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Posted on Sep 27, 2023 • Originally published at blog.learnhub.africa

Top 6 Javascript Libraries You Must Know

#webdev #javascript #programming #beginners

JavaScript libraries are pre-written JavaScript code that helps developers build web applications faster and more efficiently.

Instead of writing common functionality from scratch, developers can use JavaScript libraries which provide reusable code for DOM manipulation, AJAX requests, animation, and more.

Here are 6 of the most popular JavaScript libraries for web development:

jQuery

jQuery is the most widely used JavaScript library, included in over 65% of all websites. It simplifies DOM manipulation, event handling, animations, and Ajax requests.

jQuery uses a chaining syntax that allows method calls on selected elements to be written in a concise format.

To use jQuery, include the library in your HTML:

Now jQuery methods are available on the $ selector. For example, to hide all paragraphs on a page:

$('p').hide();

jQuery makes it easy to handle events like clicks:

$('button').click(function() {

// do something when button is clicked


});

And manipulate CSS:

$('h1').css('color', 'red');

jQuery is most useful for DOM manipulation and abstracting away browser differences in JS APIs.

React

React is a popular JavaScript library developed by Facebook for building interactive user interfaces. It follows a component-based approach where UI elements are broken down into reusable components.

To use React, define components by extending React.Component:

class Welcome extends React.Component {
render() {
return &lt;h1&gt;Hello World!&lt;/h1&gt;; 
}}

Render this component to the DOM using ReactDOM:

ReactDOM.render( &lt;Welcome /&gt;,
document.getElementById('root')
);

The key advantage of React is its efficient updating of the DOM when data changes. It uses a virtual DOM to minimize DOM operations.

Other notable React features are JSX, a JavaScript extension for easily writing components, and stateful components with lifecycle methods.

Many developers use React with external state management libraries like Redux or MobX.

Vue.js

Vue is a progressive framework for building user interfaces similar to React, emphasizing incrementally adoptable. It has a smaller footprint than React and Angular.

To use Vue, define a Vue instance targeting an element:

const app = new Vue({
el: '#app'
});

Then, declare reusable components in the instance:

app.component('greeting', {
template: '&lt;p&gt;Hello World&lt;/p&gt;'
})

And use components in HTML:

&lt;div id="app"&gt; &lt;greeting&gt;&lt;/greeting&gt; &lt;/div&gt;

Vue handles reactive data binding and automatic DOM updates when data changes. It has customizable directives, transitions, and routing capabilities out of the box.

Angular (Angular 2 and higher) is a TypeScript-based web application framework that builds single-page applications (SPAs). It provides dependency injection, data binding, routing, and other advanced features.

Build components called Angular components:

@Component({
selector: 'app-root',
template: '&lt;h1&gt;{{title}}&lt;/h1&gt;'
})
export class AppComponent {
title = 'My App';
}

Use the component in HTML:

<app-root></app-root>

Angular utilizes two-way data binding between models and views. Everything is a component in Angular, making it ideal for building complex, dynamic UIs.

Bootstrap

Bootstrap is the most popular CSS framework for responsive web design. It provides pre-built UI components and styles to create navigation bars, buttons, forms, and more with minimal custom CSS.

Install Bootstrap via npm:

npm install bootstrap

Then include it in CSS:

@import "~bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.css";

Now default Bootstrap styles are available for elements like:

&lt;button class="btn btn-primary"&gt;Primary Button&lt;/button&gt;

Bootstrap saves time on CSS and makes responsive design simpler. It powers over 27% of sites on the web.

Astro

Astro is a new JavaScript framework that aims to provide the best server-side rendering (SSR) and single-page apps (SPAs).

It renders HTML on the server and automatically hydrates interactive components on the client.

Define Astro components in .astro files:

const { title } = Astro.props;

<html> <h1>{title}</h1> </html>

Astro handles SSR by default and lets you add interactivity with React, Vue, etc. It aims to provide fast performance and SEO benefits of traditional SSR with good UX.

Usage Statistics:

jQuery remains the most used JS library at over 65% of websites, but usage has declined in favor of newer frameworks like React.

React usage has grown rapidly to 37% of websites, driven by its component model and use at major tech companies.

Bootstrap and jQuery are generally used for adding interactivity and responsive design to traditional server-rendered sites and apps.

Modern web frameworks like React, Vue, Angular, and Astro tend to be used for building complex single-page applications.

Vue growth is rising exponentially but still trails React and Angular adoption. Angular has slowed down but remains popular for enterprise development.

Astro is new but enables building sites with SSR and dynamic components for better performance.

These libraries help developers avoid rewriting common functionality and accelerate development.

jQuery simplifies DOM and AJAX ops. React pioneered the component model. Vue provides reactive data binding incrementally. Angular suits complex UIs and enterprise apps.

Bootstrap is the top CSS framework for responsive design. And Astro combines SSR with interactivity. Understanding their strengths and use cases is key for effective web development.

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