Angular or React are two of the very popular JavaScript-based technologies that are widely used for creating single-page applications (SPAs). Both the tools are quite advanced, well supported, and constantly updated.
However, it is pretty much impossible to conclude which one is better, AngularJS or ReactJS. In the spirit of helping you decide which will suit your SPA development project or your web application development project the most, we’ve listed certain things that you always need to consider.
Performance
The efficiency with which a tool implements a method of updating data determines its performance.In other words, the more efficient a JavaScript library or framework is at modifying the DOM (Document Object Model), the better the end user experience.
- AngularJS operates on the traditional or real DOM, which means that if you make a small change in one element, it updates the whole tree data structure. This results in a significant decrease in performance, especially if your application is going to have too many viewers.
- ReactJS makes use of a virtual DOM that is designed to enhance the app’s performance and only updates elements that need to be updated due to the occurrence of changes, while having no effect on other components of the w
- hole tree structure.
Scalability
Creating a single-page application (SPA) is possible with both Angular and React technologies, but a decision should be made on whether your final product would be a small, medium, or large application.
- AngularJS has a rigid architecture. Developing a relatively small single-page application will make it fully functional right away, but when you try to add new functionalities to your AngularJS app, it will severely restrict the scope of your efforts at a very early stage of the development.
- ReactJS, on the other hand, has a quite flexible architecture that allows for more changes during the course of web application development. If you’re looking to produce a larger final app in the future, then ReactJS is, no doubt, the more practical option out of the two.
Time Efficiency
The speed of developing an SPA comes down to having the necessary libraries on hand with ready functions or code right at the beginning.
- AngularJS lets you start developing an app immediately by simply adding a library to your dependencies. Its ecosystem is also quite immense and includes packages, add-ons, and plugins to make development easier.
- ReactJS has a rapidly growing list of tools, and its community is 0also burgeoning. When you’re at the initial stage of web app development in ReactJS, you’re struck with a kind of choice paralysis because you’ve got several build tools to pick out the best one from—and it slows down the process.
Search Engine Optimization
You want your application to attain the maximum visibility on the internet; therefore, you need to go with a technology that’s more SEO-friendly in essence.
- AngularJS is almost completely rendered right inside the browser and requires additional tools to address SEO concerns, such as PhantomJS.
- ReactJS offers server-side rendering (SSR), which is better for search engine optimization and demands a little effort to carry out SEO best practices.