2025 is about to end, and I am surprised you still haven’t figured out the significance of these technological advancements, yet. Working with the current mind-boggling JavaScript ecosystem is no joke. There are tons and tons of stuff you need to consider, including a wide range of libraries, frameworks, where you no longer have to ponder regarding the implementations, since it happens in a pretty accurate manner. So is it a boon or a bane? Well, I won’t be able to categorise them into just good and bad since there are a plethora of choices available. However, having plenty of choices can be pretty harmful, so what to do - how about picking on the basis of popularity? Well, news flash, they are all pretty popular. So what now? Simply keep reading the following post, and I am pretty sure you will find the answer in no time.
As for me, I have been in the tech biz for so long, and I can say I am a pretty decent enthusiast when it comes to JavaScript-based technologies. Now Vue and React have been one of the most popular JavaScript-based technologies, which are highly recommended to conduct web development projects and all this surely happens for some good reasons, which you will read away further in the post. Now the big question is how to determine better from the best? Well, each one has its fair share of strengths and weaknesses which makes the decision interesting and quite a roller coaster ride. So let’s explore each of these JavaScript technologies and find out the outcome.
Introducing Vue.JS
Vue is an open-source frontend JavaScript framework which is created to assist developers in building web user interfaces as well as different single-page applications.
Vue was developed back in 2014 by Evan You, who used to work for the tech giant named Google and developed something featuring high flexibility, especially in comparison to Angular. Over the years, Vue has been a popular choice for conducting successful web development projects, all because of its simplicity, flexibility, and robust features.
So the open source, progressive JavaScript (JS) framework offers a declarative and component-based programming approach; this is how unique, robust, highly scalable web development solutions are made. The three pillars on which Vue stands still are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Also, Vue is one such progressive framework which doesn’t complicate the coding.
Over these years, developers have concluded that if you are willing to consider a flexible design which can separate its logic from its view, look no further than vue. There is one minor thing which you need to remember: frameworks do not complicate the coding; on the contrary, they successfully complement it.
In addition, Vue is one of the most straightforward, lightweight and progressive frameworks, which is why most of developers jump into it, especially those who have even the most basic knowledge can make things work using Vue. More or less, the Vue CLI tool can be successfully incorporated with numerous other frontend development tools, ensuring things to work in a pretty seamless manner.
However, Vue does have some default functionalities, but that doesn’t mean one cannot build code with DRY logic and structure.
Vue - Pros
In comparison to other frameworks, let us find out what makes Vue a cut above. Here, are a few advantages mentioned below which make Vue one of the most alluring choices for developing high-end web applications.
Lightweight in size
One of the most amazing benefits offered by Vue is that it turns out to be pretty lightweight in size. Vue has an extremely tiny downloadable size, maybe of 18KB, which is amazing in comparison to other frameworks with larger sizes. Fret not, the size of the framework has nothing to do with having a negative impact on SEO and UX of the frontend application.
Easy to learn
Vue is one such framework which is extremely easy to learn and get started. The framework comprises of simple, understandable syntax and also comprises of a small, simple-to-remember API. So, the crux lies of you having a deeper understanding of HTML, CSS, and maybe a pinch of JavaScript, all you can do is begin casually exploring Vue and go with the flow. For more information, you can go through any tutorials which are also available on platforms such as YouTube.
Virtual DOM
Virtual DOM is basically a virtual representation of the DOM where a JavaScript object is absolutely identical to the real DOM. Any small or large modification to the DOM means you can see the effect in the form of a new JavaScript object. All this happens in the virtual DOM, and later, the final changes are updated in the actual DOM as soon as the comparison is done.
Data Binding
Here, the feature data binding comes with a binding directive known as v-bind. The data binding functionality works wonders in manipulating as well as assigning prominent values to HTML attributes, changing in terms of style and easy assigning of classes.
