JavaScript is known as the language of the web, as it is highly dynamic for web solutions. It is one of the most lightweight languages that has made it a top choice among developers and business owners when they want to create dynamic solutions. The use of JavaScript lately has expanded as it’s not only used in web development but also in developing scalable applications such as web apps, mobile apps, and game app development.
When you type in the search bar ‘best JavaScript’ frameworks, then you might find an abundance of names that could leave you confused. In today’s blog, we discuss the 15 best frameworks of JavaScript that are categorized into frontend, backend, and testing frameworks.
So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
What is meant by JavaScript Frameworks?
JavaScript contains all the libraries that need to build features and functionalities while creating web applications from scratch. When developers create these features, it takes a lot of time and effort to create them from scratch, making it time-consuming and tiresome.
So, what can be good in such times? Templates. Or, in web development jargon, frameworks.
JavaScript framework is a template or a pre-written collection of code libraries and tools that developers can use to create features on already existing structures. For developers, JavaScript frameworks provide reusable components, predefined templates, and functionalities to streamline tasks such as creating dynamic UIs, managing data, and interacting with servers.
The benefit of using JavaScript frameworks is that developers can save time, write cleaner code, and focus more on building features rather than repetitive coding.
What Does a JavaScript Framework Do?
There is a wide collection of popular JavaScript libraries that offer code libraries and pre-built structures for specified purposes. In our blog, JavaScript frameworks are categorized into frontend, backend, and testing. The JavaScript framework list under each of these categories offers different features and functionalities so that developers can save time on repetitive coding. Other benefits of the frameworks are as follows:
- Fast and simplified development process
- No redundancy in development tasks
- Time-saving
- Improved efficiency
- Cost saving
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Top 15 JavaScript Frameworks
Below are the 15 most popular JavaScript frameworks that are being used by globally renowned companies.
Let’s read about them.
JavaScript Frontend Frameworks
The five best JavaScript front-end frameworks include React, Angular, Vue.js, Ember.js, and Svelte.
React
React is a popular JavaScript library developed and maintained by Facebook along with senior developers. Known for building interactive and dynamic UIs, it uses virtual DOM that updates only parts of the page that need to change without refreshing the entire view which ultimately enhances the performance. That said, this property of React makes it suitable for building user interfaces that perform without any stutter or lag.
Another distinguishing feature of React that makes it a popular JavaScript framework is its component-based architecture that helps streamline development and maintain a consistent database. These dynamic properties have increased the demand for ReactJS developers, especially for businesses looking to build large-scale or enterprise-level applications.
For most developers, having a community and documentation of languages plays an important role in being popular. Speaking of React, it has strong community support, a rich ecosystem, and knowledgebase articles that make it a go-to language for developers from all around the world.
Pros and Cons of React
Find the pros and cons of the React framework in the table below.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Reusable Components | 1. Fast-Paced Development (frequent updates may cause compatibility issues) |
| 2. Virtual DOM for Performance | 2. JSX Complexity (steep learning curve for beginners) |
| 3. Strong Community Support | 3. Poor Documentation (due to fast releases) |
| 4. SEO-Friendly | 4. Only Handles UI (requires additional libraries for complete solutions) |
| 5. Easy to Learn for Developers | 5. Too Many Choices (flexibility can lead to decision fatigue with various tools) |
Key Features of React
Being the top on the list of top Java frameworks, React offers outstanding features that make it a compatible and go-to choice for developers.
- You can develop UI using independent and reusable components due to its component-based architecture that is responsible for rendering small parts of UI. It helps in creating complex applications by writing modular and maintainable code.
- React framework allows a unidirectional flow which entails that the data can pass from parent components to child components. By doing so, developers have better control over the flow of data which makes QA testing and project maintenance simplified.
- Another distinguishing feature of the framework is React Hooks that allow functional components to have state and other React features. It makes the code cleaner and easier to manage without writing class components. Some of the popular hooks include `useState` for state management and `useEffect` for side effects.
- One of the most important features for any website to rank is to be SEO optimized with good page speed optimization for both desktop and mobile viewers. When used with server-side rendering tools like Next.js, React can boost SEO.
