Ready to learn which of these technologies is a better pick for your project?

Being an eMobility leader in various projects across multiple startups, Piotr was responsible for OCPI and OCPP integration as well as EMP and CPO platforms development. With extensive expertise in the open standards field and eMobility tech solutions, he is leading teams of experienced developers and contributing with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Piotr Majcher

JavaScript is one of the most popular web development technologies today. Development teams and businesses choose JavaScript for many reasons, but its most significant advantage is the rich ecosystem of tools, libraries, and frameworks that support any web development project.

In this article, we're going to take a closer look at two of such tools: 

. Read on to find out what they are, how they differ from one another, what benefits they bring to the development process, and what their essential pros and cons are.

Ready to learn which of these technologies is a better pick for your project? Let's dive in!

React is a JavaScript library which was developed and is still maintained by the Facebook team. The library was released in March 2013, and it primarily solves the problem of building user interfaces. By using React, developers can easily create interactive UIs to serve as the basis of their web applications. React also comes in handy for building single-page and mobile applications. Supported by a real tech giant, React has gained a lot of traction in the tech community and experts agree that the technology is here to stay.

Who uses React? Apart from Facebook, the technology has been used by Netflix, Asana, Slack, Uber, Airbnb, Dropbox, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Angular is a JavaScript framework written in TypeScript. The creator behind this handy tool is the tech giant Google, which still maintains the framework. Angular describes itself as a "Superheroic JavaScript MVW Framework." Initially released in September 2016, Angular is a complete rewrite of AngularJS which was released six years before. Google has been betting on Angular for a long time now, and its critical project, Google AdWords, uses the technology too. That's why it's unlikely that Angular disappears from the tech scene anytime soon.

Note that both of these web frameworks are open-source and available under the MIT license.

Who uses Angular? Among the most significant users of the framework, we find brands like the already mentioned Google, Upwork, Paypal, Crunchbase, AWS, Nike, Forbes, General Motors, and HBO.

When choosing the technology stack for your project, you should consider the popularity of the framework or library you're going to pick. The reason is job prospects. The more popular a technology is, the more experts you'll be able to find. Popular programming languages and tools are surrounded by active communities that help to solve problems and continuously work on perfecting these technologies.

In general, React is growing faster than Angular. Have a look at npmtrends.com, a service that compares package download counts over time. You'll see that the download numbers of both Angular and React are rather steady, but React has many more downloads. The scale is also reflected on GitHub, where React has amassed over 133k stars, while Angular got only 59600.

Now that you know what these two JavaScript tools are all about and how they're perceived by the developer community, it's time to take a closer look at their unique features, pros, and cons.

While Angular and React share many things, one cardinal difference is that the former is a full-fledged MVC framework, while the latter is merely a JavaScript Library.

Angular is a framework because it suggests how applications should be structured and offers plenty of functionalities out-of-the-box. Developers don't need to decide which libraries to use; they can just start coding. But with that comes less flexibility

Here's what Angular provides out of the box:

Templates (based on an extended version of HTML)

React is a library and so it gives developers more freedom in structuring their applications. It provides the view in MVC, leaving the M and C to be solved by development teams. If you choose React, your team will be able to pick their preferred libraries – but note that you'll also be responsible for managing updates and migrations. Expect to make some decisions regarding folder hierarchy and architecture as well – and they sometimes present a risk to application development.

Here's what React provides out of the box:

You can easily add functionalities like state management, routing, and testing utilities using

Another area worth considering is the learning curve involved in mastering a given technology. It determines the availability of experts in the field.

According to Stack Overflow's 2018 Developer Survey, React is the 2nd most loved technology and Angular managed to score only the 9th place.

Now let's take a look at another side of that survey – the most dreaded technologies. While Angular scored relatively high, at the 4th position, React is located lower, at 11th. Developers may find Angular challenging to work with. And when we turn to the last section showing the technologies developers want to learn the most, we see that React occupies the 1st position. Still, Angular managed to score the 4th place, which isn't that bad.

Angular is characterized by a steep learning curve. Its documentation is extensive to the point of making things look more complicated than they are in reality. A deep understanding of JavaScript it's not enough to get a firm grasp of what happens under the hood. At the same time, Angular offers many included packages and code. But that means less flexibility and the need to learn that complex ecosystem.

React is more flexible, but it imposes a lot of decision-making on the team. For example, developers can choose from 16 different packages for state management alone. But that means debugging is easier because developers don't need to look at the entire code, just their own. Many React developers never read the library source code – simply because they can get away with that and still build a well-functioning app. The same is not true for Angular, where developers often have to debug the framework internally to understand the underlying model properly.

The idea behind Angular's creation is that it would be used alongside Typescript – and that's why the framework offers outstanding support for it.

Developers can take advantage of the Angular-language-service, allowing intelligence and autocomplete inside component-external HTML template files.

Angular is continually developed and offers a host of new features – for example, one of the recently added features was the possibility to generate and develop WebComponents based on Angular.

The framework offers detailed documentation to help developers get the hang of its many features. However, the extensive nature of Angular documentation also results in a steeper learning curve. Education and training are often time-consuming.

