10 Chart - Topping Web Development Frameworks in 2021

A software framework in computer programming terminology is an abstraction in which software can be particularly changed by additional user-written codes. It provides generic functionality and application-specific software for personal or commercial use. It is a universal platform that provides a standard way to build and deploy applications. It facilitates a reusable software environment that provides specific functionalities to facilitate the development of software applications, solutions, and products.

Software frameworks usually include inbuilt code libraries, compilers, toolsets, support programs, and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). When creating a project or system, all these components are needed. These key distinguishing features separate frameworks from libraries.

We have a diversity of open-source frameworks available today. Both front-end and back-end web application frameworks are available for free. Let us discuss the list of the top 10 web application frameworks of 2021 in detail.

1. React

React was originally founded by Jordan Walke. Today, React has over a thousand open source contributors. React is primarily maintained by Facebook and a community of independent developers and companies.

React is an open-source JavaScript library. It is primarily used to build interfaces and in front-end development. React is used to develop user interfaces and UI components. React is a flexible tool. It is used to create a base in developing static single-page or interactive user interfaces such as mobile applications.

React allows developers to design reusable components. These components are independent of each other since it supports the process of reconciliation. Server-side routing can be done during an update, and the whole view does not have to be updated every time. The APIs and concepts of React are simple and easy to learn and eventually allows us rapid development.

React has a wider range of community support and plugins since it is open-source. It has a standard framework called Material UI which is popular. If you are looking for a slightly lighter alternative to Angular, then React is the best option. This framework is one of the top front-end web development frameworks for 2021.

2.Angular

AngularJS is a JavaScript-based front-end web framework. It is an open-source framework. It is maintained by Google and by a community of independent developers and corporations. They assist in addressing the challenges encountered while developing single-page applications.

Angular has a component-based architecture. It is the best front-end framework to create dynamic web applications because of its architecture and structure. It is the best option to design enterprise-wide web applications. The immediate synchronization feature proves to be a time-saving feature as it allows developers to instantly alter the model if changes need to happen in the view mode. Angular has a declarative user interface that facilitates the process of binding components with data models.

Angular has two different types of frameworks. The original framework is currently in long-term support mode so, no new features or innovations are being developed. The framework most developers are using is the new Angular framework. This framework is rapidly innovating. There are several readily available pre-built solutions that can be used to develop enterprise applications faster. This framework needs Node.js and incorporates either JavaScript or Typescript as well as some additional existing technologies like Angular CLI. In this way, Angular enables to make the generation of the modules and code packages quick and easy for the developer.

The best feature of this framework is the tight integration it has with Angular Material. It is a modern design guideline for websites, so it is visible on several websites.

3.Vue.js

In popularity, Vue is with Angular and React in the top 10 web development frameworks. Vue.js is an open-source model-view front-end JavaScript framework. It can be used for building user interfaces and single-page applications. Vue.js is an HTML-based template. UI development using Vue is comparatively straightforward because of its ability to compile templates into Virtual DOM render functionality.

It is remarkably lighter than Angular and React, yet it is still fast in spite of its small size. The best features of Vue are the computed properties, data binding, animation/transition with integrations of third-party animated libraries among others, but there might not be as robust of features built-in. Vue is easy to learn and if you know CSS, Javascript, and HTML, learning Vue is much easier. It can be easily integrated without any dependency, with any existing JS apps at the time of adding new features or upgrades.

4.Laravel

Taylor Otwell created Laravel which is a free, open-source PHP web framework that is very expressive. It was created with the intention of developing web applications following the model-view-controller architectural pattern and based on Symfony.

Laravel is an open-source PHP framework with advanced features and customization through the use of an object-relational mapper. For flawless layouts, we have Template Engines, Artisan CLI command-line interface, and MVC architecture. All of these features can benefit us in executing complex programming tasks.

Laravel has a great ecosystem of toolsets that allow you to develop solutions using PHP quickly and easily. To aid ease in development, Laravel has tools and cross-platform development environments that allow easy debugging. With everything you need to develop, from cross-platform development environments to tools for efficient debugging, you'll find it all here.

Laravel comes with certain native built-in features such as app scaling, OAuth2 implementation, zero downtime deployments, subscription billing. All these features are considered essential in a modern website. I think this is one of the best options for PHP ecosystems and will bring a lot of value.

