If you are looking for the best web development frameworks to use in 2024, this article will give you an overview of the pros and cons of some of the most popular web frameworks, both in the realm of client side and server-side web frameworks. Whether you want to create dynamic, interactive, or complex web applications, this article will help you find the best web development framework for your needs.
Client-side vs. server-side web development frameworks
To make sure we are on the same page, let us start by explaining the two types of web development frameworks: client-side and server-side frameworks.
In software engineering, the client side or frontend is the part of the IT system operated in the user’s browser. It is responsible for displaying relevant components and for communicating with the server (which, for example, provides data). Simply put, frontend web developers are responsible for what you see on the screen of your computer or mobile device, i.e., user interfaces and user experience. With increased computing power, generating pages on the user’s computer offers more possibilities in the modern era, as more calculations (and UI-related logic) can work on the user’s CPU, without communicating with the server.
Server-side frameworks, on the other hand, run on the server and are responsible for generating the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that are sent to the client’s device. They are also responsible for handling requests from the client and interacting with web resources and databases. In other words, the actual application runs on the server and what is sent to the user’s computer and rendered client-side is the resulting website “image” with minimal computing required.
Server or client-side web framework—which to choose
Which type of web development framework is better? They both have their pros and cons. Frontend apps tend to be more responsive and work quicker, as most of the logic is handled by the user’s computer. Client-side frameworks also make frontend developers’ work more pleasant by providing ready-made components that one can use to build a web application or responsive UI and implement logic related to displaying sets of features.
However, on slower machines, including mobile devices, complex applications can be a real drain on the machine’s resources, negating the benefits of faster response times and even causing crashes (especially as web developers cannot control the environment in which the app is running). It is also important to note that a lot of data needs to be sent to the user’s device up front in a client-side web app, meaning that the user may need to wait longer (especially on slower connections) before the user interface of their web application even appears on screen. It may also be harder to keep data secure when scripts on a foreign device access it.
Using server-side frameworks helps avoid many of these problems. All the computing work is done by the server, allowing for more complex calculations to be performed in a controlled environment. It is easier to keep data secure as all the requests and operations are done on the server and only the outcomes are sent to the user. An app development process based on this kind of web development framework also guarantees consistency of user interface and usability across many devices as only simple universal code is sent out.
However, handling all the logic server-side means that every time an operation is performed, data needs to be sent to and from the server. This slows down response times and may even render a web application unusable if the connection is lost. This also puts a lot of strain on the server if many users access the web application at the same time. Ultimately, what is the best web development framework depends on the specifics of a given app.
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Client-side web development frameworks
React
React is one of the most popular frontend frameworks of the last couple of years. It was originally created by Facebook as a JavaScript library. Its main goal was to build user interfaces to meet the platform’s requirements for speed and easy use of components. It allows web developers to gradually migrate old PHP applications—components can be converted one by one from PHP to React.
React pros and cons
The main advantage of this frontend web framework is its component-oriented focus. It allows a web developer to build small elements of applications that can be reused in different places, saving time during the development process and on implementation, while building code that is easier to maintain. It is also easy to learn, and its virtual document object model (DOM) may speed up rendering of high-load systems. React is a library for building components, which makes it light and fast. It is also being developed very quickly, introducing a lot of new web development tools and improvements on a regular basis.
Depending on the situation, the last two points mentioned above may be disadvantages as well. Too many improvements mean that every time we start building web applications for a new project, we have to check whether certain things are implemented differently in the current version. Using React may also require the use of external libraries, for example, if you want to implement API communication or component state management.
When to use React
React is primarily designed to build a user interface, especially in single-page applications. It will work well where there are a lot of dynamic components on the interface, due to its “stateful”
nature (i.e., recalling the information about prior events or user interactions that is called the state of the system), and the possibility of reusing elements, which is also good for developer productivity.
Key business takeaways
React is a complete solution. Simple, easy to learn (e.g., using official documentation), intuitive, and with an impressive developer community. It is commonly used by some of the top-named tech companies.
Angular
Probably number two among the most popular frontend frameworks of recent years. Just like React, Angular is a child of a technology giant—Google. It works best for building web and mobile applications. Its unique feature is two-way binding, which gives components in designed applications a way to share data. How does it work? Imagine a two-way binding of the model and the view, where each change on one side is reflected in the other. For example, changing the content of a textbox updates the text in the appropriate model property.
Angular pros and cons
Angular is a full-fledged web framework, which means it is big and has a lot of built-in features. That can be an advantage, as it makes building an application much easier. On the other hand, learning time is longer with Angular.
Two-way binding associates the model and the view with each other, which might save time, as web developers working with the Angular web framework do not have to do the binding by themselves, but it can also cause difficulties. In very dynamic applications with a lot of components, it can cause performance problems. We should also mention that this fronted framework uses TypeScript, giving web developers who use it a great programming language advantage, e.g., with static type checking.
When to use Angular
Angular is most worth using for large-scale projects, e.g., enterprise-class applications. Because this type of application does not have a very extensive user interface, developers are able to take full advantage of the built-in functionalities of this web development framework. Angular is recommended for experienced specialists as it has quite a high entry threshold—developers need to learn the syntax of the web development framework’s programming language (see official Angular documentation) and use its functionality and TypeScript.