Angular offers one-way data-binding that allows for singular behaviour for the app. That minimizes the risk of developers making errors and keeps the development process smooth.

The MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) allows individual developers to work separately on the same app section, using the same dataset.

Angular offers a structure and architecture that favour project scalability.

Angular offers a great variety of structures (for example, Injectables, Components, and Pipes). That makes it harder to learn for developers – especially in comparison with React that has only Components.

Potentially slower performance. Angular developers usually deal with that by taking advantage of the ChangeDetectionStrategy that allows manual control of the rendering process.

React has a gentle learning curve thanks to its detailed documentation, simple design, and the use of JSX (which has an HTML-like syntax).

React developers don't need to worry about using framework-specific code too much. In fact, they get to spend more time coding modern JavaScript, which makes the development process faster.

React also accelerates the development process thanks to its Virtual DOM implementation and different rendering optimizations.

The library offers outstanding support for server-side rendering. That way, React can be treated as a powerful tool for content-focused applications.

React also supports Progressive Web App (PWA) development. It offers the `create-react-app` application generator that helps developers create such apps in no time.

Developers who are skilled in React can apply their knowledge to mobile development (React Native).

It leaves developers to make many choices which require strong project leadership.

Some developers find mixing templates with JSX logic confusing.

Angular and React have gained a strong following because they offer excellent performance and top development speed. We hope that this comparison helps you make the best technology choice for your application.

Do you need more advice? Get in touch with us. We help our clients pick the technologies that ensure the success of their projects.

Our rank of the best JavaScript frameworks which you can use in 2020.

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most commonly used programming language – for the seventh year in a row! There's no denying that JavaScript is the go-to technology choice for any web development project. The greatest advantage of JavaScript lies in its rich ecosystem of tools, libraries, and frameworks. New JavaScript frameworks emerge on a regular basis, helping to make the language more accessible and easier to use for software developers.

However, the profusion of tools also makes choosing the best-suited framework for the job a challenge. What are the most popular JavaScript frameworks in 2021? And what factors should developers take into account when choosing the technologies for their projects?

Read this article to get an overview of the best JavaScript frameworks on the market and their defining characteristics.

earned considerable popularity very quickly – it's the fastest-growing JavaScript framework today. Developers use this handy library to build and operate dynamic User Interfaces of websites that experience high traffic. That's why it's such a great technology fit for enterprise-grade applications. High-traffic platforms like Facebook and Instagram use React to support their UIs.

is widespread open-source framework companies use primarily for developing dynamic single-page web applications (SPA). Companies like PayPal, Freelancer, and LinkedIn use the framework for powering their UIs.

What's the key strategic advantage of using Angular in a project? It's one of the most powerful and efficient JavaScript frameworks on the tech scene. Its component-based architecture provides a high quality of code, and the use of TypeScript helps developers to write clean code and scale applications easily. The long-term support of Angular by Google is a mark of its quality – but it also means that the framework has a bright future ahead of it.

Since developers get to work with independent libraries, React is more flexible than Angular – and it offers comparatively better response time. All in all, the technology is an excellent pick for applications that need to deliver optimal performance under significant traffic pressure.

Vue was developed in 2014 and is currently used by giants such as Baidu, Grammarly, WizzAir, Facebook, and Buzzfeed. Vue is a great pick for building single-page applications, but it can also support more complex projects and deliver optimal performance.

The framework is known for its accessibility – it's a perfect starting point for developers who want to learn a new framework quickly. Since it goes back to its JavaScript roots, it's also very convenient to use – accelerating the development process and allowing teams to deliver value faster.

Vue is surrounded by an active community of developers who are happy to share their knowledge. The framework also offers detailed documentation that flattens the learning curve for developers who are Vue newbies.

Ember was developed in 2015 and since then has taken the tech scene by storm. The undeniable strength of this framework lies in the fact that it supports two-way data binding that allows developing a reliable platform for handling complex User Interfaces. Companies like LinkedIn, Netflix, and Nordstrom use Ember to build their websites.

The open-source framework is an excellent technology for single-page applications, but also large, complex web apps. However, Ember is known for being a highly opinionated framework – it makes many assumptions about the application and requires developers to conform to these expectations.

Meteor comes in handy to both frontend and backend developers, covering a major portion of software development. This open-source, full-stack framework provides support in a wide range of tasks, from database management and backend development to business logic and frontend rendering. Meteor was written using Node.js, so it allows creating cross-platform code and supports rapid prototyping. It easily integrates with other frameworks such as React, Angular, or Express. It allows developers to build hybrid applications using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. All in all, Meteor boosts the productivity of development teams by helping developers write less code. Companies like Qualcomm, Honeywell, Mazda use Meteor to build applications.

s is a server-side JavaScript run-time environment that enables development teams to carry out cross-platform projects to help them save time. One of the most frequently downloaded frameworks, Node is an open-source technology used for building backend services or APIs and developing server-side networking applications. Node is built on top of Google Chrome's JavaScript Engine (V8 Engine).

