15 JavaScript frameworks and libraries you must know

JavaScript has a huge technical community, and such a considerable technical support base also helps it further attract popularity among the audience. It is worth emphasizing that most of the current frameworks and libraries for developers are open source projects, which means that relevant developers can easily use these resources to complete their daily work efficiently. Therefore, whether you are a JavaScript novice or an experienced senior, making full use of the existing advantages of these solutions will significantly improve your development efficiency and effectiveness.

In today’s article, we will introduce the 15 most important JavaScript frameworks and libraries - you must not miss it.

1. Angular.js

Angular.js is currently one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks. Developers use it to create countless complex web applications. The core design idea of ​​Angular.js is the single-page application model, but it also supports the MVC architecture. With Angular.js, developers can use JavaScript code on the front end to extend the HTML vocabulary at will.

Angular.js has never stopped developing since its birth in 2009. The current Angular 1 stable version is 1.5.8/1.2.30. You can also try Angular 2, which offers significant improvements over version 1, but is still not popular among the global developer community.

Angular.js adopts the important concept of data binding. The user interacts with this interface, and when the interaction is complete, the view is then updated with the new values, ensuring that everything is synchronized. DOM updates begin after the underlying logic has been executed in the model.

2. Backbone.js

Many friends may not intend to develop complex web applications. In this case, relatively simple web application frameworks such as Backbone.js can be well used to learn relevant knowledge. Backbone.js is an intuitive framework that makes building simple web applications faster and fun. Similar to Angular.js, Backbone.js also has MVC support. Other core features of Backbone.js include routing, RESTful API support, property state management, and more. You can also use Backbone.js to build single-page applications.

The current stable version of Backbone.js is 1.3.3 and is available directly from GitHub.

3. D3.js

D3.js is an excellent JavaScript library that can help developers create rich web pages using data manipulation functions. D3.js combines SVG, HTML and CSS. With D3.js, you can easily bind data to the DOM and initiate data-driven events. With the help of D3.js, we can also create high-quality data-driven web pages to provide data content understanding information with better visual effects.

4. React.js

React.js is a very interesting JavaScript framework. Unlike other JavaScript frameworks, React.js is ideal for building highly scalable front-end user interfaces. React.js was born in 2013. It is based on the BSD license and has developed rapidly due to its advantages in developing complex and beautiful user interfaces.

The core idea of ​​React.js lies in the virtual DOM. Virtual DOM is similar to an intermediary between the client and the server, used to improve performance levels. Changes in the virtual DOM are matched to the server DOM, ensuring that only necessary elements are updated, making the entire process much faster than traditional UI updates.

You can also use React to implement Material design, which means you can create modern web applications with extremely strong performance levels.

5. jQuery

jQuery is a set of popular JavaScript libraries whose functions include event handling, animation and more. When building a web project, you certainly don't want to waste time writing code for simple tasks. jQuery helps us solve this problem with its easy-to-use API. It also works with all major browsers. Using jQuery, you can seamlessly control the DOM and develop Ajax applications. With jQuery, developers don't need to worry about underlying interactions and can easily develop the web applications they envision.

jQuery also promotes the separation of HTML and JavaScript code, allowing developers to write concise code with cross-browser compatibility. In addition, web applications developed with jQuery are easy to improve and extend.

6. Ember.js

Ember.js is equivalent to a combination of Angular.js and React.js at a functional level. You can learn about the popularity of Ember.js through its technical support community, and new features are constantly emerging. Ember.js is similar to Angular.js in terms of data synchronization. This bidirectional data exchange mechanism ensures application speed and scalability. Additionally, it helps developers create front-end elements.

In terms of similarities to React.js, Ember.js also provides server-side virtual DOM to improve performance and scalability. Ember.js also encourages reduced coding requirements, provides excellent API options, and has an excellent technical community.

7. Polymer.js

If you plan to create HTML5 elements by yourself, you might as well try Polymer.js. The core of Polymer is to provide web developers with the ability to create their own tags, thereby expanding development capabilities. For example, you can create a tag and define functionality similar to the

Polymer was launched by Google in 2013 and is based on the 3-Clause BSD license.

8. Three.js

Three.js is another set of JavaScript libraries, mainly for 3D development. If you are an animation and game developer, Three.js is definitely worth a try. Three.js uses WebGL and can be easily used to render 3D objects on the screen. You may have heard of HexGL, a futuristic racing game, which is built with Three.js.

9. PhantomJS

Using JavaScript inevitably involves dealing with various browsers. When talking about browsers, resource management has become the most important issue. Using PhantomJS, you can monitor web application performance through the WebKit it provides. This WebKit is also part of the rendering engine within Chrome and Safari.

The entire process is implemented in an automated manner, and everyone only needs to use the API provided to set up the web application.

10. BabylonJS

BabylonJS and Three.js are very similar in positioning, both provide JavaScript API to create powerful and seamless 3D applications. It is open source and based on JavaScript and WebGL. The process of creating simple 3D objects such as spheres is very simple and only requires a few lines of code to complete. You can carefully refer to the documentation of BabylonJS to understand the excellence of this library. In addition, the project homepage also provides many inspiring and excellent demonstrations.

11. Boba.js

There is a common requirement among web applications, which is analysis. If you have been struggling with how to insert analysis mechanisms into JavaScript applications, you may want to consider Boba.js. Boba.js can help everyone complete tasks easily, and also includes support for the old ga.js. You can also use Boba.js to implement indicator integration. Its only running prerequisite is jQuery.

12. Underscore.js

Underscore.js is the best solution for blank HTML editor files. When starting a project, many friends face an empty screen and feel unable to start or are forced to repeat the steps that have been completed in previous projects. Underscore.js can provide multiple functions accordingly, such as allowing users to take advantage of their most commonly used Backbone.js or jQuery functional elements.

In addition, it also provides some functional help mechanisms, including "filtering" and "call graph", designed to help us get into work as soon as possible. In addition, Underscore.js also provides related packages to simplify the testing process.

13. Meteor.js

Meteor.js is a fast and efficient way to build JavaScript applications. It is an open source project and can be used to create applications for desktop, mobile and web. Meteor.js is a full-stack framework that can implement end-to-end development tasks on multiple platforms. You can use Meteor.js to create back-end and front-end functions, and also ensure that the application itself has excellent performance. Meteor.js also has a large technical community, so new features and bug fixes are constantly being updated. In addition, Meteor.js is also naturally modular and can cooperate with a variety of excellent APIs.

14. Knockout.js

Knockout.js is clearly the most underrated option of all the frameworks mentioned today. This open source JavaScript framework is licensed under the MIT license and based on the MVVM design.

15. Special recommendation: Node.js

Node.js is a powerful JavaScript runtime environment. It can be used to build high-speed and extremely scalable applications with real data. It is neither a framework nor a library, but a runtime environment based on Google Chrome JavaScript V8 engine. You can use Node.js to create a variety of applications, including single-page applications, real-time web applications, and more. From a technical perspective, Node.js' event-driven architecture supports asynchronous I/O, making it ideal for developing highly scalable solutions.

Summary

JavaScript has become the undisputed king in the Web field. Its rapid development is not only due to its powerful functions and effects, but also the full support of the surrounding open source community. The frameworks and libraries mentioned above are definitely worth trying for every JavaScript developer, and you certainly shouldn’t miss them.