Selecting JavaScript Libraries During the Development of a Web Application

Transitioning from PHP & Java/Android development to web app development can feel overwhelming, especially with the abundance of Javascript Frameworks available.

Check out this comparison of popular JavaScript frameworks

View a list of the top JavaScript MVC frameworks here

Explore essential JavaScript MVC frameworks in this article

Aside from MV* Frameworks, there are various other useful libraries for web app developers, such as:

Backbone / Angujar / Ember (MV* Frameworks)

JQuery / Prototype / Dojo / MooTools (DOM Manipulation)

Underscore / Mustache / Handlebars (Templating)

Require.js (AMD)

Bootstrap (Multiple)

Jasmine (Testing)

JQueryUI (UI)

There are numerous other great libraries not mentioned above. As a new web app developer, how do you decide which general-purpose libraries are best suited for your project? Specifically, what types of libraries should be considered?

web-applicationsjavascript

Answer №1

The size and type of your web app will determine the impact of using JavaScript libraries. Unlike JAVA or .NET libraries, JavaScript libraries are constantly evolving and can be a bit overwhelming. While these libraries aim to streamline development, they require time to learn and keep up with frequent updates.

For large apps, consider using libraries sparingly for user interaction without integrating them into the core application. This approach can save time in the long run.

For small web apps, the choice of library may not have a significant impact.

JQuery, with its established reputation, stands out as a reliable option.

Answer №2

When designing a web application, the choice of how to approach it can greatly impact its success.

In today's world, browsers are more advanced and equipped with powerful tools like Javascript and HTML5. Many developers aim to leverage the capabilities of the browser to reduce the burden on the server for UI logic and generation. One popular approach is building single-page applications (such as Gmail) that consume web services in formats like JSON, XML, or JSONP. To create such applications, developers may opt to use a UI library for various reasons:

  1. MV/MVC: Organizing the code into layers to improve maintainability.

  2. Templating Libraries: Simplifying the View layer by utilizing templating libraries (Don't Repeat Yourself principle).

  3. AMD: Loading files and modules on demand for optimization purposes.

  4. Testing Frameworks: Using tools like Jasmine to write comprehensive test cases.

  5. DOM Manipulation: Most MV/MVC libraries include DOM utility functions; if not, they rely on other libraries like jQuery, Dojo, or YUI for efficient operations without reinventing the wheel.

In addition, for simple DOM manipulation, AJAX functionality, validation tasks, and cross-browser support for UI effects, popular JS libraries such as jQuery, Prototype, or Dojo can be beneficial.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Finding curly brackets and commas using regular expressions

Imagine a lengthy JSON string. I am aiming to identify the following section using a regular expression: }, { "@context" My current expression is yielding two results instead of one. The only variance lies in the braces with the comma preced ...

javascriptregex

Mix up and present cards for a game of blackjack (Javascript)

Have you noticed why "card2" is randomly adding an object to the array? It should consistently add objects to the array. const cards=[ { card: '&#127137', value: '1' }, { card: '&#127138', valu ...

javascriptloopsblackjack

JavaScript not functioning properly with HTML loaded via .load()

I'm facing a perplexing dilemma: My issue revolves around this JS code: EDIT updated JS $(".img-thumb").on("click", function(){ // displaying the same behavior as .click() thumbID = $(this).attr("id"); console.log(thumbID); $(".gal-act" ...

javascriptjquery

Tooltip remains visible even after formatting in highcharts

I have successfully hidden the datalabels with 0 values by formatting them. However, after formatting the tooltips for 0 valued data in a pie chart, there is an issue where hovering over the 0 valued portion shows a white box as shown in the picture. I hav ...

javascriptjquerycsshighcharts

Is there a pub/sub framework specifically designed for managing events in Angular?

Having a background in WPF with Prism, I am familiar with the IEventAggregator interface. It allows you to define events that can be subscribed to from controllers and then triggered by another controller. This method enables communication between controll ...

javascriptc#angularjswpfpublish-subscribe

What is the best method for saving console.log output to a file?

