This argument is popular in the developer communities, developers trying to figure out which is best or more preferable, but this argument just comes down to what you want to use it for.
I won't talk about these framework's history, I'll just give you criteria to work with when you want to choose a framework to work with. Before getting into it, lets understand what frontend is all about.
There are 3 fundamentals to frontend development: HTML, CSS and JavaScript. If you want to learn, learn in this order. There's no way you are escaping any of these.
HTML basically had to do with the user interface with screens. It deals with the structure of your page.
CSS does more work with color, font, spacing, etc.
JavaScript on the other hand helps to build web and mobile applications. It has libraries and it sends and receives data from the backend.
Lets take a house for example, HTML is the structure and layout, CSS is the color and beauty and JavaScript is the functionality of the house. JavaScript is the hardest of the 3 to learn.
Frontend Framework
JavaScript had 3 popular frameworks: Angular, React and Vue. Consider them as siblings that came out in that order. They share the same mum: JavaScript but different dads.
Angular was developed by Google, React by Facebook and Vue was developed by a former employee at Google: Evan You. They are all open source.
The methods to consider when checking out these frameworks are these: features, use case, migrations, performance, data binding, scripting, testing, community support, demand, etc.
Use Case
- React: Twitter, AirBNB, Tesla, Instagram
- Angular: Upwork, PayPal, Sony
- Vue: Alibaba, Grammarly, GitLab
Popularity
React is by far the most popular of the 3 in terms of downloads and job searches. This is followed by Angular and then Vue. Using a GitHub star metric to rate popularity, Vue has done really good for itself.
Migrations
React is the most stable of the lot. Angular plans major updates every six months. Migrating to Vue is pretty easy.
Community
React definitely has the biggest community but all 3 have their fair share of having distributors and GitHub repos. Again, Vue is the least of the lot, but that's understandable, it's the last born.
Features
React is a frontend JavaScript library while Angular and Vue are frameworks.
React is used to develop single page, mobile and web applications while Angular and Vue are more restricted to creating user interfaces and single-page applications.
- React and Angular are great for large scale apps.
- Vue and React have great speed.
- React is perfect for websites that need SEO.
- Vue is great for lightweight apps and integration.
Conclusion
The answer to the debate of React vs Angular vs Vue is that there's no absolute right choice. Each of these frameworks has it's own benefits and drawbacks. The entire argument ends on the table of why you are learning, what you are learning for, based on the project you are working on and your individual requirements. It is always key to do your own research before deciding, especially if you are going to be working on a business venture and not a personal project.
You also need to remember that there's always going to be new updates, new tools and you will always need to continue learing.
Thanks for reading.
Acknowledgement: Consonance Club