JavaScript Web Frameworks Benchmark 2024: An In-Depth Analysis
Published: 2024-07-16 09:41:39

JavaScript web frameworks play a pivotal role in modern web development, offering robust tools and libraries to streamline the creation of interactive, high-performance web applications. With a plethora of frameworks available, choosing the right one can be daunting. Benchmarking these frameworks based on various performance metrics provides valuable insights for developers. This article delves into the latest benchmarks for 2024, highlighting the performance of popular JavaScript frameworks.

## Benchmarking Tools and Methodologies

### Krausest's Benchmark

Krausest's benchmark is renowned for its detailed comparison of popular JavaScript frameworks. It differentiates between "keyed" and "non-keyed" modes, which significantly impact performance.

- **Keyed Mode**: Each data item is uniquely associated with a DOM node using a key attribute.
- **Non-Keyed Mode**: DOM nodes are updated to reflect new data without unique associations, potentially avoiding costly DOM operations.

To run Krausest's benchmark:

```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/krausest/js-framework-benchmark.git
cd js-framework-benchmark

# Install dependencies and start the server
npm ci && npm run install-local
npm start

# Run the benchmark
npm run bench

# Generate the results table
npm run results
```

The results can be viewed by opening `js-framework-benchmark/webdriver-ts-results/table.html` in a browser.

### TechEmpower's Benchmark

TechEmpower's benchmark offers a comprehensive comparison across multiple web frameworks and platforms. It uses community-contributed implementations to measure performance under various conditions.

- **Installation**: Follow the instructions on the [TechEmpower benchmarks site](https://www.techempower.com/benchmarks/).

### Runtime Performance Comparison: Node.js vs Deno vs Bun

Another critical aspect is the performance of different JavaScript runtimes. A recent benchmark compared Node.js, Deno, and Bun, focusing on server-side rendering and garbage collection efficiency.

To compare these runtimes, you can use a sample React app:

```javascript
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/', async (req, res) => {
  const users = await db.select().from('Users').limit(100).execute();
  const html = `
    <html>
    <body>
      <table>
        ${users.map(user => `
          <tr>
            <td>${user.name}</td>
            <td>${user.age}</td>
          </tr>
        `).join('')}
      </table>
    </body>
    </html>
  `;
  res.send(html);
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on http://localhost:3000'));
```

### Results and Discussion

#### Krausest's Benchmark Results

Krausest's benchmark reveals that frameworks like React, Vue.js, and Angular exhibit varying performance based on the keyed/non-keyed mode:

- **React**: Performs consistently well in both modes, with slight improvements in non-keyed mode.
- **Vue.js**: Non-keyed mode offers performance gains due to fewer DOM operations.
- **Angular**: Keyed mode provides more predictable performance.

View detailed results [here](https://krausest.github.io/js-framework-benchmark/2023/table_chrome_120.0.6099.62.html).

#### TechEmpower's Benchmark Results

TechEmpower's benchmark indicates that lightweight frameworks like Svelte and Solid.js often outperform heavier frameworks like Angular and Ember.js in raw speed and response times.

Explore the full comparison [here](https://www.techempower.com/benchmarks/).

#### Node.js vs Deno vs Bun

The runtime performance comparison highlighted:

- **Bun**: Superior in requests per second and average response times.
- **Deno**: Consistently good performance, slightly trailing Bun.
- **Node.js**: Lowest latency under high load but higher response times in the 99th percentile.

Detailed results and discussion are available [here](https://www.heidemann.dev).

## Conclusion

Choosing the right JavaScript framework depends on specific project requirements and performance considerations. Krausest's and TechEmpower's benchmarks provide valuable insights, helping developers make informed decisions. Additionally, the runtime performance of Node.js, Deno, and Bun can significantly impact the overall efficiency of web applications.