5.Node.js

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform, back-end JavaScript. It has a runtime environment that works on the V8 engine and helps us to execute Javascript code outside of our web browser. Node.js has a rich ecosystem and strong corporate support from the community.

Today, Node.js has been deemed the most popular framework because of its code sharing and reuse capabilities. Node.js has pretty remarkable features as well as asynchronous request handling. It works on single-threaded nature that makes real-time applications faster and better.

6.Spring

Spring is an open-source back-end application framework. It provides infrastructure support to develop Java applications. The Spring framework has been designed for the development of both large and small-scale web applications. The reusable code, its Inversion of Control, and all the structural features are the reasons, Spring can be an ideal framework for medium-scale web applications. Also, Spring MVC, which is considered to be a model view controller-based wen framework.

Spring includes REST endpoints, Spring integration for distributing services and microservices, and SOA. Because of these robust features, the Spring framework is considered an excellent choice for backend as well as full-stack development. If you have to make a Java-based application, the best option to use is the Spring framework.

The Spring framework comes with several great features. Few distinguished features of this framework are as follows:

• It provides an interface for Java-based apps, which rank among one of the most popular web development technologies nowadays.
• This framework is extremely useful in the development of the middleware tier necessary to build web applications.
• For your data storage needs, this framework has a data access and transaction management system.
• It has web integration with Spring MVC.
• To assist in dependency validation, injection, email, etc, we have core technologies and full testing control in this framework.

With an increase in popularity of the Spring framework, the community is expanding and so is the community support. This framework is now one of the top backend frameworks of 2021.

7.Gatsby

Gatsby is an open-source static website generator(SSG). It is a front-end web application framework based on React and it uses the Webpack and GrapgQL technologies. Gatsby is famous for its out-of-the-box performance and its active community. It is easy to learn and the learning curve is low because it relies on technologies like ReactJS, Webpack, GraphQL, modern ES6+ JavaScript, and CSS. In addition, it is capable of increasing the search engine ranking of your website.

Gatsby comes with some outstanding features which are as follows:

• Webpack bundling
• Code Splitting
• It provides complex patterns for advanced users' interface.
• Minor tooling configurations for quick coding.

8.Django

Django is an open-source web framework that is based on Python. This framework is maintained by the Django Software Foundation. It is an American independent organization, established as a 501 non-profit. Django follows the model-template-views architectural pattern.

Today, Django is considered the best Python framework for web development. Django is the first preference among developers to design high-performance and complex websites and web applications. Django is an exceptional framework for both beginners and experts. The Django framework is known for its flexible framework. Some other benefits of using this framework are as follows:

Django allows the rapid development of web applications and websites.

• REST framework for APIs
• Machine learning capabilities.
• Extensive and well-updated documentation
• Out of the box libraries
• Pre-built components and templates
• Integrated with a reusable code library
• Active community support

Pre-built components and templates allow us the integration of data analysis, prototyping. It also helps the developers to make AI/ML easier without needing much customization or complex configuration. It comes with a reusable code library, that allows developers to use codes from past or ongoing projects and save time.

9.jQuery

jQuery is a free, open-source Javascript library that can be used to simplify Javascript programming. It aims to simplify event handling, Ajax calls, data logic, CSS animation, and HTML DOM tree traversal and manipulation. It is software that uses the permissive MIT License.

The syntax of jQuery is precise and effective. It is lightweight and it allows the reduction of massive code in a few lines of code. It is a front-end framework and is generally considered to be better than Javascript. jQuery permits developers to add their custom code, third-party integration, and methods, unlike other frameworks. And, it is possible with the aid of simple plug-in architecture.

Since jQuery has changed the approach most developers write Javascript, it has become one of the most popular web development technologies today.

10.Express

Express is an open-source back-end web application framework for Node.js. It is available as free software under the MIT License. It can be used to design and build web applications and APIs. It is basically a Javascript-based framework that is hosted within the Node.js runtime.

The Express framework is designed to provide a minimal approach for creating robust code within a thin layer of the framework. It also supports writing handlers for HTTP verbs. This framework is armed with an extensive set of coding tools that help in building high-quality websites in a minimum amount of time.

The documentation, tutorials, and examples available online for Express are excellent for starters. It comes with all the functionalities you would expect like error handling, database integration, routing, and debugging. If we consider making web development applications in Node.js, this is one of the best frameworks.