When you’ve learned a new computer language and you’re able to start writing codes and understand them, somewhere along the way you might be asking yourself: Do we have to keep writing the same codes to start new applications or projects? That’s where web frameworks come into play. Web frameworks are the foundations of any projects or applications that are created in many companies.
What is a web framework?
Web framework is a software framework that supports the development of applications. It serves to make the lives of software engineer much easier by providing them with the template, database, and session management to create applications. This promotes one of the most important feature of reusing codes. It already contains the codes that you learned so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself when starting new applications. Web frameworks can also be written with a single language or multiple languages.
Examples of web frameworks:
NODE JS
Node JS uses javascript for front end and back end framework. It’s an asynchronous event-driven framework, which means it can process information simultaneously instead of running each line of code in order. It follows the MVC structure which provides an easy learning experience for the programmer. Since it’s written only in javascript, this leads to fewer files and less complications.
Few of the notable aspects of Node JS are scalability, high performance, and having a large community. Some of the companies that use Node JS are Netflix, LinkedIn, Paypal, and NASA. These companies mostly utilize the UI development of Node JS giving the users a better experience.
Ruby on Rails
Rails uses javascript for front end and ruby for back end. The simplicity of the framework gives you a better understanding of its structure, enabling you to expand on the development of applications. It also uses the MVC structure just like Node JS.
The main advantage of using Rails is the convention over configuration. Rails assumes a lot of the codes that we write, so we can focus more on developing our applications rather than trying to debug and rewrite codes. Rails also have ruby gems, which are ruby programs that have reusable functionalities that we can use in our applications. Some of the companies that incorporate Rails are Airbnb, Bloomberg, Github, and Soundcloud.
Django
Django is a python based web framework that uses MVC structure as well. With python leading to be one of the most used language today, the ease of creating an application with Django is on par with Rails. Some of the best features of Django are security, scalability, and administration interface. With using little code, you’re able to create a customizable and simple to use administration interface.
Another key feature of Django is its security feature. The security feature is so well protected, it might be considered to be the most secure web framework. Some of the companies that use Django are Robinhood, Pinterst, Instagram, and Youtube. The speed of creating application through Django is known to be one of the best which lot of big companies desire when taking scalability into consideration.
Angular
Angular is a front end web framework that uses Javascript as its language. It’s a single page web framework that uses HTML tags to present the data it wants to show the user using event listeners(mouse clicks/button push) and DOM events(mouse hover). Angular uses another type of language called Typescript, which is a higher form of Javascript.
Using Typescript, the codes are more readable and you’re able to understand more clearly of what the codes are trying to accomplish. It also provides type checking and is based on creating small components to build the application, which makes testing of the application easier. Some of the companies that use Angular are Google, Sony, Nike, and General Motors.
Which framework is the best?
Comparing frameworks to each other is like comparing apples to oranges. Each framework is best in their own ways and companies decide which framework to use based on what the users want. If users want a faster and more secure experience, you would use Django or if they want a more interactive webpage experience, you would use Angular. By learning different type of frameworks, we’re able to better understand what the users want and make changes to improve the experience more enjoyable and more convenient.
