Front-End Frameworks for Development: Choosing the Best Option

Every website or web app is made up of two key parts: the backend and the frontend. The backend is the behind-the-scenes area that handles data and file storage. The frontend, or the part you see and interact with, includes all the visual elements like text styles, colors, buttons, and menus. It’s where all the eye-catching features like animations and layouts come to life. Front end frameworks can help you achieve all of this. 

However, creating many interactive elements from scratch can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Hence, many enterprises and developers today use front-end frameworks to speed up web application development.

This article will discuss different factors you must consider to choose the right front-end framework. We’ll also explore the features of Sencha Ext JS, one of the leading front-end frameworks.

What Is a Front-End Framework?

A front-end framework is a software development tool that simplifies building web applications. While front-end frameworks vary in use and functionality, most are JavaScript-based frameworks.

Front-end frameworks offer ready-to-use code and tools, helping developers build websites faster. They include handy templates and plugins, so there’s no need to start from scratch for common tasks. This makes it quicker and easier to create engaging websites.

Moreover, front-end frameworks also help reduce bugs and errors in your code, making your app faster.

Using a web application framework is particularly helpful for complex projects, such as building enterprise-grade web applications, as they involve many different components.

What Are the Benefits of Using Best Frontend Frameworks for Web Development?

Using front-end frameworks can have several benefits:

Faster Development Process

Front-end frameworks offer ready-made code and templates, so developers don’t need to start from zero. They can also tweak these to fit their app’s look and feel. This helps them create dynamic web apps quickly and more efficiently. For instance, React uses a Virtual DOM that lets developers write code that behaves as expected, speeding up the development process.

Enhanced Developer Productivity

Front-end frameworks also help improve web developer productivity as developers don’t have to write code for repetitive tasks again and again. They can instead focus on other crucial tasks to build web apps quickly.

Consistent UI

When you use a component-based framework, your UI components have a base style that can be extended. Hence, these frameworks provide a consistent user interface design, which improves the user experience.

Fully-Tested Code

Good front-end development frameworks provide fully-tested code libraries and components with cross-browser compatibility. Therefore, you don’t have to test and debug the code for various browsers and platforms. This further speeds up the development process.

Easy Maintenance

A robust front-end framework utilizes standardized coding practices, making maintaining and updating the codebase easier.

Help Is Readily Available

Choosing a popular front-end development framework means you can quickly find solutions to common problems online. Plus, you might get free professional themes and templates. These frameworks come with detailed guides that explain all their features and how they work.

Also Read: Benefits Of Using Frameworks For Web Applications Development.

What Factors Should You Consider When Choosing the Best Frontend Frameworks for Web Development?

Learning Resources

Many front-end frameworks have good guides, but you often need extra materials like tutorials, articles, and ebooks to learn them well. These extra resources make it easier and quicker to build web applications. So, it’s important to check if there are plenty of learning materials available before choosing a framework.

Core Features

When choosing a front-end framework, check if it has key features. Ensure it supports forms, custom templates, web connections, navigation, state control, and request checks. This is important for building a strong and safe web app with a great look.

Popularity

Popular front-end frameworks have large communities. Developers can quickly find solutions to issues. Choosing a popular framework makes it easier for enterprises to hire experienced developers at competitive salaries. Ext JS, React, Angular, and Vue are some of the top front-end frameworks.

Two-Way Data Binding

Check if the framework you’re choosing supports two-way data binding, as it enables seamless communication between the model and view, thereby minimizing the need for manual updates.

Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

Server-side rendering (SSR) means converting code on the server into a complete HTML page for the client to display. It helps create dynamic web apps with interactive interfaces. SSR also improves website loading speed, which is important for SEO. So, choose a framework that supports server-side rendering.

Responsive Components

People today use different types of mobile devices with varying screen sizes to access a website or web app. Hence, choosing a framework that supports responsive components that can adapt to different screen sizes is essential.

Ease Of Integration With Other Libraries

Choosing a feature-rich framework gives you the tools to build a functional, responsive, and interactive interface. However, you may still need extra libraries for tasks like DOM manipulation, rich text editing, and data processing. So, it’s important to pick a framework that easily integrates with other libraries. Otherwise, you’ll waste hours on integration.

