Is React JS a Framework or Library?

If you have recently developed a taste for web development then I bet you must have heard about React JS? Well, among budding developers there is a big confusion about that is React JS a framework? Now you must be wondering what is a framework and how different is it from a library. Here we will discuss what is a framework and a library, their advantages, disadvantages, and differences. Once we have covered all this, we will finally answer the question “Is React JS a framework or a library”.

What is a Library?

A library helps us, developers implement a particular function, parameters, and variables. It is a huge collection of reusable, tested, and compiled programs that can be utilized for the automation or development of a software application. It is designed in such a way that it supports both developers as well as code compilers during the development process and execution of the applications.

Advantages of a Library

Here are the major benefits of using libraries:

• During runtime, the compiler selective includes a library due to this the overall performance of the code improves.
• It provides reusable functions without the need of defining them explicitly. This eliminated the need to write code for complex methods.
• Reduces lines of code hence maintenance becomes easy.
• Reduces development cost, time, and efforts,
• Provides pre-test code that can be used in numerous environments and cases.
• Supports developers to focus on reusability and configurable of the application.

Limitation of a Library

Here are some drawbacks of using libraries for the development of an application:

• Using a library in an unsupported environment requires a wrapper due to this performance decreases
• Usage of multiple libraries affects the performance of the application
• Using a particular library means the code is tied up to it and to switch to another library we will have to change our code accordingly.
• Lack of support from developers results in incompatibility issues.
• There are situations where libraries are vulnerable to malicious attacks.

What is a Framework?

Now, that we understood what a library is, let us jump into frameworks! Frameworks are a collection of numerous libraries which are used for a particular methodology. The main aim of a framework is to provide faster software development. This includes everything a developer needs to use to make large-scale projects. Internally, frameworks consist of libraries that provide inbuilt functionalities which help us to code without the need to advance coding knowledge.

Advantages of a Framework

There are many advantages of utilizing a framework, for instance, easy debugging, more code reusability, and so on. Here are some more benefits:

• A change in one section of the code does not affect the overall program.
• More functionality in less number of code lines.
• Provides catching and optimization for network traffic.
• Support cross-platform development.
• Some frameworks implement the MVC concept hence have very important data binding.
• Helps to create rich and dynamic applications in no time.

Limitation of Frameworks

With pros always come cons! Here are the limitations of using a framework:

• Ready-to-use functions in frameworks prevent the developers to have an in-depth understanding of the software language and its working.
• Customizing the functions is limited.
• Choosing the appropriate framework is very crucial else the performance and user experience are greatly affected.
• The proper separation between business logic and presentation layer in the MVC is complex sometimes.
• There is a need to always be up to date with the release of each version.

Difference between Framework and Library

Both frameworks and libraries help us a lot while developing yet they are so different from each other. Now let us discuss their differences:

 

Framework	Library
Made up of various libraries	Made up of functions
Provides ready to use tools and templates	Provides reusable functions
Important for standardization and deploying programs	Important for binding and linking the program calls
Calls the code	Called by the code
Helps to develop an application faster	Helps to reuse functionalities sample
Example: Angular	Example: Jquery

Is React JS a Framework or a Library?

Till now we have understood what is a framework and how it is different from a library. So now let us answer the most important question, “Is React JS a Framework or a Library?”. Well, React JS is a library! It is considered a library as it is only concerned with the rendering of the user interface. It leaves many tasks up to the developer to put together. It gives the developer the choice to select the other technologies to use for these tasks.

React JS, a Framework developed in JavaScript is widely used in the web development field for creating dynamic and user-friendly components. It makes use of components that increase the reusability of the code and hence reduce the development time, cost and efforts drastically. Also, due to this, the maintenance is easy and hence the overall performance of the application improves.

Conclusion

Frameworks and libraries are both equally important for the development of applications. A framework is implemented when we require faster developers with a good user experience. While on the other hand, libraries are used when they want to add more functionality or reusability to the application. If you are fond of such content remember to check out Codedamn! The courses and articles they provide will boost your coding knowledge in no time.