Key business takeaways
Very comprehensive frontend web development framework, well designed for complicated tasks. It will work both in developing large-scale projects and in developing dynamic web apps.
Vue.js
Unlike the React and Angular web development frameworks, Vue.js is not endorsed by any of the Silicon Valley giants. However, it was created by Evan You, a former Google employee. The idea behind Vue.js is quite simple: to design a simple and straightforward web development framework that combines the declarative nature of Angular data binding with a more accessible and easier-to-learn API. Evan put his idea into practice, crafting a progressive framework that is used to create small and large applications, with the advantages of various other frameworks, such as Angular data binding and a React approach to creating components.
Vue.js pros and cons
Vue.js is easy to learn as it has very good documentation and easy syntax. It is also relatively light compared to other frameworks, which makes it great for smaller applications. Like the React web development framework, it uses a virtual DOM. We can use it to gradually rebuild components in older applications. It also has two-sided data binding, known from the Angular web framework.
There are some disadvantages with the fact that the Vue.js web development framework is constantly evolving. Components available on the Internet are not as stable as those for other frameworks yet. Furthermore, its largest community is in China, so the language barrier may also be a problem in finding ready-made solutions.
When to use Vue.js
Vue.js is a flexible framework that will work best for building single-page applications in relatively small, flexible projects. It can also handle a larger web development project, sure, but because of the stability of the components, it is better to stick to more proven solutions for commercial projects.
Key business takeaways
Simple, versatile, and flexible framework with well-prepared docs making the learning process easier. Well crafted, but mostly for one-page web apps.
Svelte
Svelte is a JavaScript framework that allows web developers to build interactive web applications. Unlike other frameworks, Svelte is a compiler that transforms your components into efficient vanilla JavaScript code that updates the DOM directly. This is meant to result in faster performance, smaller bundle sizes, and less boilerplate code.
Svelte pros and cons
Svelte does not use a virtual DOM but rather updates the real DOM directly, which is more efficient and responsive as it does not need to compare and synchronize two versions of the DOM. Svelte also uses reactive programming, which means you can write declarative code that automatically updates the user interface when data changes, simplifying state management and reducing the amount of code needed. Finally, Svelte has many built-in features that make it easy to create professional-looking, polished apps. For example, it supports animations, transitions, scoped CSS, and custom events.
However, Svelte is a less mature web development framework than the aforementioned options and may have fewer features or less stability than other web frameworks. As it continues to evolve, major changes may be introduced. The Svelte ecosystem is smaller than that of other more popular web frameworks, which means there are fewer plug-ins, libraries, and resources available. During web development, this may limit your ability to find solutions to specific problems or extend a web app’s functionality. Finally, although Svelte has a simple syntax, it also uses some concepts that may be unfamiliar to some web developers, such as reactive programming and a compiler-based approach. This may require some time and effort to learn and master.
When to use Svelte
You should use Svelte if you want to create fast, lightweight, interactive web applications with less code and complexity. Svelte is suitable for small to medium-sized projects that do not require a lot of dependencies or customizations. Svelte is also a good choice if you want to leverage the benefits of reactive programming and a compiler-based approach.
Key business takeaways
Svelte is a newer web development framework that uses an innovative approach to offer faster and smaller apps in vanilla JavaScript code. However, it is not as mature as the other frameworks, which may limit its capabilities.
Server-side web development frameworks
Next.js
Next.js is a JavaScript framework based on React that helps build modern performant web applications and fast static sites. Next.js supports server-side rendering (SSR), meaning that it can pre-render pages on the server side before sending them to the browser, as well as static site generation (SSG), which means that static HTML files can be generated for each page of an application. This allows web developers to build hybrid web applications with dynamic and static content.
Next.js pros and cons
Using Next.js has many benefits, not only for developers but also for business owners and marketers such as improved search engine visibility, thanks to SSR, and easy scaling, allowing web applications to adapt to higher traffic. Allowing for both SSR and SSG, Next improves app performance and offers a flexible architecture. Web developers will also appreciate the thriving community support.
However, Next.js is not without flaws and challenges. Next’s flexibility comes at a cost, as it does not provide many built-in front pages, so the whole frontend layer needs to be built from scratch. It does not have a built-in state manager either, so you will have to use Redux, MobX, or another similar solution. In comparison with some other frameworks, it does not have many available, easily adaptable plug-ins.
When to use Next.js
Next.js is widely used by some of the biggest and most popular companies all over the world, like Netflix, Uber, Starbucks, and Twitch. It is perfect for building fast, SEO-friendly Jamstack websites, and can be combined with headless CMSes or e-commerce platforms to drive improved performance and SEO results. Next.js is suitable for creating various types of digital projects such as websites, web applications, online stores, MVPs, landing pages, and promotional campaigns.
Key business takeaways
Next.js is a web framework based on React. It is particularly useful when you want a static site with frequent updates or when you need SSR for better SEO.
