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Vue and React are still two of the most popular JavaScript frameworks for building web apps in 2023. Both frameworks offer advantages and disadvantages, so developers must weigh the benefits and negatives when deciding which one to use for their projects. In this article, we will compare Vue and React based on their pros and cons in 2023. Keep in mind that these are my thoughts on some of their advantages and disadvantages.
Vue
Pros of Vue
- Easy to Learn and Use: Vue offers a smooth learning curve that makes it suitable for both novice and professional developers.
- High Performance: Vue's virtual DOM and efficient rendering result in speedy and performant apps.
- Flexible and Incremental Adoption: Vue enables progressive adoption in existing projects, making it adaptable to a variety of use cases.
- Composition API: Vue's Composition API allows you to handle state and logic in components in a modular and flexible manner, enhancing code organization and maintainability.
- Strong Ecosystem: Vue has a growing ecosystem of libraries, tools, and plugins that are backed up by excellent documentation and a welcoming community.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages.
Cons of Vue
- Smaller Community: Vue's community is still smaller than React's, making it more difficult to find extensive resources and support.
- Limited Enterprise Adoption: When compared to React, which has a longer history and established presence in the enterprise space, Vue may have limited adoption in large-scale enterprise applications.
React
Pros of React
- Huge Ecosystem and Community: React has a massive ecosystem of libraries, tools, and resources, which is supported by a large developer community.
- Performance Optimization: The virtual DOM and efficient rendering mechanism of React make it extremely performant, particularly in complex applications.
- Component-Based Architecture: The component-based architecture of React encourages web application reusability, maintainability, and separation of concerns.
- Strong Developer Tooling: React has a robust set of developer tools to help with debugging, testing, and building React applications.
- Backed by Facebook: React is backed by Facebook, which ensures its stability and continuous updates.
As every coin got two sides, React also has some cons.
Cons of React
- Steeper Learning Curve: React may have a steeper learning curve than Vue, as it requires knowledge of JSX and a different way of thinking about UI components.
- Boilerplate Code: React may necessitate more code than Vue, resulting in more boilerplate code and longer development time.
- Complex State Management: React lacks built-in state management capabilities, necessitating dependency on other libraries for complicated state management scenarios.
Conclusion
Vue and React are still popular web development frameworks in 2023, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. When deciding between Vue and React, developers should evaluate the specific requirements of their projects as well as their personal experience with the frameworks. Both frameworks have significant communities and ecosystems, and understanding their advantages and downsides will help you make an informed decision for successful web development projects.
Let me know what's your personal go-for JavaScript framework for building web apps in 2023.
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Top comments (22)
I think adoption is regional. Vue is much more significant in China/Asia compared to US/Europe.
If you like HTML in your js then go React. If you prefer js in HTML then Vue is for you 😁
Seriously though if you are happy using array map, array.reduce, object destucturing then you should be fine in react. I think Vue Options API is easier to learn; it lost some of its elegance and simplicity when going to Composition.
Hey Aaron,
You're absolutely right! Adoption of Vue and other technologies can vary regionally. Vue does have a strong presence in China and Asia, while React may be more prominent in the US and Europe.
And you've summed it up perfectly! React and Vue have different approaches when it comes to the HTML/JS interplay, with React favoring HTML in JS and Vue offering JS in HTML. Both frameworks have their strengths and are suitable for different preferences.
Regarding the APIs, Vue's Options API is often considered easier to learn, while the Composition API may require a bit more effort. It's great to have options that cater to different coding styles and preferences. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Year on year, I keep seeing this kind of comment:
"Smaller Community: Vue's community is still smaller than React's, making it more difficult to find extensive resources and support."
In my experience it simply isn't difficult to find extensive Vue resources and support. The official documentation is incredible. There are so many tutorials and training both free and paid that are top notch.
The quality and availability of libraries is huge and the community of both users and maintainers are helpful.
This supposed negative really needs to die.
Additionally, plenty of enterprises have proven Vue works, Trivago, NASA, Adobe, heck, even Facebook. How many do we need before we stop using this as a negative too?
