Mobile app development is here to stay, and the rapid developments in the technology are further stamping this fact. The popularity of mobile apps has reached the level that organizations are now looking to develop apps that will be compatible with both the leading OS platforms (Android and iOS).
For developing mobile apps that can run on both platforms, cross-platform app development platforms are on the rise. One must understand that every cross-platform app development frameworks and programming languages opted for have their own perks. But, at times it becomes difficult for the organizations to choose from Dart and JavaScript, which are among the trending ones’ today.
Although, JavaScript is more popular than Dart, the latter is a flexible language with breathtaking features. The mobile app developers must understand the requirements of the mobile app and the needs of the targeted audience before deciding on the programming language for app development. Moreover, you should also take into consideration, the developers comfort level with the programming language.
So, to understand the dilemma of the app developers , let us first understand what Dart and JavaScript are.
What is Dart?
Dart is a programming language that was first created by Google to build mobile applications. Google launched Dart in the year 2011, but it was not used very much outside Google. App development using Dart is unique as it has its own package manager, which is known as Pub.
After the announcement of Flutter’s beta version in the year 2017, Dart started getting more attention for cross-platform mobile app developers. The reason is that Flutter is built using the concepts of Dart and the mobile app developers must learn Dart to get started with Flutter. Although knowledge of OOPS also helps a great deal but Dart is the base for Flutter.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is an object-oriented programming language that is high level and just-in-time compiled. It is one of the front running web development programming languages along with HTML and CSS. JavaScript later expanded to non-browser, server-side, and mobile application development. JavaScript is more than two decades old, thus is a very stable and widely used programming language. It is a very dynamic programming language, and it doesn't require any kind of coding at the client's side.
Comparison and Differences between Dart & Javascript
More Popular among the Developers
If we happen to consider the present situation, JavaScript is ubiquitous. It is so compatible that there is no device that doesn’t run the JavaScript. JavaScript is very popular amongst the web and app development companies and developers. The reason behind the popularity is that the developers can use Javascript for writing back-end and server-side applications, thus getting more app developers hooked to JavaScript during the span of their career.
On the other hand, as discussed earlier, before the emergence of Flutter, Dart was nowhere around the scene. But since then, it has become an alternative to React Native and has got amazing attention from the mobile app development companies. The popularity of Flutter got a boost because companies like Alibaba and Google have adopted it.
Moreover, the app developers who don't like to work with Java can opt for Dart and enjoy all the fantastic features of Flutter along with it.
Ease of Learning
You just need to know the basic concepts of programming to learn JavaScript. Even programmers at a nascent stage of programming development can learn from the plethora of online courses available, and can quickly get used to the nuances of JavaScript.
But learning Dart can be an enormous task for the mobile app programmer who is just taking baby steps in the world of programming. Dart is not very common as compared to JavaScript and has minimal courses that are available online for learning purposes. But, Dart is easier to document, and Google has served some information related to Dart that can be helpful for the mobile app programmers.
Comparing the Productivity
JavaScript is a programming language that has kept on evolving with respect to the frameworks, and new frameworks keep on adding at regular intervals. With JavaScript it becomes easier for the developers to write the codes as there are many packages available online.
JavaScript is ideal for boosting your productivity as it is lightweight, fast, and a very dynamic programming language. In Javascript, developers can easily solve the problems that commonly occur during the process of mobile app development. All frameworks and libraries that are present may not be necessarily suitable for the app and web developers, there might be instances where the developers will have to write the codes specifically all these will go a long way in ensuring that the app does not fail.
Dart, on the other hand, is nicely documented and has a clean syntax. The syntax mostly looks like Java, and app developers with a sound proficiency in Java can easily pick up the code. Moreover, Dart does not have a large developer community as of JavaScript but it has been slowly building up lately.
Frontend vs. Backend
In the initial period, along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript was also used for the front-end web development. But, since the time Node.js has found its space in the tech market, JavaScript is increasingly used in back-end development as well.
Google has used Dart for the front end development of Flutter. One can use Dart in the process of web development, but there is no explicit mention of developers using Dart in back-end development.
Business Utility
Reputed and established organizations extensively use JavaScript for both cross-platform mobile apps and the web development process. Facebook started this trend by starting to write the codes in ReactJS and React Native (written using JavaScript as base) for internal usages. After that, many big companies such as Instagram, eBay, Airbnb, Slack, etc. started using React Native for app development to save time.
As Google developed Dart, it was imperative that the search engine giant is going to use it. Dart has also done wonders for companies such as Whale, Blossom, WorkTrails, and many more.
Speed
JavaScript is lightweight and highly efficient in providing productivity with speed and accuracy. Dart outsmarts JavaScript in terms of speed as it can compile the code in both AOT and JIT. This feature of Dart helps in better optimization during the process of releasing the mobile application at the app stores. Flutter app developers also benefit from the above-mentioned compilation techniques.
Signing off
When it comes to choosing between which is the best platform for cross-platform app development, there is very little to choose from between Dart and JavaScript. Flutter is based on Dart, and React Native is based on ReactJS which is written in JavaScript. Thus, the apps developed are meant to be durable and front runners in their genre.
To sum it up, JavaScript is a seasoned app development programming language, while Dart is new but has uber-cool features. So, you have to discuss the matter with your app developers to know their preferences and working on which language suits them the most.
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