Angular vs React – how do you choose the best framework for your project?

July 11, 2022
6 min Read

If you are looking for the question Angular vs React – which one to choose for your project, it will make it easy for you and show you the differences between these two frameworks and what your choice should be based on.

Angular and React are two popular frameworks for building web applications. Both have advantages, but how do you know which is best for you? This article will compare the two and help you decide which framework suits your project better.

 

Angular vs React – introduction to these frameworks

Angular and React are two of the most popular JavaScript libraries used to build web applications. Yet, their origins tell the story of an unintentional collision between two tech giants.

Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source front-end web application framework mainly maintained by Google.

React is a JavaScript library created by Facebook that was later released as open source.

There are also differences when it comes to the goals of each app.

With data binding and dependency injection, Angular's goal is to make it easy for developers to create rich dynamic web apps. It also aims at making it simple to use third-party libraries, frameworks and tools to speed up development time.

On the other hand, React's goal is to provide a library for building user interfaces that can be rendered on both the server and the client-side of an application. It also aims to be easy to learn and use, perform well, and unify common patterns in front-end development.

 

Angular vs React: What are the advantages of Angular?

First, you must know that Angular doesn't mean Angular JS. This framework was initially released in 2010.

Angular is an open-source JavaScript framework written in TypeScript. It was created and powered by Google and it is compatible with many code editors. Angular is required for the front-end development of dynamic web apps or websites. The first version was " AngularJS" and was released in 2010.

The advantages of Angular are:

  • Better error handling
  • Cleaner code
  • Custom directives
  • Higher performance
  • Material Design-like interface
  • Seamless updates thanks to Angular CLI

The disadvantages of Angular are:

  • Huge size
  • Limited SEO options
  • Performance
  • Steep learning curve

Angular, unlike other frameworks, offers data-binding in two directions. Any value you modify in the input box will update the component class's added property value. It will allow for synchronization between view and model in a seamless, real-time manner.

 

Angular vs React: What are the advantages of React?

React is a front-end JavaScript library that is used to build UI. React was developed by Facebook. It uses declarative, functional programming to describe the UI state.

React allows developers to see the app before it is developed. This gives them an idea of how the app will look and behave with users. React is also used to create native-rendered apps and web apps as well as mobile apps.

It also includes two crucial features that JavaScript developers love. These are JSX and virtual DOM. React currently has versions 15, 16 and 17.

React, like Angular, is an open-sourced project test library. This means anyone can download and modify the source code for free. React libraries include a variety of ReactJS templates, as well as individual UI templates that can be used to build UI for mobile app development.

React quickly dominated the market and overtook most other frameworks, including AngularJS. The community improved Google's JavaScript framework in 2016. They named it Angular2.

The advantages of React are:

  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Great UX
  • Popularity
  • Performance
  • SEO-friendliness
  • Shortened time to market

The disadvantages of React are:

  • The high pace of development
  • View part only

React is exceptionally lightweight and easy to use. React also allows you to use third-party libraries during development. React also features bidirectional data binding.

 

Angular vs React: Comparison

When choosing which is better for your project, you need to have a closer look at the Angular vs React comparison. Let's see the main aspects you should pay attention to:

 

Learning Curve

We will now be looking at the differences between Angular & React based on their learning curve. Any framework's learning curve does not just consider how easy it is to code. It also considers the ease of testing and debugging. This is especially important for large-scale projects that require a lot of code.

Angular is more complicated than React. You will need to understand basic concepts such as modules, directives and decorators. After mastering these concepts, you can move on to more advanced concepts such as AoT compilation and Rx.Js. Angular is a popular framework because it displays clear error messages and allows developers to fix bugs quickly.

It would be best if you first mastered JSX before you can start working with React. Also, you will need to be proficient in writing components, managing internal state, and using props to configure. You will need to know how to use routing libraries in React. Also, you will need to be familiarized with state management libraries such as Redux or MobX.

 

Components

The Angular framework has three layers: Models, Views and Controllers. It has a complicated and fixed structure. Angular allows developers to break down code into separate files. This makes it easier to reuse the codes and templates in other projects.

React doesn't provide a standard format for writing codes. React library code is well-structured and easily readable. Component trees allow the code to be logically organized. Functional programming is also available in the library, making component declarations declarative.

 

Productivity and Speed of Development

The Angular framework's CLI allows for a fantastic development experience. It provides a great workspace that will enable you to design components with just a few lines of code quickly. You can find many built-in processes to solve your problems quickly.

Third-party libraries can slow down React development and reduce productivity. React has many tools. React's tools are used differently for different projects. This means that more time is needed to invest in the app if it is given to a new developer to update.

 

Data binding

The Angular framework employs a two-way binding method that automatically changes the model state when there is a change in the UI element. React uses a one-way approach. This allows UI elements to be modified only after a model state change has been made. Although the two-way process may seem more straightforward, React's one-way approach is better for large projects that require a lot of code.

 

Regular DOM vs Virtual DOM

The performance evaluation of any framework is based on document object management (DOM). AS WE'VE ALREADY MENTIONED, the DOM organizes HTML and XML documents as a tree.

An Angular app uses a real DOM, which means that the entire tree structure is refreshed every time a change is made. This slows down the process.

React, however, uses a Virtual DOM, allowing developers to make changes to the tree without updating the whole tree.

 

Flexibility and performance

React, and Angular have different levels of flexibility.

React gives developers a wide range of tools, libraries and architectures. React professionals can choose the right tools at the start to create a highly personalized app.

React offers more flexibility than Angular. Angular components cannot be used within other frameworks and must be embedded within an HTML app. Apps that need near-real-time updates are not able to benefit from this rigidity. Angular's most exciting feature is its lifecycle. This is called the Angular Lifecycle.

 

Angular vs React: MCRO can help you decide

Regarding the subject of Angular vs React, the professional developer's team from MCRO has the best solutions for your project. They will analyze your project based on your demands and objectives, and the team will choose the framework that suits you best.

MCRO is a team of top full-stack engineers, UX designers, managers, and product thinkers helping businesses launch their next project worldwide.

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