I completely agree! Vue's community size doesn't hinder finding extensive resources and support. The official documentation is excellent, and there are abundant top-notch tutorials and training, both free and paid. The wide availability of high-quality libraries and the helpfulness of the Vue community, including users and maintainers, are commendable. Moreover, the successful adoption of Vue by enterprises like Adobe, and even Facebook speaks volumes about its reliability. It's time to let go of the misconception that Vue's community size is a negative, as it simply isn't true.
"Backed by Facebook" - having big tech company as backed something it "strong" pro option. Vue.js also have good sponsors.
If you're working with complex forms (cards or whatever), Vue.js is a really brilliant, readable and easy way to do it.
Hello Roman! Yes, having a large tech company like Facebook back a project is definitely a plus. Vue.js has excellent sponsors as well and is a brilliant and readable framework for working with complex applications.
I use both on a regular basis. React has the job opportunities (at least locally) but if I have a choice I'll always pick Vue.
Hi Jack,
The same thing happens here in Greece. ReactJS and Angular are the most used JavaScript frameworks. When there is no restriction to what should I use, I for sure go for Vue.
Hi Pantelis,
Im learning vue (I come from React) for a new job, and I just fell in love!
Easy to use, less code to reach same results as React and better organized in general.
So for me, vuejs wins without a doubt!
Thanks for the post.
Hello Jorge,
Glad you're loving Vue! It's easy to use, concise, and well-organized compared to React. Enjoy exploring Vue in your new job!
Doesn't the new Vue have JSX as well? Also React does have built in stage management. You can opt for adding more complicated state management libraries like Redux, but you're not required to. Vue has its own additional state management lib as well called Vuex.
Vue generally recommends using templates as the preferred approach for building applications. However, there may be situations where the full programmatic capabilities of JavaScript are needed, and in those cases, the render function and JSX can be used to provide more flexibility and control over the application's rendering process.
I used Vue 3 in my last project together with Typescript.
And the typescript support is pretty shitty. I don’t know how such a framework can be so popular without typescript.
As example create a Vue component in composition style and define types for properties with default values.
I understand your concern. Vue 3 does support TypeScript, but it's important to note that TypeScript support in Vue is still evolving. You can refer to the official Vue documentation and TypeScript documentation for the latest information and best practices on how to use TypeScript with Vue 3 effectively.
My feeling about react can be summarized as duct-taped. And I don't mean it in a bad way, moreover I believe it was somehow even the intention (library, not a framework) This was fine a while back, but gradually it became opinionated. It is still fine, but it lost a bit of that simple beauty and if I want strongly opinionated framework I would probably reach to Angular.
On the basis of their design principles and features, Angular and React are excellent choices for various kinds of web applications. Angular is a comprehensive, opinionated framework that offers built-in solutions for state management, routing, and other issues. It is suitable for large-scale projects with complex requirements. Enterprise-level applications that need strict organization and in-depth documentation are a good fit for it. React, on the other hand, is a versatile, neutral library ideal for smaller, single-page applications or as a component of a bigger front-end ecosystem. Performance, flexibility, and customization are given top priority, making it the perfect choice for projects that call for a more agile development methodology. Make an informed decision when deciding between Angular and React by taking into account aspects like the size, complexity, team expertise, and preferred development approach.
Vuejs beatifull
Indeed, Vue rocks! 🚀
Great write-up! I've been focusing more on Vue lately purely because of less boilerplate and the composition API just feels like writing normal Javascript.
Hi Tony,
Definitely! Writing Vue code feels like writing regular JavaScript because of how straightforward and minimal the composition API is. An intuitive and successful development experience is provided by this user-friendly framework
Options api is cleaner, more elegant. Dont really like the new composition api. Vue 3 should have used class-based design. It could have gotten more support from enterprise apps.
IMO the Composition API promotes code reuse and offers flexibility. Although individual tastes may differ, many developers find it to be cleaner and more readable. It was decided to abandon a class-based design in order to conform to contemporary JavaScript patterns.
With its Composition API, Vue is still appropriate for enterprise applications and is growing in popularity. In the end, you are free to select the strategy that best meets the requirements of your project.