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Posted on Mar 26, 2021 • Updated on Apr 23, 2021 • Originally published at codica.com

Top JavaScript Trends to Watch in 2021

#react #javascript #vue #trends

The recent survey by Stack Overflow shows that today JavaScript is more popular than ever. Actually, almost 70% of professional developers use this programming language. What does this data give us? The point is that you should know JavaScript to build web applications users will love.

More specifically, you need to keep an eye on the latest JavaScript development trends. This valuable knowledge will help you build engaging, high-performing, and user-friendly web products. So what are the prominent JavaScript trends you should not miss in 2021? Let’s find out!

1. React is booming

The popularity of React has been growing over the past few years and does not show any signs of stopping.

This library came into being in 2011. At that time, Facebook needed a specific tool for maintaining the rapidly evolving traffic for their services. So they introduced a solution called FaxJS. It can be seen as the early-stage prototype for React.

Source: FaxJs on GitHub

In 2013, Facebook turned React into an open-source project. The hard work of its maintainers made React the center of JavaScript developer libraries. Today many household names actively use it. Netflix, Pinterest, and Reddit are among them.

In 2020, React npm package could boast of 4x more downloads than Vue.js, which is the second most popular JavaScript framework. Take a look at the graph below to see the JavaScript frameworks’ adoption trends.

Source: npm trends

Our team is passionate fans of the React framework. We can say for sure that 2021 will be a good year for React developers. Check out best practices and tools for React development to stay relevant.

2. Vue is evolving further

2020 was marked with the long-expected release of Vue.js – 3.0. What did it bring? We should mention the boosted apps’ performance and smaller bundle sizes. Also, we saw significant improvement in TypeScript support.

Let’s list up the key Vue advancements that will impact JavaScript trends in 2021 and further.

Improved performance;
Support of large-scale projects;
TypeScript integration;
Layered modules.

3. The rapid spurt of TypeScript

Source: The State of the Octoverse | GitHub

TypeScript is known as a superset of JavaScript. Microsoft introduced it in 2012 with the idea of supporting optional types that JS lacks for.

The technical solutions by Microsoft are not limited to Typescript only. Still, the recent findings of the State of JS survey indicate this language as the most used technology there.

The key benefits of TypeScript are the following:

Optional static typing;
Fast bug detection;
Improved support for large-scale projects;
Widespread adoption;
Easy onboarding.

These are the main reasons why Typescript was the second most loved language. We have the very right to predict that its popularity will grow even further in 2021.

Speaking about Typescript, we cannot but mention its downsides.

Be aware that you need to compile the TypeScript code into the regular JavaScript code. Only then can it be executed by browsers. This disadvantage of Typescript can lead to significant delays for small projects. We recommend using JavaScript in these cases.

4. Web components can be considered the building blocks of the Web

Today it is a common practice to use web components in any popular framework or even in plain JavaScript.

What makes them so popular? The following specifications will help you answer this question.

Custom Elements helps developers build new autonomous HTML tags with fully-customizable behavior.
Shadow DOM enables coders to encapsulate DOM subtrees to the web elements.
ES Modules define how to include JavaScript modules and reuse them in other JS documents.
HTML Template allows creating markup fragments that do not influence the page load by being instantiated at runtime.

Let’s outline the benefits of implementing web components as a prominent JavaScript trend in 2021.

Reusability and encapsulation;
Mobile enhancement;
Interoperability and flexibility.

Source: webcomponents.org

5. GraphQL is capturing data management

GraphQL is another product launched by Facebook. It was introduced in 2015 as a data management instrument. Its flexible syntax facilitates querying data from both the server-side and client-side. These days it is actively used by the big names, including Coursera, Shopify, and Github.

In 2020, GraphQL had the highest interest among all technologies that programmers know. 89.6% of programmers have heard about this language or want to study it.

Let’s discuss what benefits make GraphQL an outstanding JavaScript trend for 2021.

Quicker data retrieval;
Customized requests;
Boosted query efficiency.

Source: Medium

6. Component-based architecture is on the rise

Component-based architecture focuses on decomposing the design into separate logical or functional elements. These elements embody well-defined communication interfaces such as methods, properties, and events.

The key pros of component-based architecture are as follows:

Easy deployment;
Reduced cost;
Simplified development process.

So why should you implement a component-based approach? By opting for components, you make it possible to use the parts of code written by your team for another project or by the whole open-source community.

7. Svelte is gaining momentum

Svelte is a free, open-source front-end framework that rests upon component-based architecture. Its first version, launched in 2016, was written in JavaScript. However, the third version uses TypeScript instead. It was released in 2019. It sparked interest among developers. Currently, 15% of JavaScript developers use this framework and are greatly satisfied with it.

Let’s take a look at the main advantages of Svelte to understand what makes it so special.

Built-in reactiveness;
Improved performance;
Compact and readable syntax.

At the present moment, Svelte cannot compete with the most popular JavaScript frameworks. Still, the latest trends show that its usage will continue to grow.