer tools to scale projects, from solo to large enterprise applications. Angular is a complete revamp of AngularJS (no longer maintained), yet it evolves and improves.

Key features that distinguish Angular from React include:

• Declarative Views: Simplifies development by offering clear views.
• TypeScript Integration: Enhances code quality by leveraging TypeScript's strong typing.
• Two-Way Data Binding: Provides efficient synchronization between the model and the view.
• Angular CLI: Offers a powerful command-line interface for project management.
• Dependency Injection: Facilitates efficient component management and promotes code maintainability.

Advantages of Angular

Let’s take a deeper look into the benefits of Angular:

1. Simplifies development with clear and expressive views
2. Easier to develop, maintain, test, deploy and update
3. Synchronization is possible between the model and the view
4. Helps to extend HTML syntax and lets you create reusable components
5. Built-in features like AngularCLI
6. Supports modular development that enhances code organization
7. Facilitates app development across various platforms: web, mobile, and desktop
8. Large and active community that offers resources, updates, and solutions.

Angular vs React: What is Different?

Let’s take a look at fundamental differences and compare technical functionalities between React and Angular.

Detailed Comparison React vs Angular

The main difference between React and Angular comes from various factors. We'll go through each of these differences step by step.

Language and Architechture:

Let’s understand language and architecture first,

React: React utilizes JavaScript, providing flexibility and benefiting from a vast developer community. It manages applications by component-based method, simplifying the independent maintenance of UI elements. 

Angular: Angular uses TypeScript, providing strong typing and excellent tooling. Its architecture follows a structured framework with predefined solutions. It encourages a modular approach, ensuring consistency and scalability in bigger projects.

Popularity

Statistics serve as a compass in tech, Let's look at some engaging numbers that will show you which framework is better performing in the industry.

React: React leads in popularity on Google Trends, indicating higher search interest. In a 2023 Statista survey, React ranked as the second most used global web framework, highlighting its widespread adoption.

According to BuiltWith statistics, approximately 13,717,538 clients use React. Moreover, React boasts 217k stars on GitHub, reinforcing its strong position in the development industry.

Angular: Angular appeals to developers with its comprehensive pre-built solutions, simplifying development. 

Around 365,390 websites use it, and it holds 93k stars on GitHub. Angular and React develop to meet industry needs, staying at the forefront of front-end development frameworks.

Data Binding

The main difference between Angular and React is how they handle state management. Let’s understand more.

React: React uses one-way data binding, rendering modifications in the UI model only after updating the model state first. And whenever the UI component gets changed, the state model remains the same. Check the below example,

Example:

  
// Counter.js
import React, { useState } from 'react';

function Counter() {
const [counter, setCounter] = useState(0);

const increment = () => {
    setCounter(counter + 1);
};

return (
   <div>
          <h2>React Counter</h2>
          <p>Value: {counter}</p>
          <button onClick={increment}">Increment</button>
     </div>
);
}

export default Counter;                    

Angular: Angular supports both one-way and two-way data binding. In two-way, whenever any UI element changes, the model state also changes automatically. You can check below,

Example:

            
// app.component.ts

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

@Component({
    selector: 'app-root',
    template: `
         <div>
         <h2>Angular Counter</h2>
         <p>Value: {{ counter }}</p>
         <button (click)="increment()">Increment</button>
         </div>
    `,
    styleUrls: ['./app.component.css']
    })
export class AppComponent {
counter = 0;

increment() {
    this.counter++;
}
}
        

Componentisation

Componentisation in web development aims to split front-end features into separate components. These parts are self-contained, making them simpler to reuse, test, secure, deploy, and update without causing issues in the app. It helps to split the project into multiple developers and makes the app easier to scale with changing demands. 

React: In React, developers combine components in JavaScript and HTML files written in JSX. They can be either class-based or pure functions, chosen based on what the developer needs. When passing information between components (using properties), React follows a one-way flow. 

Example:

 
// Button.js
import React from 'react';
const Button = ({ label, onClick }) => (
    <button onClick={onClick}>{label}</button>
);
export default Button;


// App.js
import React from 'react';
import Button from './Button';

class App extends React.Component {
    onButtonClick = () => {
        console.log('Button clicked!');
    };
    
render() {
    return <Button label="Click me" onClick={this.onButtonClick} />;
}
}

export default App;
        

Angular: In Angular, components are marked with decorators like @Component, serving as functions that modify services, directives, or filters before using them. These decorators help identify if a class is a module or component and gather essential information to decide how a view should be displayed. 