Angular
Being led by the Angular team at Google and a community of top-tier developers, it is an open-source web application framework, most suitable for developing high-performance and enterprise-level applications. In addition to that, this popular JavaScript framework is best if you are looking to build highly efficient and single-page applications. (SPAs).
It has a Model-View-Controller (MVC) that makes dynamic web development a lot easier. Angular offers features such as data binding, dependency injection, and template systems that are super helpful for web development. Moreover, this framework is highly modular, and developers can make customer modules or libraries easily.
Does Angular allow to extend HTML vocabulary?
Yes, Angular.js allows developers to extend HTML vocabulary with which you can create interactive Angular applications. By extending HTML vocabulary, developers can use directives that make the code readable, easier to develop, and expressive.
Pros and Cons on Angular.js
Before you hire Angular developers some of the pros and cons that can help you make a better decision are given below:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Two-way binding | Steep learning curve |
| Modular structure | Performance Issues |
| Strong community support | Verbose Code |
| Built-In Dependency Injection | Limited Flexibility |
| Comprehensive Testing Support |
Top Features of Angular.js
Angular.js has many top features that make it among the list of most popular JavaScript frameworks:
- With its two-way data binding features, Angular automatically synchronizes the changes that occur between the data and UI so that data can instantly reflect in UI.
- Developers can code into the distinct modules and components that further paves the way for reusability, maintainability, and developing a clear structure for the application.
- Angular services are top tier as they facilitate the sharing of data and logic across the modules or components of your code which helps in keeping the code DRY (don’t repeat yourself), clean, and organized.
- It streamlines the process of managing UIs and data collection with its built-in support for handling form inputs, validations, and error messages.
Vue.js
Another top JavaScript framework is Vue.js which is used for developing UIs and single page applications. Vue.js is also synonymous with the Progressive JavaScript framework.
Evan You developed Vue.js and is now maintained by developers. It has an incrementally adoptable architecture that allows developers to integrate Vue into their existing projects or even use it to build complex applications from the ground up.
Vue.js provides a core of libraries designed to be easy and customized. The core library of the Vue.js framework focuses on the view layer that allows it to integrate into other libraries. In addition to that, it uses HTML-based template syntax to bind data to render document object models. It compiles the templates into highly customized JavaScript code.
Pros and Cons of Vue.js
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to Learn and Use | Limited Official Resources for Large-Scale Applications |
| Comprehensive Documentation | Smaller Ecosystem Compared to React and Angular |
| Reactive Data Binding | Over-Flexibility May Lead to Inconsistent Coding Practices |
| Component-Based Architecture | Not as Widely Adopted in Enterprise-Level Solutions |
| Seamless Integration with Existing Projects | Slower Performance in Extremely Large Applications |
Key Features of Vue.js
Vue.js offers top features to the developers to create single-page applications. Below is the list of features of Vue.js framework:
- With its reactive data binding feature, the page automatically updates the view whenever the data changes.
- By using Vue router, you can enable smooth client-side routing for SPAs that create seamless transition between views without having to reload the pages.
- It offers command-in-line interface (CLI) that helps in simplifying project setup, develop processes, and seamless management of dependencies for a faster development experience.
- It offers built-in directives (like v-if, v-for, and v-bind) that manipulates DOM elements dynamics, giving flexibility in UI logic.
- It has a centralized store to manage the state of application that makes it easier to maintain and share data across the required components in large-scale applications.
- Developers can enhance the display with transition and animation through its in-built support whenever elements are added, updated or removed from DOM.
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Ember.js
Created in 2011 by Yehuda Katz, it had its first stable release in 2016. Ember.js is another component-based JavaScript Framework that aims to make web development solutions more productive and seamless with its comprehensive toolkit that includes a router, view layer, and data management library.
Being an open-source JavaScript and HTML MVC application framework, it helps in building scalable SPAs. It uses a Handlebar that helps in creating dynamic HTML templates while also utilizing the MVC framework and jQuery libraries. One best thing about Ember.js is that in development everything can be tagged as a service or component which can be called anytime using the Ember app.
If we speak of its integrations, it has a strong integration with the browser’s URL. So, what happens is that it uses its router to map URLs to a route handler that matches the current URL to other URLs in which data is to be displayed and show the app state.