Security

Security breaches can cause serious financial and legal problems. So, it’s crucial to choose a very secure framework. Research shows that open-source security breaches have increased recently. This is why many executives avoid using open-source governance in their organizations.

Which Is the Best Front-End Development Framework

Ext JS is one of the leading front-end Javascript front-end frameworks trusted by more than 100,00 enterprise customers worldwide, including Americal Airlines, Apple, Canon, and Cisco. It’s a one-stop solution for building high-performance and highly secure enterprise-level mobile and web applications.

Some of the key features of Ext JS include:

High-Performance UI Components

Ext JS provides over 140 high-performance UI components like buttons, menus, icons, text fields, calendars, carousels, sliders, and checkboxes. These components are fully tested and work smoothly in any web app, reducing the need to write and debug code. Developers can also customize these components to match the app’s theme and design.

Cross-browser and Cross-Platform Compatibility in Front End Frameworks

While many other frameworks have limited desktop capabilities, Ext JS provides a single codebase for cross-platform development. It delivers a great user experience on smartphones, desktops, and tablets. All its components are designed and tested for use across different browsers, reducing development time.

Blazing-Fast Grid

Ext JS offers a fast, high-performance JavaScript data grid that can handle millions of records efficiently. The grid includes features like grouping, scrolling, sorting, drag-and-drop, and row expansion. Additionally, Ext JS supports various charts and graphs, as well as D3 visualizations like treemaps and heatmaps.

A well-known Argentinian hospital used Ext JS for Oncology and Home System, and here is what their lead JavaScript developer, Maximiliano Yusso, said about Ext JS:

“The object-oriented nature of the Ext JS framework and the well-laid-out class structure makes the app versatile and easily scalable. There are no issues with performance since the Ext JS grid and other components work seamlessly with big data.”

Try Ext JS grid today and test its impressive features yourself.

MVC Architecture

Ext JS utilizes MVC (Model-Viewer-Controller) architecture, allowing developers to easily build large client-side apps with several features. It essentially minimizes the amount of code developers have to write.

Layout and Exporter

Ext JS frontend framework has an efficient layout system that ensures the proper positioning and sizing of all your UI components on various devices. It also has an Exporter that allows you to export all your data from the grid to various file formats.

Detailed Documentation and Additional Resources

Sencha Ext JS has detailed documentation consisting of all the information you need regarding its features and functionality. It also has several coding examples to help you get started quickly. Moreover, Sencha has an excellent Resource Center where you find a wide range of whitepapers, ebooks, supporting videos, and webinars.

Easy Maintenance in Ext JS Front End App Development

Ext JS front end framework makes app maintenance for even new developers working on the app easy with its common use model and coding style across components. On the other hand, varying coding styles with other frameworks make it challenging for new developers to use and maintain the app.

Other Front End Frameworks Available for Developers

React Framework

React, developed by Facebook, is a popular open-source framework known for its virtual DOM and component reusability, making it ideal for high-traffic applications.

✅ Reusable components, virtual DOM, open-source, one-way data flow.

❌ Sparse documentation, steep learning curve, JSX complexity.

Single-page apps needing rich, interactive interfaces.

Without JavaScript knowledge, for simpler projects.

Angular Framework

Developed by Google, Angular is a TypeScript-based framework known for its two-way data binding, making it suitable for dynamic web and mobile apps.

✅ Simplifies coding, component-based, large ecosystem, high performance.

❌ Complexity, steep learning curve, challenging migration.

Dynamic web and mobile apps, enterprise-level projects.

Small projects, teams with limited resources.

Vue.js Framework

Vue.js is a lightweight, flexible framework known for its simplicity and clarity, supporting two-way data binding and ideal for both small and large projects.

✅ Simple, clear, detailed documentation, code reusability, flexible integration.

❌ Smaller community, flexibility may lead to code irregularities.

Progressive web apps, dynamic web apps, scalable projects.

Projects requiring strong community support, steady components.

Ember.js

Ember.js offers two-way data binding and is designed for building complex web and mobile applications with a challenging learning curve.

