Published on Feb 2, 2016
Updated on Oct 16, 2019
While we are about to step in 2016, everyone is predicting what the next Web development trend is going to be in 2016, as Web Development is a rapidly evolving and changing. We saw plenty of trends in 2015 some of which we are going to carry forward and some new trends are predicted for 2016.
If you want to build better audience in terms of numbers and quality and generate improved sales by extracting all the benefits of the web, you need to be part of most modern Web Development trends of JavaScript Frameworks. Here we have picked some of the JavaScript frameworks that you should know in 2016 to stay ahead and more approachable.
1. Angular.js
AngularJS, the baby of Google, is the big daddy of JavaScript frameworks. It currently boasts the biggest community of developers and is the most used JavaScript framework for developing Single Page Web Applications. AngularJS framework gives superpowers to HTML by adding all the necessary features required to build dynamic views (interactive user interface). It gives option to extend HTML attributes by the use of Angular directives. Two-way data binding is at the core of Angular.js. This essentially takes away all the pain of writing manual code for DOM manipulation. Earlier this year Angular-2 was released as a development preview. It is a total rewrite of Angular 1 and according to us is a great improvement over old. It is almost guaranteed to become the enterprise framework of choice once it is released.
2.React.js
React.js JavaScript Framework is behind the user interface of Facebook as well and Instagram. This gives us a quick idea about how powerful is ReactJS in building large scale applications of extreme dynamic nature. ReactJS is best at rendering complex user interfaces with high performance. The basic fundamental behind React is the concept of virtual DOM. ReactJS utilizes a virtual DOM, which can be rendered either at client side or server side and communicate back and forth. The community is growing rapidly ever since its release and I must say it is the fastest growing JavaScript framework as of today. One can find tons of resources, tutorials and React component libraries to get going within no time.
3. Ember.js
EmberJS is another powerful MVC JavaScript framework. EmberJS competes with the likes of Angular and React when it comes to building interactive frontend user interfaces and also has a very active community of developers. Ember also rides on the principal of two-way data binding like AngularJS. Ember is coming up with Fastboot.js module that allows server side rendering of DOM, the concept similar to what React is already using for better performance in complex UI rendering. Ember targets the best of both AngularJS (two-way data binding) and ReactJS (server side rendering). The way Ember community continues to power it with awesome features, we are more than sure that it will continue to ride the growing wave of JavaScript Frameworks in 2016.
4.Aurelia.js
For the existing developers who work in Durandal or Angular1 and 2, Aurelia comes with a clear migration path. AureliaJS is new but if you are evaluating a JavaScript Framework, it definitely needs a consideration. It is managed by highly professional community. A power fact about AureliaJS is that it is highly modularized and comprises of many independent small libraries. One can use entire framework in the project, use few of the required libraries, or extend the selected libraries to create custom framework. Aurelia is self-contained package and doesn’t have any external dependencies except for poly-fills.
5. Meteor.js
MeteorJS is the magical full stack platform for building end to end mobile and web applications completely in JavaScript at lightning speed. MeteorJS is the power player and comes equipped with all the features you need for front-end rendering, back-end development, business logic and database management. The best thing about MeteorJS is that you use only JavaScript for end to end application development, no need to invest time learning anything else. Meteor.JS is modular and the packages and libraries can be used on demand. The server side packages run in the node.js and you do not need anything else but MeteorJS packages to access the database, all in JavaScript, this makes MeteorJS applications real time web applications. MeteorJS ecosystem has grown huge at rapid pace and the community too is vibrant and helpful.
6. Backbone.js
The popularity and power of backbone can be judged from the fact that biggies like Pinterest, Foursquare, Walmart, Disqus and Delicious are using backone.js. The good thing about backbone is that it is simple, small size package and easy to learn. You can get started building apps with Backbone JavaScript Framework within no time. Backbone is very flexible in a way that it comes with just the minimal and you can build anything on top of it, by writing your own code or by using third party JavaScript frameworks. One can even build a fully functional opinionated framework with backbone at the core. With comparatively slow growth as compared to the rivals Angular, Ember or the newly launched React. It is still useful but more as a side framework rather than the core framework of your web project.
7. Knockout.js
Knockout works under the MVVM design paradigm and that makes it a little different from Ember and Angular. Knockout as of now it is growing at a much slower pace as compared to the earlier competitors like Angular, Ember or Backbone. The slow growth is simply because it lags way behind in terms of improvements and adding more features, still it is used by many developers as side framework.
8. Sails.JS
Sails.JS make it easy to build custom, enterprise-grade Node.js apps. It is designed to mimic the MVC pattern of frameworks like Ruby on Rails, but with support for the requirements of modern apps: data-driven APIs with scalable, service-oriented architecture. It’s especially good for building chat, real time dashboards, or multiplayer games. It is popular in developers as it holds many ends for them in developing.
9. Vue.js
VueJs is relatively new and is gaining lot of traction among the community of developers. VueJs works with MVVM design paradigm and has a very simple API. VueJs demonstrate minimalism to the extreme and allows you to use selective modules, as required. VueJS is inspired by AngularJS, ReactiveJS, knockoutJS and RivetsJS and updates model and view via two-way data binding. While Vue is not in the league of Angular or Ember but conceptually has all the potential to be the JavaScript framework of future and hold respectable market share. It is holding the ground firmly after 10 months of its release and getting regular updates by the creator, Evan You.
10. Mercury.js
Mercury.JS is fast growing in popularity and is getting lot of attention from the community of JavaScript Developers. Mercury appears to be inspired by react and runs on the concept of virtual DOM rendering. It is modern JavaScript framework, fully modular and can be used to the extent you need. Looking at the underlying concepts, compact size, modular approach, performance and popularity, Mercury makes its place in list of best JavaScript frameworks of modern times.
The frameworks mentioned are among the best JavaScript Frameworks in the market that will continue to rule in 2016. JavaScript frameworks have become the default choice for creating complex user interfaces, specifically for Single Page Web Applications and make dynamic and much more useful and fast. Let us know your experience with frameworks and the framework of your choice via comments.
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