Vue JS vs React: Pros And Cons

Vue JS and React are both leading-edge competing technologies popular for front-end development. Vue JS is a popular Javascript framework for creating simple and clean user interfaces and single-page applications. It supports a virtual DOM with two-way binding. It also has a progressive design, allowing you to migrate your existing projects one feature at a time.

The React library is also very popular amongst developers. It supports a virtual DOM with two-way data bindings. Following a component-based approach, React enables you to rapidly build complex web apps.

Are you a developer at a crossroads, trying to decide whether to use Vue or React for your next project? To make this decision easy for you, we have compiled a guide with the pros and cons of both Vue and React. Continue reading to find out various aspects of application development when using Vue JS vs React, both supporting the integration of Sencha ExtWebComponents as described in the end.

What is the Core Difference Between Vue and React?

When it comes to the core difference, Vue is a complete standalone Javascript framework first released in 2014. React, on the other hand, is a Javascript library, first released in 2013. React has to be used in conjunction with other libraries. They are both open source.

How are Components Built in Vue JS vs React?

One of the most significant distinctions between Vue JS and React is the syntax and the way you develop the view layer and build components. In Vue JS, developers use HTML templates to build the components. The view layer uses HTML templates by default but Vue developers also have the freedom to use JSX.

On the other hand, in React there is only one option — JSX. JSX expresses both HTML and CSS using Javascript. JSX stands for Javascript XML and it is a Javascript syntax extension. It requires a tool/compiler such as the Babel transpiler, to convert code to be further processed by a web browser.

Which is Better, HTML Templates or JSX?

If you use HTML templates, there is a clear separation of concerns into HTML, CSS, and JS. The view is separate from the logic. JSX on the other hand, contains both HTML and CSS in one, allowing developers to build self-contained and standalone UI components that hold everything from styles and rendering instructions to logic.

At the end of the day, it’s all a matter of personal choice. For novice developers, HTML templates are easier to learn and work with. They have a simpler design and cleaner code. However, expert developers find JSX a very powerful and flexible tool for building components.

How Do the Performance of Vue JS and React Compare?

Benchmarking experiments have shown that Vue and React have almost the same speed of execution for most tasks, with Vue being slightly better on most metrics. Vue has more built-in smart optimizations, while React does not have any. This gives Vue an edge over React. However, we have to keep in mind that the final speed and performance of an app heavily depend upon coding style, application size, and optimization.

What About Mobile App Development in Vue JS vs React?

For mobile app development, it is important to have a development environment that lets you create native apps for all types of mobile devices. You must use Vue with NativeScript or Capacitor to allow cross-platform mobile app development. On the other hand, React developers can use React native to build cross-platform mobile apps. It allows developers to reuse almost all the code between Android and iOS and the end result is a mobile app that has the look and feels of a native Android/iOS app. When it comes to mobile app development, React leads the way.

Which is Easier to Learn, Vue JS or React?

Most developers agree that Vue JS is easier to learn than React. Vue has extensive documentation, which is very easy to read and follow. It also enforces a separation of concerns for HTML, CSS, and JS, which results in cleaner code that is easier to write and more reader-friendly.

When it comes to React, the JSX code coupled with the fact that React’s documentation is harder to follow results in a slower learning curve. Unlike Vue, React’s code is structure-free with a mixing of view and logic, making it harder to read. Inexperienced developers can easily fall into a trap of writing messy code, which is hard to read and troubleshoot.

When it comes to more readable and well-structured code, Vue is the obvious winner.

How Do Vue JS and React Compare When Developing Large Scale Projects?

Vue JS is ideal for building single-page applications and you can build a simple application really fast. While HTML templates make Vue JS code simpler and easier to read, they are not very advantageous for building large-scale projects.

Compared to Vue, React is the choice of platform for SaaS products and enterprise-grade solutions. React is a lightweight library for developing multi-page applications. Compared to Vue, it is more flexible and the code is reusable. With React, there are numerous libraries and off-the-shelf solutions for many tasks. Developers don’t have to write functions from scratch as it’s likely that a solution is already available. Hence, it’s very easy to develop large-scale projects in React.

How Do I Leverage Sencha ExtWebComponents in Vue JS and React?

Sencha ExtWebComponents are all you need to build data-intensive web apps. You get components that interact seamlessly and are professionally built, tested, and maintained. 140+ pre-built UI components are fully supported and designed to work together over the entire lifetime of the application.

This detailed documentation explains how you can easily integrate Sencha ExtWebComponents to a Vue JS app. If React is your game, you can read this guide for a detailed explanation of adding ExtWebComponents to React apps. What’s more, you can use them in conjunction with Sencha WebTestIt, a lightweight IDE optimized for building UI web tests with Selenium or Protractor.

Explore more of the fastest Javascript Grid and the high-performance UI components; sign up for Sencha Ext JS free trial today!