Pros and Cons of Ember.js
The pros and cons of ember.js are as follows written in the table below.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Convention Over Configuration | Steeper Learning Curve Due to Complexities |
| Robust CLI Tooling | Larger File Sizes in Production |
| Two-Way Data Binding | Limited Flexibility for Customization |
| Strong Ecosystem and Add-Ons | Slower Performance Compared to Lighter Frameworks |
| Great for Large-Scale Applications | Smaller Community Compared to React and Angular |
Key Features of Ember.js
The key features of Ember.js include a strong add-on ecosystem, ember-data, component-based architecture, and a service layer. Let’s talk about them briefly.
- Ember.js offers a strong add-on ecosystem with its built-in plugins and add-ons that make it easier to extend the functionalities of the framework as well as integrate third-party tools.
- It has a robust data management library that makes working with APIs and asynchronous data simplified. It also offers built-in support for RESTful APIs and relationships between models.
- It has a component-based architecture that promotes reusability by organizing the UI into maintainable components.
- If we talk about stable releases, then Ember.js is the name to be on the top. It focuses on long-term stability with regular updates so that the developers can introduce new features without having to break or stop working in the existing applications.
- It has service layers that enable centralized management of shared functionality like data fetching, authentication, or application state.
Svelte
It is an open-source framework for creating fast and scalable web pages. Unlike other most popular JavaScript frameworks, Svelte is first a compiler and then a UI framework. It starts by compiling components to highly optimized vanilla JavaScript to ensure that your application remains lightweight, faster, and high-performance. If you prioritize speed and high performance, then Svelte would be the best choice to make. In addition to that, Svelte syntax is similar to HTML and CSS which makes it an easy framework to learn as well as writing readable and maintainable code.
Another feature that makes it stand apart from the best JavaScript frameworks like Vue and React is that it does its take in real-time while developing the app.
Pros and Cons of Svelte
The pros and cons of Svelte are:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No Virtual DOM for faster performance | Smaller ecosystem compared to React or Angular |
| Faster load times due to smaller bundle size | Limited community support |
| Simple, beginner-friendly syntax | Less corporate backing |
| Built-in reactive state management | |
| Lightweight and minimal boilerplate |
Key Features of Svelte
The key features of Svelte are as follows:
- This framework of JavaScript updates the DOM directly that aids in improving performance and reducing the overhead.
- It compiles components to highly efficient JavaScript, that results in fast loading and optimized sized applications. Therefore, it is considered as the best one for creating small bundle size applications.
- With its reactive state management built in the framework, it allows for automatic UI updates without any additional libraries.
- It has clean and concise syntax that makes it easier for the developers to write the understand code – making it a popular JavaScript farmwork in 2024.
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JavaScript Backend Frameworks
JavaScript offers many frameworks and libraries for the backend development of a web app solution. Following are the top JavaScript backend frameworks that you can leverage:
Express.js
It is another robust and scalable framework of Node.js that is considered the most suitable for developing web app solutions along with RESTful APIs. Express.js is one of the most popular JavaScript backend frameworks as it is also an important part of the MEAN and MERN stacks. A few of the best factors about Epxress.js include speed, scalability, and simplicity.
Want to know something more than makes it stand apart from others in the list of most popular JavaScript frameworks for the backend?
It can integrate with middleware modules giving it another reason to be popular. Being an open-source server platform, developers can use Express.js with Windows, MacOS, Linux, Unix, and other key operating systems, making it a top choice among the experts for back-end development.
As mentioned above, Express.js can integrate with middleware integrations that allow developers to perform additional tasks on request and response objects. It also provides a routing system that enables the application endpoints along with how to answer a query or if a client request is generated.
Pros and Cons of Express.JS
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Minimalistic and lightweight framework | Lack of built-in advanced features |
| Large and active community | Requires manual setup for many features |
| Flexible and unopinionated architecture | Can lead to inconsistent codebases |
| High performance for API development | Scalability issues with large applications |
| Compatible with a wide range of middleware | No strict structure, leading to potential complexity |
Key Features of Express.js
The key features of Express.js are:
- It has a minimalist framework that is lightweight coming with essential features required for smooth web development.