Example:

            
// button.component.ts            
import { Component, Input, Output, EventEmitter } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
    selector: 'app-button',
    template: '<button (click)="onClick()">{{ label }}</button>',
    styles: ['button { cursor: pointer; }']
})

export class ButtonComponent {
    @Input() label: string = 'Click me';
    @Output() clicked: EventEmitter<void> = new EventEmitter<void>();
    onClick(): void {
    this.clicked.emit();
}
}

// app.component.ts
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
@Component({
    selector: 'app-root',
    template: '<app-button (clicked)="onButtonClick()"></app-button>'
})

export class AppComponent {
    onButtonClick(): void {
    console.log('Button clicked!');
}
}

DOM

The DOM (Document Object Model) is a graph that represents the user's current browser view. Developers modify the DOM to change the user's view, but these changes are costly based on performance. Both frameworks rely on DOM differently. Let's check out how.

React: React uses a virtual DOM (Document Object Model), a lightweight copy of the actual DOM. It's an intermediary that sits between the developer's code and the real DOM. In React, when changes happen, it updates the virtual DOM. Then compares it with the previous version, identifies necessary changes, and updates only those specific parts in the real DOM. This approach reduces webpage manipulations, resulting in faster and more efficient updates.

Angular: Angular directly interacts with the real DOM. When changes occur, Angular directly modifies the real DOM, showing updates instantly. However, this method might involve more direct webpage manipulations compared to React's virtual DOM strategy, affecting performance, especially in complex applications.

Performance 

Angular and React are the leading forces in web app development, and each brings unique strengths for high performance. While React is renowned for its performance, Angular isn't far behind. Let's compare their performance!

React: React's virtual DOM is a key feature that boosts application performance. This feature lets developers make changes without rewriting the entire HTML document. Additionally, React renders updates and revives data on web pages for a smoother user experience.

The reusability factor in React components serves as a remarkable advantage, mainly when dealing with complex logic across different projects. 

Designers also benefit from React's component reusability, doubling productivity and simplifying coding practices. From simple checkboxes and buttons to wrapper and root components, this method ensures consistent app performance. These practices also enhance code quality and maintenance, providing high performance across applications.

Angular: Angular allows you to fine-tune code structures, mainly in optimizing the digest cycle. This approach ensures better performance as codebases expand to include multiple modules. Monitoring and optimizing the loop contribute to verifying and incorporating previously assessed improvements.

For projects that do not need two-way data binding, older Angular versions simplify processes. Angular's $cacheFactory feature aids in data memorization and recalculations, enhancing overall performance.

Angular uses the real DOM for rendering but employs a unique change detection mechanism with zones. This combination ensures swift application updates, contributing to faster and optimized web experiences.

Learning Curve

React: React's learning curve is more user-friendly. It relies on JavaScript and JSX, enabling quick application development. Its focus is on a component-based approach. And simpler concepts make it an accessible choice for beginners in front-end development.

Angular: Learning Angular requires handling its powerful but complex framework. It involves understanding TypeScript, modules, and complex dependency injection, demanding dedicated effort for proficiency due to its structured nature.

Community and Ecosystem

React: React has a large and active community supported by numerous libraries and tools. Its ecosystem comprises a multitude of third-party integrations, offering solutions for various needs. This vibrant community continually contributes to React's growth and evolution.

Angular: Angular boasts a robust community with extensive documentation and support. Its ecosystem includes a comprehensive set of tools, libraries, and official resources backed by Google. This well-organized community fosters continuous enhancements and provides complete solutions for developers.

ReactJS or Angular: Which and When To Choose 

Let's look at important aspects that help in choosing between Angular and React.

Choose ReactJS when you:

• Want to develop customised app solutions
• Need an app with several events
• Have developers with expertise in HTML, CSS, and Javascript
• Want to build cross-platform mobile apps

Choose Angular when you:

• Want to develop enterprise-grade feature-rich applications
• Have low to medium-level complexity
• Have developers with expertise in C#, Java, and Angular
• Want to build ready-made solutions and enhanced productivity

Wrapping Up

Both Angular and React are popular, offering incredible benefits. In the comparison of React vs Angular, React emerges as the best choice, overtaking Angular in performance and ease of use. The extensive support from the development community further solidifies React's standing.

React's Virtual DOM and streamlined updates allow smooth version migration and easy installations. Its many advantages boost development efficiency and reduce errors.

In conclusion, the decision between React vs Angular should match your project needs. For expert JavaScript development services, reaching out guarantees a reliable development journey.