What is the first decision when you want to buy something? Right, to Google it. It’s easier to find desired things on our phones or laptops without hunting through shopping malls. That’s why having a website in today’s digital world is a must. It allows you to expand a customer base, promote products and services in search, and implement various conversion practices.
With technologies becoming more sophisticated, programmers craft new ways to streamline web engineering, offer modern Magento development services, and perform coding tasks faster. For instance, with the help of frameworks. These are tools to build dynamic websites, web services, and web applications. They combine numerous code libraries, pre-written components, design, and software templates to create reliable and secure resources.
In this article, we’ll overview the top ten frameworks for web development in 2022.
Most Popular Web Development Frameworks in 2022
According to Statista, developers prefer React.js, jQuery, Express, Angular, Vue.js, etc.
A web application framework is like a structure to organize the most common and repetitive operations in the following areas:
- Backend: these are server-side frameworks for developing the website architecture, ensuring database connectivity, and integrating APIs. The languages for backend frameworks are Python, PHP, Ruby, Java, and C#.
- Frontend: these frameworks assist in creating design templates, code snippets, and widgets for UI/UX design as well as in dealing with SEO and performance optimization tasks. The frontend languages are client-side markup (HTML) and scripting (CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery).
5 Best Frameworks for Backend
1. Express
Express or Express.js is one of the most popular frameworks for web and mobile development. Express is a backend framework. It’s open-source and operates on top of Node.js, a JavaScript run time environment. You can use it to build web apps to run in the browser, APIs, and custom Node.js development projects.
The Express advantages include flexibility, minimalism, and support for various features. As it relies on one of the top programming languages, JavaScript, developers shouldn’t have difficulties using this framework. Most of the code is already written, so they can use its parts to create single-page (SPA), multi-page, and hybrid apps.
Express finds application in development for various industries across the globe. For example, in companies like Uber, Accenture, MuleSoft, Myspace, and others.
2. ASP.NET Core
Another framework for backend development is ASP.NET Core. Supported by Microsoft, It’s a faster, more reliable, and more secure version of ASP.NET, one of the oldest web development frameworks. ASP.NET appeared in 2002 as the successor of the classical ASP. It’s an open-source solution for creating dynamic web applications for the web, PCs, and mobile.
The ASP.NET Core has existed since 2016. Known for its smaller size, productivity, and power, ASP.NET Core assists in creating Internet of Things (IoT) apps, web apps, and mobile backends. You can utilize it for running a program on the cloud or on-premises.
As it has the support of Microsoft and the community, the framework finds its place in numerous companies. TacoBell, GettyImages, and StackOverflow are just a few cases in point.
3. Flask
The third framework is Python-based Flask. This lightweight framework aims to reduce all the extra features and leave only those you need. That’s why Flask often comes with the term “micro” framework. It doesn’t mean it lacks some functionality. Instead, its principles are simplicity and scalability. So you can add extensions to integrate databases, validate and authenticate operations, and upload handling.
Why has this framework gained traction among Python developers? Compared to renowned frameworks like Django, Pyramid, and Turbogears, Flask provides more control over the project development. It comes with the following features:
- a built-in web server and debugger;
- WSGI 1.0 compliance;
- RESTful request dispatching;
- Jinja2 templating.
It supports unit testing, secure cookies (client-side sessions), and Unicode. Top Flask adopters are Pinterest, Patreon, Airbnb, etc.
4. Django
A popular Python framework Django is in high demand among programmers and companies. Django leverages the MVT (Model-View-Template) architecture and the idea of code reuse (the DRY, or Don’t Repeat Yourself concept). It streamlines application creation and reduces the number of errors. The framework developers pose it as a solution for perfectionists with deadlines.
Django is one of the best web frameworks for building both the application’s frontend and backend. It also relies on Convention Over Configuration pattern. The framework is all about safety. You can develop protected websites and access the framework’s security features, such as:
- built-in validation;
- authentication;
- preventing code execution.
As a result, you get a reliable, scalable, rapid, and versatile solution. All these peculiarities are essential for complex business projects. And Django can support them. No wonder some of the largest companies, like Instagram, NASA, Google, and Youtube, leverage Django’s backend operations.
5. Spring
Another well-known web framework is Spring. Developed by Pivotal Software, Spring is an open-source Java platform. It enables the creation of straightforward, adaptable, and quick systems and applications.
Before Spring, coders used Java Beans and Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) in web application development. These technologies lacked the needed services or were too complicated. Spring emerged as a solution to streamline the creation of enterprise applications.