- It has a middleware architecture that allows developers to handle requests more efficiently and respond to them. Moreover, this architecture also allows for integrating third-party middleware to enhance the features and functionalities for the web development solution.
- It offers comprehensive templates engine supports for allowing dynamic HTML page generation. You can use templates like Pug, Mustache, EJS, etc.
- You can integrate Express.JS with databases including SQL, NoSQL, MongoDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.
Next.js
Another best JavaScript framework is Next.js which is developed on top of React. It is best for developing server-rendered React applications to enhance search engine optimization and boost performance. It is not limited to the development of server-rendered websites, but developers can also create static images.
In addition to that, this JavaScript framework for the backend simplifies the development process by handling routing, API integration, and rendering methods. Also, if you are looking for a comprehensive solution that provides development, testing, and deployment tools then it is the best choice to make.
Another standout feature of Next.js is that it offers access to a user-friendly file-system-based routing system, API routes, and support for environment variables.
Pros and Cons of Next.js
The pros and cons of Next.js are as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Server-Side Rendering (SSR) | Learning curve for beginners |
| Static Site Generation (SSG) | Larger bundle size due to SSR |
| SEO-friendly | Increased complexity for dynamic routing |
| Automatic Code Splitting | More complex deployment setup |
| API Routes Built-in | Limited flexibility in using non-Node.js backends |
Top Features of Next.js
Below are the distinguishing features of Next.js.
- It gives developers a choice to make between server-side rendering (SSR) or static-site generation (SSG) so that they can focus on the website’s core elements like speed and performance optimization.
- The framework comes with an integrated image component that optimizes the images so that they do not affect speed or page performance. It helps with faster load times and improved UX.
- Next.js saves developers from getting themselves into configuration complexity so that they can start development without having to setup or customization. What’s more in it? The framework comes with tools and configurations including Webpack and Babel.
- By using this framework, you can have your laid back as it offers automatic code splitting so that it only loads which is in view.
NestJS
A highly versatile and modern backend framework is NestJS which allows developers to build high-performance and scalable server-side applications. It leverages TypeScript which gives the benefit of type safety and enhanced code readability to the developers. If we talk about its architecture, NestJS is mostly influenced by and based on Angular’s architecture, making it another top choice for developers who are familiar with front-end JavaScript frameworks. It is extremely adaptable and flexible which makes it a top choice in development solutions for a wide range of applications such as from developing simple APIs to enterprise-level solutions.
Pros and Cons of NestJS
Find the table to read about the pros and cons of NestJS.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Strong TypeScript support | Slower than lightweight frameworks |
| Modular architecture | Overhead for small projects |
| Built-in microservices support | Complex initial setup |
| Extensive integrations | |
| Dependency injection |
Key Features of NestJS
The key features of NestJS are as follows:
- It has a built-in dependency injection system that makes the process of managing server dependencies simpler and easier. The feature of NestJS is best while developing larger applications as large solutions require decoupling components and services.
- As mentioned earlier, NestJS is developed on top of Express but is flexible enough to integrate with other frameworks such as Fastify which enhances the overall performance. It allows developers to choose the best platform depending on their project requirements and make customizations as required.
- It gives top-notch support for developing microservices architecture that is an easy way to develop distributed applications. It supports message brokers like Kafka, and Redis, and protocols like HTTP, WebSockets, and gRPC.
- Developers can easily integrate third-party libraries, tools like TypeORM, Sequelize, etc., validation libraries, and WebSocket frameworks. It helps in customizing and enhancing the functionality of their applications.
Gatsby
Gatsby is an open-source framework that was founded by Kyle Mathews and Sam Bhagwat in 2015. Built on top of React, this back-end framework provides a platform to build fast and high-performance websites or web applications by leveraging GraphQL. In order to render the pages, it pulls in the data from various sources and pre-renders pages on run-time to ensure that the page is optimized for SEO. The Gatsby framework is often used for static site generation which makes it a perfect framework for those who want to start a blog, build portfolios, and develop marketing websites.