Seamless customization
Vue is extremely customizable, which means any modifications can be done in no time. Irrespective of your project’s needs and requirements, modifications can be done and that too in no time. The framework comprises of large ecosystem of plugins, libraries, and tools which can be further used to enhance its ever-evolving functionalities.
Vue - Cons
No tech is picture perfect. Vue has both advantages and disadvantages, and the decision-making becomes much easier if you have a broader perception or understanding of the JavaScript framework.
Reactivity complexity
Vue features two-way binding, which means the framework automatically becomes a handy tool for seamless management of Vue components. Two-way binding, as the name implies, refers to easy sharing of data between a component class and its template. So in case, development happens fast, and data is changed in a specific location, the other aspects are automatically updated.
So, where is the disadvantage here? You must be pondering? The problem lies in how the reactivity works. Generally, the reactivity system re-renders those basic chunks of data triggered, but there are times when mistakes happen, especially during data reading, so it is required to be flattened.
Language barrier
Vue was successfully adopted by the Chinese, especially by larger companies known as Xiaomi and Alibaba. As a result, huge demand has been created within the labour market. As a result, this led to lots and lots of forums and discussion channels. The issue is that adoption becomes a lot difficult for non-native-speaking developers.
Over-flexibility Risks
Vue is highly flexible and easy to use. Maybe this is the reason to have lots and lots of spaghetti code everywhere, as everyone in the enterprise team can have as many opinions regarding how to do things.
As you can see, I can simply go on and on with Vue, now it’s time to focus on React, our next tough nut contender.
Introducing React.js
Now, first and foremost, many of you have this confusion that React is a framework. Well, on the contrary, React is a declarative, efficient, and flexible open-source JavaScript library which is highly considered for developing amazing user interfaces (UIs) and front-end web applications.
React is one of the most popular technologies, which is highly recommended in terms of frontend libraries for web development.
The JavaScript library was developed by Meta (then Facebook) for creating user interfaces. React was developed back in 2011, especially for Meta’s internal purposes; no wonder React is one of the most amazing tools considered for building highly interactive user interfaces. What’s more, here we create single-page applications (SPAs) in a pretty quick and easy manner. Over these years, it has been found that the majority of developers begin their JavaScript learning curve using React.
Jordan Walke was the mastermind, a software engineer who used to work at Facebook, who came up with this innovation. Back then, React was extremely loved all thanks to its XHP, a straightforward HTML component framework for PHP. After a few years down the line, Instagram picks it up and successfully incorporates it into its platform. Today some of the known companies using React include Facebook, Netflix, Airbnb, DropBox, IMDb, PayPal, Tesla Motors, Walmart and the list goes on.
Now, why React? Well, there is no denying the fact that React’s popularity is one of a kind. Here, I would like to mention some benefits offered by the technology in particular.
React - Pros
Absolute simple
One of the obvious benefits of using React is due to its simplicity. Whether you are just a newbie or an experienced professional, choosing React for the development project can be quite worth considering attempt. React uses the JSX file, due to which things are pretty simple to run. Not just running the app becomes easy, but the technology assists in aiding through code comprehension. The component-based tech makes React simple to use, and do you know what is the best part, here the reuse of coding is quite an easy job.
Efficient Rendering with Virtual DOM
React successfully makes use of the virtual DOM in order to improve the overall performance of the developed web application. So here you no longer have to update the real DOM in a direct manner. React is one such technology which first updates the Virtual DOM and successfully compares it to the previous one, so what does this imply? Only minimal changes are required; everything else is well taken care of.
On and all, the number of expensive DOM manipulations is automatically reduced.
SEO-friendly
It may quite interest to you to know that React offers amazing benefits, which is to ensure that the developed application is absolutely SEI-friendly. Some amazing aspects included in React are Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Static Site Generation (SSG). You see, this is the reason why React is able to generate content which can be easily identified and indexed by search engines. In addition to this, React improves user experience and SEO by successfully reducing page load times.