This backend framework leverages features, such as:
- Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP);
- Plain Old Java Object (POJO);
- dependency injection (DI).
It’s also a lightweight framework for building robust and high-performing apps. Among the businesses using Spring are Wix, Zalando, BlaBlaCar, and others.
5 Recognized Frontend Frameworks
1. React.js
React.js is our first frontend solution for building user interfaces. Facebook (Meta) developed this solution in 2013 and has been maintaining it ever since. The company employs it in the Facebook and Instagram apps.
React.js isn’t a framework but a JavaScript library with reusable components. It was the first to adopt the component-based architecture before Vue, Angular, and others started to use it. React.js is most widely used in building SPAs, PWAs, and other mobile-friendly apps. You can also employ it in native app development as React Native.
This library streamlines content delivery and performance thanks to its virtual DOM. It involves updating only the changing items in the DOM instead of doing it to the whole document. Another advantage is easy integration with other libraries.
Some brands with React.js as a used framework are UberEats, Netflix, Dropbox, and more.
2. jQuery
jQuery is another open-source JavaScript library. It simplifies JavaScript operations and builds app user interfaces. It appeared in 2006 as an API for working with DOM elements and AJAX requests. It’s also famous for its simplicity and compatibility with all major browsers and other frameworks, so you can build an app for broader audiences and provide complex functions.
The library lets you program tasks that require many lines of JavaScript code with a single line. It ranks among the most widely used JavaScript libraries. Why? jQuery is flexible, straightforward, and feature-rich. It provides numerous plugins to customize websites and create an interactive experience with less code.
jQuery has become one of the frameworks for leading businesses like Twitter, Uber, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, and IBM.
3. Angular
Angular is a Javascript framework that Google introduced in 2009. Since then, the framework has undergone some improvements, with Angular v14 being the most recent today. Each new update aims at fixing bugs, reducing issues, and improving what already exists.
The framework finds implementation in building web, desktop, and mobile applications. You can also develop a SPA/PWA with its help. Angular is open source and leverages Typescript, a Javascript superset, to construct client-side pages. It may be more challenging to understand Angular than other frameworks. It’s a vast and all-encompassing framework with controllers, libraries, directives, and other components.
Angular is compatible with client-side and cross-platform frameworks. That’s why it’s popular among small and large tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Samsung, etc.
4. Vue.js
Vue.js is another open-source progressive JavaScript framework. It’s used in building user interfaces (UIs) and SPAs and provides high scalability for applications. Vue.js can also boast a high speed and simple core functionality. But if you need a more complex solution, you can improve the framework with libraries, plugins, and APIs.
Apart from being lightweight and intuitive, this framework is easy to start. It doesn’t require extensive knowledge to utilize libraries. You can use its CSS, HTML, and JavaScript base and enhance the project with time. The framework also has a virtual DOM to speed up rendering.
However, Vue.js appeared very recently, in 2014. And due to its young age, it lacks the support of the community or companies like Facebook or Google. It may also lack plugins and components compared to other established frameworks.
Companies like Netflix, Xiaomi, Adobe, Grammarly, and more employ this framework in their projects.
5. Svelte
The final framework on the list is Svelte. Like React and Vue, it’s a JavaScript framework with components, rules, and tools for building reactive web applications. However, it represents an innovative approach to web development. It’s also the most-loved web framework based on the Stack Overflow developer survey.
Svelte doesn’t use a virtual DOM, which is inherent in other frameworks. It’s a compiler that converts instructions into Vanilla JS at build time, not in the browser. This logic speeds up the code, making an app more user-friendly. Other Svelte benefits include:
- smaller file size (under 1KB);
- faster loading time;
- better performance due to a Virtual Machine, which is built for creating user interfaces.
Note that it was designed not so long ago, in 2017. Thus, it may lack integration and support from the community.
Among the top companies relying on Svelte are the New York Times app, Chess.com, Rakuten, and others.
Conclusion
Here is the list of the most popular web frameworks in 2022 and beyond. We hope it helps you find the perfect solution for your company. Each comes with its pros and cons, allowing you to have the best outcomes for the project. Some may share similar characteristics even if they utilize different languages.
Frameworks streamline the development process. They provide numerous features to build web, desktop, and mobile apps. Thanks to built-in capabilities, you can also utilize them to develop SPAs or PWAs and accelerate content delivery.
Experiment with different frameworks to accomplish various tasks. Remember that there can’t be any dead-end with frameworks. You can shift them and try new ones as large corporations do.
