As a web developer, you’re always on the lookout for ways to make coding easier. One way to do this is by using code libraries that eliminate repetitive code or give you more power.
You need to write a lot of code to develop a web app. The design, layout, server logic, and database all need to be coded. It takes a lot of work, but there are ways you can save time.
To code more effectively, you can turn to something known as a web framework. Here are five frameworks that will give your web apps more power.
What Is a Web Framework?
A web framework is a library of code that simplifies common tasks. Knowing when to use one can cut down on repetitive code when you’re writing an app. Writing repetitive code goes against some key programming principles and makes life difficult.
Using a framework is easy. Just choose a framework, install on your machine, and deploy it within your app. From there, write your app using all the code now available to you via the framework.
There are frameworks for front end and back end development, made with various programming languages. Let’s take a look at some top picks, in no particular order.
1. Django (Python)
What Is Django?
Django is a framework in the incredibly popular Python language. This framework puts an emphasis on speed, security, and scalability.
Python developers get a boost on the back end with Django. If you’re comfortable with the language you’ll feel right at home. Python can do some pretty amazing things developing on the web, so there’s no shortage of benefits.
Benefits
Django first and foremost has the advantage of being written in Python. Many programmers in data science, machine learning, and software engineering are choosing Python. You can find a lot of resources to learn the language, which is well documented. Here are the best websites to learn Python and explore more.
Django creates an entire back end with one click. It lets you work with any front end language you want, which gives you some flexibility when you write your app. Documentation for Django is extensive and up-to-date.
Security features are built in to help you combat hacking. For example, you can:
- Keep passwords safe
- Protect your app from clickjacking attacks
- Defend against SQL injection attacks
2. Ruby on Rails (Ruby)
What Is Ruby on Rails?
Ruby is normally used to develop computer programs, but Ruby on Rails came along and made it a great option for web development. You will need a basic grasp of Ruby to be successful with Rails. It’s not trendy, so an interactive guide to learning Ruby may help.
Ruby on Rails is a pretty heavy framework, which means it launches some pretty large file sizes. It lays the entire foundation for both the back end and the front end using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern.
Benefits
Ruby on Rails is reliable and secure. Web apps like Hulu, GitHub, Square, and SoundCloud were built using Ruby on Rails. It’s able to handle the scale of these apps, so you can feel comfortable using this for your app as well.
It’s open-source with a robust community of developers pitching in to improve its features. Over 5,000 developers contribute, many of whom push updates regularly.
Ruby on Rails is a heavy framework, so it’s not right for every application. Simple web apps are better served with a lighter framework with smaller files. But if you’re building a full-scale app Rails can give you nearly everything you need.
3. React (JavaScript)
What Is React?
React is a JavaScript framework that became popular thanks to Facebook. It gives you new ways to write re-usable code in your front end layouts. React uses its own language known as JSX, and is used to build pieces of code called components.
A React component is a reusable piece of code that can contain HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. You can build anything from small modules to entire HTML layouts inside of components. React can render, or display, these components on the web browser.
Benefits
Using components can eliminate repeated code as you build your app. Use JSX to create a user interface (UI) or layout in a component, then call the component whenever you need it.
React is relatively fast thanks to the way it was designed. Normally, HTML and JavaScript are processed through the browsers document object model (DOM). React uses its own DOM to render elements, and then pushes them through to the browser DOM.
When you write code to make an update to the React DOM, it only updates the necessary information and does not try and update the entire DOM. This means a significant boost in speed.
React is easy to test using the React Testing Library or Jest.
4. ASP.NET Core
What Is ASP.NET Core?
Microsoft built ASP.NET to work as a complete Back End framework for their programming language C#. It can also run F# and Visual Basic but there are lots of reasons to use C#. Microsoft might make you think Windows, but ASP.NET Core works for macOS and Linux also.
ASP.NET Core is open-source and free to use. You can create web apps and mobile apps with ease. Developers who are used to programming using Microsoft’s stack will feel pretty comfortable.
Note: Microsoft currently supports both ASP.NET (their Windows framework) and ASP.NET Core (Windows/macOS/Linux). Their names are nearly identical, so download accordingly!
Benefits
ASP.NET Core is pushed by Microsoft because of its flexibility coding with any OS. You might be a developer that wants to use macOS for web development. Microsoft had to make a stack that was able to code outside of Windows, and they’ve done it with ASP.NET Core.
Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code work well with ASP.NET Core, so if you’re using those to write apps you have an advantage.
ASP.NET Core is updated several times a year by Microsoft to keep it secure. It has a strong ecosystem of packages, known as NuGet packages, to make coding quicker. It’s flexible on the front end, you can use frameworks like React or Angular with it.
5. Laravel (PHP)
Why PHP?
Once a king of web development, PHP has fallen slightly out of favor in recent years and has an unfortunate reputation as an old language.
There’s still plenty of reason to use PHP. WordPress uses it, and if you maintain code for older apps you may run into PHP quite often. Developing new apps with PHP is also not uncommon; Laravel is a modern library that makes it easier.
Benefits
Laravel takes PHP and combines it with modern concepts like MVC architecture and object-oriented programming. You won’t encounter limits on building a full-scale PHP app. Security features are also built in to help keep your apps safe.
Perhaps the best thing about using Laravel is its vast ecosystem of tools and packages. You can find PHP tools to manage servers, test your app, Oauth authentication, debugging and more. All these are built by a community of developers to make Laravel more useful.
Learning More Web Development
Web frameworks are all about making life easier as a web developer. You can use any of these frameworks to get ahead, or perhaps take a look at some coding apps that make programming a little easier.
You’ll get even more out of these tools by continuing to learn about web development. Learn more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to get ahead. You can also check out some great tools that will upgrade your web development skills.
Read the full article: 5 Web Frameworks Worth Learning for Developers
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