Cross-Platform Mobile Development
React Native enables developers to consider the tech, especially for developing native mobile apps, for iOS and Android, and all this is possible using a single codebase. No wonder, perks such as faster development and code reuse across platforms is possible.
Strong Community support
React is one such amazing technology featuring a pretty large and active community, which is backed by Meta, formerly known as Facebook. So in case if you get stuck somewhere, the team of active community professionals are happy to help. In addition to this active community, you have an extensive ecosystem of libraries, tools, and resources to take into account.
Are there any disadvantages? Of course, there are!
React - Cons
Poor documentation
Yes, poor documentation is quite a con here, and this is mainly due to the constant updation of technologies. Not just the entire JavaScript, but React technologies seem to be updating every now and then. It becomes tough for newbies to get started.
The high-speed development
Continuous and fast environmental changes keep on happening every now and then, as a result, adapting to all the changes can be quite a concern. As a result, with the tech, the developer’s skills, it must be updated from every now and then.
SEO can be problematic
Though the JavaScript tech features lots and lots of users, you still find yourself in short of plugins and tools which can be seamlessly integrated and assist in giving an instant boost to your website. In today’s times, it is a renowned fact that search engine plays a significant role in ensuring that the website successfully ranks well, especially on Google but here apart from not having significant tools and plugins, most of the time search engines tend to struggle to crawl as well as index content which is successfully generated on the client side.
Vue vs React - The Final Showdown
Core library and the application size
APP size has been a pretty significant factor, though it doesn’t seem like but it really is, you have to trust me on this one. If you are using Vue, it is possible to successfully compress the same code, which means it takes less amount of space in comparison to the same code written using the React technology. In a nutshell, it is pretty safe to say that Vue-based applications are 10-30% smaller than React-based applications. Which is why Vue ensures faster coding with fewer input requirements and, of course, better performance.
High speed
Another strong point of vue features high speed as well as performance. Now this is possible only because of an efficient default library. Vue comprises of testing library which enables the app to run successfully in the most efficient manner.
You see, Vue’s official library size is around 80KB, which is more than enough to build most of applications. Whereas, if you are using React, you need to download additional libraries, which is why the size keeps on increasing every now and then.
Performance
The next factor which makes a huge difference here is the performance. Since both frameworks ace when it comes to performance, you can decide on the basis of how Vue manages to handle updates in a more efficient manner and with less manual intervention, whereas React does the opposite completely.
Though there are numerous factors which can help you decide how well the app is performing, for example, how the virtual DOM renders, how intuitive the development procedure turns out to be and a lot more. Here’s an eye-opener: Vue doesn’t require different optimisation methods to receive high performance, whereas the child component in React needs to be optimised with every single change.
Despite these aforementioned differences, it may quite interest to you to know that both the JavaScript technologies share some really surprising similarities, such as:
Both are JavaScript technologies featuring lots and lots of tools and libraries
Both of them make the most of component-based architecture, ensuring reusability, easy maintenance, high scalability and seamless development of UI components independently.
Here the absolute use of virtual DOM is considered for highly optimized performance
All these frameworks are successfully backed by strong documentation, community, tutorials, and support forums, leading to quick troubleshoot and easy collaboration on ever-evolving projects.
Conclusion
So which one is better? Vue or React, well, both are of a kind. The answer usually lies in your needs and requirements. However, both types are one of a kind, and both of them have the tendency to successfully outperform rival JavaScript frameworks like Angular.
Moreover, both are industry-leading, flexible and tend to run in the quickest manner; lots and lots of time to deliver content to the end users is automatically reduced. Since here, you will be fetching what exactly is needed and nothing useless.
The only basic difference is that if you are solely willing to develop mobile applications which is compatible with iOS and Android, then React is a far better choice. But if your priority is all about web development, with high speed and efficiency, then Vue might be the better option.
So that is all for now. I hope you did find the following post worth reading. In case if you have any doubts or queries, feel free to mention them in the comment section.
Top comments (1)
I like it and so useful thanks