Developers can also utilize its massive plugin ecosystem that enables developers to make their web application solutions feature-rich and fully functional.
Pros and Cons of Gatsby
The pros and cons of using the Gatsby framework are as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast performance due to static site generation | Build times can be long for large sites |
| Excellent SEO capabilities | Not ideal for highly dynamic content |
| Extensive plugin ecosystem | Initial setup can be complex |
| Easy integration with headless CMSs | Limited support for server-side rendering |
| Progressive Web App (PWA) support | Requires knowledge of React and GraphQL |
Top Features of Gatsby
The top features of Gatsby are written below:
- It automatically optimizes images and ensures that they have responsive sizes, lazy loading applied, and fast image delivery. It makes the user experience better and reduces the bounce rate of a website.
- If you are managing a headless CMS, then integrating Gatsby would feel like a breeze as it provides seamless compatibility with CMSs like Contentful or WordPress. Gatsby has become a popular JavaScript framework for content-driven websites.
- This framework’s community is rapidly growing as it has extensive documentation available along with community built plugins. They can easily find support and solutions to common obstacles or problems during development.
- As it has pre-rendering static pages and SSR features, it ensures excellent SEO performance. It also offers built-in search engine optimization features like metadata management and fast load speeds.
Meteor.js
It is a full-stack JavaScript framework that is designed for real-time website and mobile application development. It comes with an integrated platform that enables developers to use JavaScript on the entire tech stack.
Meteor.js integrates both the front-end and back-end of the development by leveraging JavaScript on the entire tech tack including database interactions which make it the best choice for both front-end and backend web development. If you are looking to develop real-time apps like chatting, collaboration tools, and social media sites but not for enterprise-level, then it is the best framework to work on.
Pros and Cons of Meteor.js
The advantages and disadvantages of using Metor.js are as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy integration with front-end | Limited flexibility in scaling |
| Full-stack reactivity | Relatively smaller community size |
| Rapid prototyping | Heavier for simple applications |
| Built-in real-time data updates | Slower performance for large apps |
| Seamless database integration |
Top Features of Meteor.js
The top features of Meteor.js are:
- It offers an amazing feature of hot code push that automatically updates the client-side code without refreshing the page.
- It offers rapid prototyping that makes it easy to set up and build prototypes within no time, reducing the time to market for the product and new features.
- It makes user authentication and authorization with its built-in and easy-to-use packages to manage different user accounts.
- By using Meteor.js, you can speed up the development process as developers can use the coming code on both the client and server side.
JavaScript Testing Frameworks
The top JavaScript testing frameworks include Jest, Mocha, and Jasmine. Let’s look at each of them briefly.
Jest
Among the most popular JavaScript frameworks for testing, Jest is a well-renowned name. Developed by Facebook. It is mainly developed to test applications built on React. However, it can be flexibly used with any JavaScript framework. It reduces the setup for additional configuration and can help to set up the project immediately.
Pros and Cons of Jest
The pros and cons of Jest are written below:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to set up with zero config | Can be slower for very large projects |
| Integrated code coverage reporting | May require configuration for non-React apps |
| Built-in support for mocks and spies | Might need additional plugins for advanced use cases |
| Fast parallel test execution | |
| Seamless database integration |
Key Features of Jest
The key features of Jest are:
- With snapshot testing, Jest allows developers to snapshot/capture the output of React comments and save it for future comparison to see the results as well as ensure consistency across the development/
- It runs in parallel with development which maximizes performance and ensures fast feedback loops.
- It has powerful tools to mock functions, modules, and timers that make it easier for developers to test complex applications.
- This JavaScript framework for testing offers built-in support for code coverage that enables developers to see or track which part of their code is being tested.
Mocha
Another great testing framework of JavaScript is Mocha which runs on Node.js and the browser making it suitable and compatible for both server-side and client-side testing. It has a simpler syntax than other testing frameworks for writing and structuring tests that allow developers to create unit integration and functional tests easily.
In addition to that, it also supports asynchronous testing and provides customizable reporting that works extremely well with other libraries such as Chai for assertions.