I have a tree structure containing objects: let tree = {id: 1, children: [{id: 2, children: [{id: 3}]}]} My goal is to save all the id values from this tree in a text file, indenting elements with children: 1 2 3 Currently, I am using the following ...

javascripttypescript

What is the distinction between declaring a variable as var $a=$() versus var a?

In some cases, in JQuery we assign a variable like var $a=$(), resembling the declaration of a function. I am curious to know if there is any difference if we simply define the variable as var a? ...

javascriptjquerycoding-style

Angular's onreadystatechange event is triggered when the state

Hey there, I'm new to Angular and had a question. Is it possible to use the $http service in Angular to trigger a function whenever there is any change in the ready state/status, not just for success or failure? If so, what would be the equivalent ang ...

javascriptangularjsajax

Obtain an identifier to be used as dynamic data in an ajax request with jQuery

I am struggling to extract the id from links that trigger the same ajax function. I have over 30 links generated dynamically, as shown below: <a href="javascript:void(0)" id="105">Item 105</a> <a href="javascript:void(0)" id="379">Item 3 ...

javascriptjqueryajax

LinkButton not triggering on Master Page when accessed from Second Child Page in ASP.NET

I am currently working on a project in ASP.NET (Framework 4.0) where I have implemented an Asp LinkButton in the Master Page that is linked to two different pages (Home.aspx and service.aspx). The question at hand is: The LinkButton1 functions properly on ...

javascriptc#asp.net

Styles are ineffective on the focus property, although they do work before the focus is applied

I'm having trouble changing the font color of the TextInput in material UI. It seems to change to white when I click away, but then reverts back to a purple-ish color (the default) when I focus on it again. I'm not sure what I'm missing here ...

javascriptreactjsmaterial-ui

No response text returned from the local Ajax request

Currently, I am facing a challenge while attempting to send an ajax call from the client to my server containing data related to an input parameter. The issue is that although I can view the data in my server's console, it does not display in the brow ...

javascriptjqueryajaxnpm

Learn how to utilize Jquery to create a dynamic slide effect that toggles the

I am looking to change a banner on click functionality. Currently, I have hidden the 2nd banner and banner 1 is displayed. When the arrow is clicked, I want banner 1 to hide and banner 2 to show. The challenge is that I attempted using HTML for this task. ...

javascriptjqueryhtml

The Firebase child_changed event may occasionally be missed at random intervals when the browser tab is inactive

I am currently developing a real-time application where one user can enter the app, and all other users connected to that session will receive notifications or payloads of what that user is entering. Below is the Firebase child_changed listener that every ...

javascriptangularjsfirebaseionic-frameworkfirebase-realtime-database

Organizing the website's files and extensions

Transitioning from programming desktop applications to websites can be overwhelming, especially when dealing with multiple languages and extensions like JavaScript, CSS, JSON, Bootstrap, Ajax, and PHP all at once. How do you effectively juggle these diff ...

javascripthtmlcssweb

Can next.js rewrites be configured with environment variables?

Currently, I am in the process of developing my application with a next.js frontend and express.js backend. During development, I simply run the relevant dev servers in the terminal. However, now I am looking to deploy my app using Docker for production. I ...

javascriptnext.js

Top method for transforming an array into an object

What is the optimal method for transforming the following array using JavaScript: const items = [ { name: "Leon", url: "../poeple" }, { name: "Bmw", url: "../car" } ]; into this object structure: const result = ...

javascripttypescriptalgorithmdata-structures

When the request's credentials mode is set to 'include', the 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header in the response should not be using the wildcard '*'

I am encountering an issue with my socket.io server as I am unable to connect to it from my local HTML file on my Mac. Error: Failed to load : The 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header in the response is causing a problem due to the wildcard ...

javascriptnode.jsexpresssocket.io

Searching for the desktop location using Node.js

As discussed in the Node.js - Find home directory in a platform-agnostic way question, we can locate the home directory using the following code: const homedir = require('os').homedir(); However, how can I locate the desktop folder in Windows r ...

javascriptnode.js

Rendering an element in React Router Dom based on specific conditions

Starting a new project with the latest version of react-router-dom and following their recommendation to use createBrowserRouter. The goal is to display a different header based on the path parameters. Currently, I have set up an optional path parameter: ...

javascriptreactjsreact-routerreact-router-dom