9 web app development frameworks that continue to dominate 2020

App development frameworks are at the front and center of the development community. Backend and frontend frameworks are continuously taking inspiration from each other to ensure smooth development and deployment of web and mobile apps. In such scenarios, factors like learning curve, community support, programming language, and flexibility become the deciding factors. In this blog you will find USP’s of the most popular backend and front end frameworks which can help you narrow down the one that works best for your product.

Backend frameworks

Ruby on Rails

A popular server side framework, Ruby on Rails (RoR) works on the MVC model to facilitate interconnection of parts. It uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript for user interfacing and for data transfer JSON and XML. You can use Convention over Configuration and DRY features which will speed up your overall coding process. RoR also makes testing easy via test automation thus accelerating the debugging process.

Release year- 2005
Programming language- Ruby
Use cases- AirBnB, Shopify, Github, Basecamp

Django

Django is a full stack Python development framework which uses the MVT (Model-View-Template) structure, a modification of MVC model. This framework comes with user authentication, ORM, testing, caching and many other mechanisms thus making the development process swift and efficient. The documentation is excellent and this was in fact one of it’s differentiating factors in the open source community. Till date, more than 12,000 projects are known to be built using this framework.

Release year- 2005
Programming language- Python
Use cases- Instagram, NASA, Pinterest, Quora

Laravel

Laravel comes with 20+ pre installed Object-Oriented and Modular libraries which helps in building responsive web applications. The Artisan built in command line tool automates all the major repetitive programming like database structure creation, skeleton code, etc. Advance security systems like Bcrypt hashing algorithm, salted and hashed passwords are used for storing all your user’s passwords in encrypted forms. And it also facilitates writing and running multiple unit tests.

Release year- 2011
Programming language- PHP
Use cases- Barchart, Alison, Mailcoach

ASP.NET Core

Developed and designed by Microsoft, ASP.NET Core is known for its ability to build rich and dynamic cross platform apps. Core applications made using ASP.NET do not require IIS hosting, they can now be self hosted. HTTP’s size request has come down to 2kb in core from ASP.NET’s 30kb, thus improving performance. The compilation is easy as it is executed within the memory which starts functioning as the browser is refreshed.

Release year- 2016
Programming language- .NET
Use cases- Kentico, elmah.io, SwitchThink

CakePHP

CakePHP comes with zero preconfiguration, making it a hassle free process for developers. It auto detects the settings and all you have to do is configure your database, rest will be taken care by the framework. This framework offers a range of core tests and custom made tests, fulfilling the requirements of all the developers on board. Built in tools like CSRF protection, SQL injection prevention, XSS prevention give a good security layer for your web app.

Release year- 2005
Programming language- PHP
Use cases- teamspeak, blendtec, BMW

CodeIgniter

To begin with, the entire source code of CodeIgniter is around 2MB only. This small footprint makes it easy to manage and update the framework. The error logging done in this framework helps in building a webapp with minimum errors. CodeIgniter helps in developing SEO friendly URLs by generating clean URLs. And security features like Input Data handling, XSS filtering, password handling give it an edge over other frameworks.

Release year- 2006
Programming language- PHP
Use cases- Buffer, Nissan, Casio Computer

Frontend frameworks

React

React is developed by facebook and is often referred to as a javascript library instead of a full fledged framework. But that did not hold it back from gaining popularity in the front-end community. Its features like component based architecture, JSX syntax for DOM manipulation and fast rendering views make it a popular choice among front end developers.

Release year- 2013
Programming language- JavaScript
Use cases- AirBnB, Uber, Medium

Angular

Angular was created by Google for making single page web apps and mobile apps. Within the MVC architecture two way data binding helps in automatic synchronization between model and view. Tree shakeable feature help in removing unused code, reducing your app’s size. There is limited data that is sent to and fro after the initial page is loaded, thus enhancing the overall user experience.

Release year- 2010
Programming language- JavaScript
Use cases- Forbes, Samsung Forward, Delta

Vue JS

Vue is a framework that was built taking inspiration from React and Angular, thus its learning curve is shorter. Vue is a progressive framework i.e. you can use Vue for any part of your already developed product and there will be no glitches. It’s simple and straightforward architecture makes error finding and solving much easier.

Release year- 2014
Programming language- JavaScript
Use cases- Louis Vuitton, Upwork, Wavetrotter

For every framework you deem fit for your product, you will come across some critics. And since no framework is perfect, you will need to stick to your selected framework and find ways to make it work for you. The more time you spend with one framework, it will help you in learning the others quickly.

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