Pros and Cons of Mocha
The pros and cons of the Mocha testing framework are as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible and customizable | Requires additional libraries for assertions |
| Supports asynchronous testing | Lacks built-in mocking and stubbing |
| Works on both Node.js and browsers | Configuration can be complex for beginners |
| Wide community support and plugins | No built-in test coverage reporting |
| Supports different test interfaces (BDD, TDD) | Slower than some other testing frameworks |
Key Features of Mocha
The key features of Mocha are as follows:
- It does not enforce a specific assertion library of its mocking framework that lets developers choose the best tools for their projects. The modular architecture of Mocha is flexible especially when it comes to customizing testing setups.
- It has a feature for timeout configuration that allows developers to test long-running asynchronous operations and ensure that certain tasks don’t hang indefinitely.
- For smooth execution and teardown code for test suites or individual suites, Mocha provides powerful hooks (before, after, beforeEach, afterEach). This also helps in ensuring that the tests remain isolated and reusable.
- This JavaScript testing framework has built-in reporters that output the test results in formats of plain text like JSON or HTML. This feature makes tracking the test outcomes easier and integrates with CI pipelines.
Jasmine
Last but not least, we have a Jasmine testing framework for JavaScript that follows behavior-driven development (BDD). It is not limited to asynchronous testing as it can also be used for testing synchronous code. It focuses on simplicity and ease-of-use. Another best feature about Jasmine is that it is not dependent on additional libraries which makes it a straightforward choice for quality assurance engineers.
Pros and Cons of Jasmine
The pros and cons of Jasmine – testing JavaScript framework are as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No external dependencies | Limited built-in assertion functions |
| Easy integration with CI/CD pipelines | Lacks out-of-the-box test runner support |
| Good documentation and learning resources | Can be slower for large test suites |
| Works well with other JS frameworks | Lacks advanced debugging tools |
| Large and active community support |
Key Features of Jasmine
The top-notch features of Jasmine as most popular JavaScript test frameworks include:
- It uses a behavior-driven syntax (e.g., describe, it, expect), allowing developers to write human-readable tests that define expected behaviors.
- It comes with built-in functionality for spying and mocking functions so that developers can track function calls and override any dependencies that may come within their tests.
- It has a variety of built-in matchers (e.g., toBe, toEqual, toContain) that help developers write clear, concise test expectations.
- QA engineers can test asynchronous functions and promise with methods like done() and async/await for managing async operations.
Conclusion
JavaScript provides a huge variety of frameworks and choosing the right one can be a difficult decision. From front-end development to backend, and then testing, the above-mentioned most popular JavaScript frameworks can help you get your work done without any hassle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the top JavaScript framework?
It depends on your work project and requirements. However, the best and most popular JavaScript is React, Node.js, and Angular. React is widely popular for front-end, while Node.js dominates back-end development. Each framework has its strengths, so choosing the “best” depends on your specific use case, team expertise, and project goals.
What distinguishes a JavaScript framework from a JavaScript library?
A JavaScript framework provides a structure to build applications, dictating architecture and flow. Libraries, like jQuery, offer specific functionalities without enforcing a project structure, leaving more control to developers over how to use them.
How many JavaScript frameworks exist?
Well, there are too many but to give a number there are over 20 commonly used JavaScript frameworks today.
Can multiple JavaScript frameworks be used in a single project?
Yes, multiple JavaScript frameworks can coexist in the same project. For example, using React for front-end and Node.js for back-end is common. However, mixing frameworks for similar purposes (like React and Angular) can lead to complexity and conflicts.
Which is the fastest JavaScript framework?
Svelte and Next.js are known for speed due to their lightweight architecture and optimization techniques. Svelte compiles at build time, making it faster at runtime, while Next.js provides server-side rendering and static generation to boost performance.
How should I select the best JavaScript framework for my project?
Choosing the right JavaScript framework depends on project requirements, team expertise, scalability needs, and performance goals. Consider the framework’s ecosystem, learning curve, community support, and how well it aligns with your long-term project vision.
Which JavaScript framework is best for 2024?
In 2024, React, Next.js, and Vue.js remain popular choices for front-end development, while Node.js and Nest.js lead in back-end development. The best framework depends on your specific use case, but these continue to dominate the market due to performance and community support.
