How to Choose a Frontend Framework for Web Development

How to Choose a Frontend Framework for Web Development

When developing an application or a website, there are certain functions you would need your web app to carry out, and the developer should make that possible. 

Either the developer employs custom web development for each step of the process, writing the code from scratch; or using frameworks.

While custom web development can produce an application tailored to a client’s needs, the work involved is astronomical. The process is also very expensive, making it a route everyone can’t take. 

An alternative would be to use any one of the popular web frameworks for app development. As the name implies, a framework is an already-written code structure that would make the foundation to create your website or application. 

There are software frameworks for all three parts of your website development; Frontend, Backend, and user interface. While you can create custom software for your backend, a software framework might be the best move for your front-end development.  But how do you choose a front-end framework? The answer will be found in this article, continue reading.

What is Front-End Development?

Front-End development is the part of programming that deals with all the visual and interactive aspects of a website. It is also known as client-side development because it involves the elements of the website a visitor can see and interact with. 

Without front-end developers, all websites would be collections of cryptic codes that make no sense to the average user. The front-end developer creates all the buttons, animations, links, and text to bring the client’s vision to life. 

Front-End developers are also meant to ensure that a website looks appealing on different devices, browsers, and operating systems. 

That is a crucial part of your website, so picking the right front-end UI framework for the unique needs of your business is important.

Why Does Picking the Right Technology Matter? Developer Perspective

As time passes, more front-end web frameworks are created to ease the work of developers. However, no front-end technology can work for every website, so weighing the pros and cons of each before making your choice is necessary. 

For a developer, picking the best web development framework for your website is a choice you should take seriously. This is primarily because it might be a permanent decision. 

You can decide to change the technology of your front end later, but that would be a tasking process. Unlike making a few tweaks to the look of your site, changing the framework after you have launched would take a lot of time, effort, and cost. 

Your clients would lose customers and valuable traffic while you do that, and you may even break your site. That might necessitate creating an entirely new website for them. 

There are other reasons why choosing the best front-end UI framework is important. They include:

1. Time Required to Code: Every project comes with a deadline, and the time set out by your client to get the work done is a crucial part of your decision. If you have a tight deadline, you might be better off with the fastest front-end framework you can find. One that would work well with your team’s capabilities to ensure great results in the shortest time possible. 

2. Availability of Future Support: Every web front-end framework has a community of developers that use it and are ready to provide support. The larger the community, the better your chances of getting help in the event of an issue. 

For example, a Javascript frontend framework with a smaller community of developers might not provide enough support for your project. It would also be difficult to employ developers with the required experience in an obscure JS framework. 

3. Code Maintenance: Websites might require maintenance even after they have been deployed. The ease at which your team can make changes to enhance the code would differ between frameworks. Choosing the best framework for websites would ensure that maintenance can be hassle-free. 

The Significance of a Right Frontend Framework for Business

Profit is usually the driving point of many decisions in business, and choosing the right technology for your front end will impact your gains. 

Your company needs a website that would achieve your goals and boost business, all at a great price. Choosing the best front-end framework is the first step in achieving that. This decision can influence other things, including:

1. Conversion: Studies have shown that it takes only fifty milliseconds for a visitor to form an opinion about a website. In that short span, all the visitors consider is the site’s visual appeal and little else. 

Some popular web frameworks will work well with both desktop and mobile devices providing a great user experience, while others require more effort to make them turn out right. With the best front-end application for your website, you can convert more casual visitors to paying clients on any device.

2. Availability Of Experienced Developers: When searching for developers for your team, your frontend Javascript framework requires more experienced developers. If your established frontend technology is relatively new or unpopular there may be fewer skilled developers who understand the  frontend application. This can result in mistakes on the website that could cost your client business. 

3. Pocket-friendliness: Cost is a major factor in any project, and it is well-known that developers charge differently for various frameworks. Obscure ones might demand higher fees than more popular ones, and that is because there would be little support for the developer. 

A popular web dev framework will be great if your budget is not massive. 

Factors to Consider While Choosing Front-end Technology For Your Next Project

You must realize that there may be more than one suitable framework for your website. However, to pinpoint them, you should keep a few things in mind. 

1. Performance: The framework’s performance on your website is one of the most important factors to consider, as it affects conversion rate and user experience. Your preferred frontend technology should record low page loading and content rendering times on your website.

2. Flexibility: Front-End web frameworks are usually made to cater to every use case. That means that your team would do some work to create a website to cater to your client’s requirements. Your chosen framework should be flexible enough to accommodate these tweaks easily. 

For example: React would give you more customization freedom than Angular 2 when developing frontend applications.

3. Rendering (Server-side Or Client-side): Rendering is the process that turns the code of a website into an interactive page visitors can see. There are two major ways of going about it. 

Server-side rendering is a system where the web page’s text is stored on the server. In this method, the browser requests the information. It is then sent down and displayed on the browser for the user. 

Client-side rendering employs a barebones HTML document with a Javascript file from the server. This JS file, with the help of your browser, then renders the page. Both methods have their pros and cons. 

Client-side is faster. It is also more suitable for web apps and rich sites but may adversely affect SEO. However, server-side rendering is great for SEO and static pages but can be quite slow. Your choice depends on your needs. 

4. Mobile Development Support: 58.99% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, so support for these devices is crucial. For a progressive web app development service to be rendered, your framework should produce results that would also be satisfactory on mobile. 

5. Future Support For The Framework: Support is crucial for the longevity of your website. A frontend technology with good support can ensure future updates with better functionalities, better maintenance, and a community of developers to help. 

That is usually tied to the front-end framework popularity, as obscure ones are less likely to have good support. 

Top Frontend Frameworks for 2023

Here, we’ll list some top front-end frameworks for front-end development to aid your selection. 

1. React.js

This is the most popular front-end framework in the field. It has a large community of over three million developers and is relatively easy to learn and integrate. React works for many uses and is a good framework for application development. 

2. Angular

Angular is one of the most popular web frameworks, but it is different because it uses Typescript instead of Javascript. Learning is not easy, but it gives great client-side rendered pages, and angular is a common choice for web apps. 

3. Vue.js

Vue is a lightweight Javascript frontend framework suitable for single-page apps and user interfaces for web applications. It is easy to learn and integrate into other tools. However, it is not supported by top IT companies like Microsoft and Google. 

4. jQuery

jQuery is an easy-to-use Javascript frontend framework employed for creating app user interfaces. It is compatible with multiple browsers and is quite lightweight. Its plug-ins add some extra functionality. 

5. Svelte

This web frontend framework is known for its simplicity. It uses less memory and is quite fast. It delivers small application sizes and needs fewer lines of code to perform. Svelte is best for websites aimed at low-power devices. 

6. Ember

Ember is simple to use and offers some useful features for web app development. It is quite popular and has been used by companies like Google, Netflix, and Microsoft. Despite its ease of usage, Ember has a steep learning curve. 

Frontend Framework Core Features Comparison

The Final Words

This list should help your business choose the best front-end framework for your project. However, keep in mind that all products of these frameworks would require extensive testing. You can employ a competent QA outsource service to help with that.

We offer industry-leading software programming services at affordable prices if you are searching for skilled developers to work with your chosen framework. Our services cover all aspects of the development process. Let us bring your vision to life. 

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