Nuxt
Nuxt is a web framework built on top of VueVue.js that offers additional features to facilitate the development of more complex web applications, such as server-side rendering, static site generation, simplified routing, and module support.
Nuxt pros and cons
As with Next.js, the advantages of Nuxt include SSR, which improves performance, SEO, and user experience, as also SSG, which makes an application easier to host and cache. Nuxt also automatically generates routing, based on the structure of the pages folder, which enables developers to save time and effort. Furthermore, Nuxt allows developers to add additional functionality to an application in a modular way, which helps with code maintainability and scalability.
However, Nuxt can make a web application more complex compared to a standard Vue.js web app. It is designed for universal web applications, which means it may be less flexible for specific use cases. If you have very particular requirements or an unconventional web application architecture, you may find limitations with Nuxt compared to pure Vue.js. Nuxt web applications tend to have a larger bundle size than traditional Vue.js web apps, which can result in longer loading times, especially on slower network connections.
When to use Nuxt
You may want to use Nuxt if you like Vue.js but need SSR or SSG for better performance, SEO, or user experience. It is also a good web application framework for when you want to simplify routing management in your web app and avoid configuring routing manually.
Key business takeaways
Nuxt.js is a good choice for developers familiar with Vue.js who want to leverage server-side rendering and benefit from simplified routing management in their web applications.
SvelteKit
SvelteKit is a web framework built on top of Svelte. It is designed to be fast, efficient, and easy to use. Compared to other web frameworks, it is a newer solution, only announced in late 2020 and put into beta in early 2021.
Pros and cons of SvelteKit
Compared to other server-side web development frameworks, like Next.js and Nuxt.js, SvelteKit is faster and more efficient. Like Svelte, it compiles your code to vanilla JavaScript, which means that your application runs faster and consumes fewer resources. Additionally, SvelteKit uses SSR out of the box, which can significantly improve your application’s load times. SvelteKit is also easier to learn and use than other server-side web frameworks. However, SvelteKit’s tooling needs some time to mature and it may not be the best choice if you are building a single-page application.
When to use SvelteKit
SvelteKit is a great choice if you are looking for a fast and efficient web framework that is easy to learn and use. It is ideal for building server-rendered web applications that require high performance and low resource consumption. SvelteKit is also a great choice if you are building a web application that requires a small bundle size.
Key business takeaways
Just like Svelte, this web development framework allows developers to create dynamic web applications with smaller bundle size and better performance by compiling code into JavaScript. However, it is still a work in progress to some extent and less mature than some of the best web development frameworks.
Gatsby
Gatsby is an open-source static site generator built on top of Node.js using React and GraphQL, launched in 2015. Since then, it has grown in popularity and boasts a growing community of developers contributing to the web framework.
Gatsby pros and cons
Gatsby offers built-in performance optimization features, such as optimized code-splitting, image optimization, and lazy-loading. It also supports a wide range of data sources, including CMSs, web APIs, and databases. Gatsby allows you to publish your website to any platform or hosting service. It also has an active community and is praised for the quality of its documentation.
However, it may not be the best choice for large web applications with complex requirements, as its build times can be slow on big sites. Similarly, it does not work well with large amounts of content, as generating a static website can take a lot of time in these cases. It also requires external tools to manage the content of your website. Updates to said content are not visible immediately (unlike e.g., WordPress), so it is not a good solution when they are frequent.
When to use Gatsby
Gatsby is a great choice if you want to build fast websites with performance, scalability, and security built in. It is also a good choice for building Progressive Web Apps (PWA), Jamstack websites, static e-commerce storefronts, or headless e-commerce platforms.
Key business takeaways
Gatsby is an open-source static site generator using React that offers great performance optimization. However, it can be too slow to be used efficiently for web development where large amounts of content are needed.
How to choose a web development framework
Of course, there are many more web development frameworks to choose from. Our choice of the eight mentioned above is based not only on stats but also on our experience. Out of these four, the two most popular frontend frameworks right now are React and Angular. React is recommended for applications with extensive user interfaces, while Angular, on the other hand, works best when you need to build the frontend part of an application from scratch. However, it is worth watching the development of Vue.js, because it is still in the growth phase and may soon be strong competition for the big two.
As for choosing the right web development framework with SSR, some of the factors you may want to consider are:
- Performance and efficiency: If you want to build fast and lightweight web applications with less code and complexity, you may want to use SvelteKit, which compiles your code to vanilla JavaScript, or Next.js, which offers SSR and SSG features.
- Flexibility and scalability: If you want to build complex, dynamic web applications that can handle various data sources and functionalities, you may want to use Nuxt or Gatsby, which offer a modular and hybrid approach to web development as well as a rich ecosystem of plug-ins and libraries.
- Ease of use and learning: If you want to build web applications with a simple and straightforward syntax and a low learning curve, you may want to use SvelteKit or Nuxt, which are based on Svelte and Vue.js, respectively. These frameworks are easy to learn and use, especially if you are familiar with reactive programming and simplified routing.
And the moral of the story is: with the right web development framework and a team of dedicated professionals, you will significantly increase your chances of making your project a success.
