React vs Angular: Tips to help you choose ⚔️💻
Tags: react, angular, frontend, webdev
Published: 2024-06-30 00:10:01

Web apps are the most preferred for websites in 2024, they are known for their efficiency in building user-friendly apps, just like adding icing to a beautiful wedding cake. In other words, they make the best UI and functionalities that also run faster.

Today, I will be comparing two notable frontend frameworks for building web applications **ReactJS** and **AngularJS** which are both javascript-based frameworks and explore their qualities and uniqueness under the hood as this will be helpful to anyone looking to learn to code with any of both.

**React**

React shines as a speedy and adaptable JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It mostly works with managing reusable components, making it a great choice for projects that require quick changes and a focus on a smooth user experience. Unlike a full-fledged framework, React offers flexibility, allowing you to integrate it with other libraries and tools during your development process.

**Angular**

Angular is all about structure. it is really best at tackling complex web applications because of its strong foundation with built-in features for switching pages, working with dependencies, and more. Angular also works alongside typeScript which still focuses on a more structured code. If you are looking to work on projects that focus more on aligned rules, then angular is your guy 👍.

## Framework Comparison

To best classify their differences, I will be considering these three simple criteria,

**Structure vs. Flexibility**

Personally, I see Angular as a pre-built Lego set with clear instructions, where every approach follows a particular structure with built-in features. React is the opposite. it's like a big box of regular Legos, giving you more freedom to design and build how you see fit. So if you prefer more flexibility in your code, you should just go for React

**Learning Curve**

Angular has a more steeper learning curve because it is quite comprehensive with strict rules and uses TypeScript which is a superset of JavaScript. This adds more features like type-checking, code quality and more, requiring in-depth knowledge of javascript to use. React is more easier to learn for beginners as it focuses on core JavaScript concepts. The best way to think of it is like learning to ride a bike with training wheels (Angular with TypeScript) versus starting on a regular bike (React with JavaScript).  While the training wheels provide initial support, they might take a bit longer to master. Although, Once you get the hang of React, working with Angular can feel more natural and flexible.

**Speed and Performance**

React is known for its speed, especially in smaller apps, because of its virtual DOM system that helps with updates. While, Angular with its structured framework, might be a bit slower to start, but it can be very efficient for complex applications by providing ways to manage data and components smoothly.

**Conclusion**

Even though it seems like I'm taking the side of reactJS, I can assure you that both frameworks are exceptional and can equally make fully functional and beautiful applications. Now, you should be able to choose which to learn first as a start to your coding journey and I wish you all the best of luck 👍 

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