✅ Fast development, well-managed, good documentation, two-way data binding.

❌ Slow updates, challenging syntax, small community, difficult learning curve.

Complex applications like LinkedIn, extensive projects.

Small teams, simple Ajax functionalities.

jQuery

jQuery simplifies DOM manipulation and CSS manipulation, useful for simpler projects and dynamic content, though outdated for large-scale apps.

✅ Simplifies DOM manipulation, streamlined HTTP requests, dynamic content.

❌ Outdated, sluggish, less efficient for large-scale apps.

Desktop-based JavaScript apps, managing events, animations.

Large-scale apps, modern frameworks with fewer coding requirements.

When to Start Using Frontend Frameworks? 

Experts recommend mastering HTML, JavaScript, and CSS before diving into front end frameworks. This foundational knowledge is crucial, much like learning basic math before using a calculator. Starting with frameworks prematurely can hinder understanding of core concepts essential for effective web development.

Why Do Enterprises Rely on Ext JS for Front-End Frameworks Development?

Ext JS is a robust JavaScript framework packed with all the features required for building high-performance enterprise-level apps. Here are the key reasons why so many enterprises use Ext JS:

Faster Development

One of the main reasons why many enterprises rely on Ext JS is that it speeds up the web development process with its pre-built and fully-tested UI components, high-performance grid and cross-browser and cross-platform support.

Highly Secure

Security is another key reason why many enterprises prefer Ext JS to open-source frameworks. Ext JS is one of the most secure frameworks available in the market.

Kaseware, an investigative platform to combat security threats, used Ext JS to design a beautiful platform and achieve maximum security in their app development. According to Dorian Deligeorges, CEO & Founder of Kaseware:

“With Ext JS, we were able to better enforce security within our code base. If you are building an Angular app, you are constantly searching for a widget for this and a widget for that. You don’t know if they are maintained or if there is any embedded malware or nefarious code in them. Using Ext JS, we rarely had to go outside the framework, and our platform has some really complex security and functionality requirements.“

Cost Savings

Ext JS may seem expensive at first but is cheaper over time. Open-source frameworks can have performance and security issues. Many companies have saved money using Ext JS. 

Research by Dimensional Research shows Ext JS users save:

• 50% on front-end development
• 75% on yearly app maintenance
• 75% on cross-platform and cross-browser development. 

You can find the full analysis of customer ROI here.

Conclusion

It is important to choose the right front-end framework for web development. Look for features, popularity, security, and learning resources. Ensure it supports forms, custom templates, web connections, and navigation.

Ext JS may seem expensive at first but saves money over time. It offers significant savings in front-end development, yearly maintenance, and cross-platform development.

Ext JS is popular because it is secure and performs well. It has over 140 high-performance UI components, works on all browsers and devices, and has good documentation. Its MVC architecture and efficient layout system make development and maintenance easier. It supports responsive components and integrates well with other libraries.

Choosing Ext JS ensures a faster, more secure, and cost-effective development process. It is a reliable choice for building enterprise-level web applications.

FAQs

Which Framework Is Better for Front-End Development?

Ext JS stands out as a top choice for front-end development, favored by many enterprises for its robust features and user-friendly interface. It offers comprehensive UI components and tools, making it an efficient option for building data-intensive web applications.

How Do I Choose Front-End Frameworks?

When selecting a front-end framework, consider these factors:

• Evaluate the built-in functionalities.
• Check compatibility with your existing tech stack.
• Consider frameworks with a strong user base.
• Ensure it supports responsive design.
• Opt for frameworks with comprehensive documentation and tutorials.

Why Is Sencha Ext JS One of the Best Front-End Frameworks?

Ext JS offers all the features needed to build highly secure, functional and beautiful enterprise-grade apps. These include:

• 140+ pre-built UI components,
• A layout manager, 
• A high-performance data grid, 
• D3 visualizations, and more.

How Much Does It Cost to Purchase Sencha Ext JS?

Ext JS comes with different annual and monthly plans. However, it comes with a community plan. The enterprise plan starts at $1895 per month.

Try Sencha Ext JS best front-end Framework Free.