Choosing the Right Framework For Software Project: VueJS vs ReactJS

The ability to choose the right framework for software development comes with experience. When there are some doubts, the natural reaction would be to go ahead and Google it.

But by doing that you will encounter a lot of noise on the web that you have to filter through to find the answers that you’re after. This is because a lot of programmers are usually promoting whatever technologies they are using to make themselves more marketable (after all everyone is looking for their next big payday).

As such, a search about VueJS might give you the impression that it’s just novelty, but if you dig deeper you will find that it’s much more than that. So if you have been wondering about it, here’s the difference between VueJS and ReactJS.

The Breakdown: VueJS

VueJS and ReactJS have a lot in common, but the former is simple and beautiful and slightly faster. VueJS development is also much easier to learn and doesn’t require you to learn ES2015 or JSX. ReactJS, on the other hand, is more difficult and better suited for large scale applications like Facebook.

VueJS structure is also quite intuitive and each component has a script tag to import all dependencies. Furthermore, you can maintain its equivalent with the data method.

There’s also the option of creating your own methodology in methods object. Each component will come with a template that equates to the render method of ReactJS components.

Functions have a simple and easy to understand syntax and each component can carry its own styling (all of which is pretty straightforward). All you really need is its source code (which is extremely readable) and related documentation to get started.

Teams can also easily write simple JavaScript and collaborate without any need for external libraries. Further, you don’t have to install any plugins (although many are available) and you can use it with or without jQuery. Then there’s the added benefit of the ability to easily hook it up to existing code.

Those who spend a lot of time working with stuff like Angular and ReactJS don’t really have the same knowledge of JavaScript. So that’s another detail that you have to be aware of when choosing the framework that best suits your product development.

Unicorns based in the U.S. prefer Angular and ReactJS over VueJS. But Chinese unicorns like Alibaba and Baidu prefer to work with VueJS.

If you’re focusing on building a native mobile app, then it’s better to go with ReactJS (although VueJS is also heading toward native). React Native is popular library that enables the development of mobile applications with JavaScript.

You may want to check out: "React Native - A Really Huge Shift In How We Write Native Apps?"

The Breakdown: ReactJS

Unlike VueJS, ReactJS has a steep learning curve with documentation and terminology that can sometimes seem unconventional. But ReactJS development is much more popular and has a large community supporting it.

ReactJS is still thriving as it can be scaled for large applications. You also have the benefit of immediate visualization and proficient operation of elements that are associated with it.

Fans also love the concept of Props (property of the component) that adds various data types for it. As a result, you will have the ability to add attributes to the components and ReactJS will validate the attribute values automatically (VueJS also has this Props concept).

If you ask developers who have used both to pick one, you’ll find that most have switched allegiances to VueJS and never looked back. The primary driver here is the fact that VueJS makes the life of a developer much easier with its highly user-friendly framework.