Node can handle multiple requests asynchronously thanks to a non-blocking single-threaded event loop – that's why it works so well for distributed systems that involve numerous network requests. Used by companies like Uber, PayPal, and Walmart, Node helps developers all over the world to boost the performance of their apps while writing fewer lines of code.

This framework is a collection of open-source modern JavaScript modules. Development teams can use it to implement any sort of interface – it comes in handy, especially for more robust websites. Aurelia is able to extend the HTML for various purposes – for example, data binding.

The framework offers a robust platform for building browser, desktop, and various mobile applications. Companies like Freska, Ordami, and BTEK Software use Aurelia in their projects. This is the only framework that allows developers to build components using TypeScript or JavaScript.

This client-side JavaScript framework is mainly used for developing single-page applications. It's easy to implement, small (< 8kb gzip), fast, and provides plenty of useful features out of the box.

Currently used by companies like Nike and Fitbit – as well as open-source platforms like Lichess – Mithril uses a sophisticated virtual DOM algorithm to minimize the number of updates and accelerate the development process and ensure high performance. It has a gentle learning curve that allows software developers to start using the framework after spending very little time learning about it.

Polymer is an open-source JavaScript library developed by Google. Development teams can use it to create various website elements without having to get into the complex level. Polymer supports both one-way and two-way data binding. That's why it can be applied to solve many different problems.

The framework has gained considerable traction on the market because it provides a structured design process. Polymer was built to take advantage of the features present in the web platform to allow developers to build components easily. It was the first library to enable interactive building applications by composing components. Many Google services and sites use Polymer – for example, YouTube and Google Play Music. Netflix benefits from Polymer as well.

Used by companies such as Sony Entertainment Network, Airbnb, and SoundCloud, Backbone is one of the most famous JavaScript frameworks. It has a gentle learning curve, and developers have an easy time understanding it. You can use it to create single-page applications and client-side applications that run in a web browser. The idea behind the framework was keeping all the server-side functions flowing through an API – that's how teams can build complex functionalities by writing less code. This lightweight library is highly flexible and allows developers to choose the right tools for a specific project.

Which is the best JavaScript framework for my project?

JavaScript frameworks bring many benefits to the development process by making it easier for developers to work with JavaScript. When choosing the framework for your project, pay attention to the level of complexity it can handle and key problems it promises to solve. If you're looking for a technology that would enable your team to bring a product to market fast, choose a framework known for accelerating the development process.

Are you looking for JavaScript experts who could help you pick the best technologies for your project? Get in touch with us; we have a lot of experience working with different JavaScript frameworks in projects across many industries.

10 Best JavaScript Frameworks for 2020

Leading sales, Martyna had a chance to get to know most of our clients on top of having spoken to hundreds of people from the eMobility environment. She’s gained an in-depth understanding of what’s desired or unwanted in the business and she’s now applying that knowledge in her everyday job.

Martyna Wajda

As the digital era continues to evolve, strategic IT partnerships will only become more important. For small to mid-sized companies, in particular, the benefits of having a tech company play a partner role, whereby IT specialists can actively collaborate with the wider team and help inform business and technology strategy, can be considerable.

But it’s not just a one-way street. Forming a mutually beneficial partnership with an innovative technology company, like 

 , can help optimize both organizations. Quality collaborations can help improve everything from how a company communicates right through to profitable revenue, in short, enabling both companies to achieve more than they ever could going it alone.

The key to any successful partnership is, first and foremost, finding the right company to join forces with. At the very least, an IT partner needs to be able to serve your business' needs, ensure optimum IT performance, and has the ability to meet any emerging challenges head-on. Our guide to choosing the 

 for your business outlines exactly what you should look for and what to expect from such collaborations. But for now, let’s take a look at four key ways a strategic IT partnership can be beneficial for everyone involved.

Two heads are better than one, so the phrase goes. So it stands to reason that three, four, five, six etc heads are even better, especially when it comes to implementing long-standing IT systems. But just as an IT partnership can effectively deliver any technical know-how, don’t underestimate the value any business acumen can offer in return. Pooling and sharing resources can be a highly effective way of advancing both parties on the path to innovation and success.

Like any relationship, the more time and effort that goes into it, the more fruitful it becomes. For an IT company to get a deep understanding of a company’s systems and operations, as well as any technological challenge it faces now (and could potentially) takes a considerable amount of commitment, time, and trust.

A sustained, committed partnership offers, on one side, the benefit of on-going, innovative work and, for the other, the delivery of the most effective IT systems. But more than this, a long-term partnership offers both companies the opportunity to get to know each other’s business and build quality relationships with the people who are the driving force behind it, making it easier to work together and quickly adapt to any challenges.

For any reputable technology partner, the success of your business will become as important to them as it is to you. A quality IT company, like Solidstudio, will be creative in its approach to driving innovation to achieve the most effective technology systems for your business' needs. This can mean not only helping a company achieve a whole new level of digital transformation but keeps IT specialists abreast of all the latest cutting-edge technology and at the top of their game.

The cornerstone of any successful relationship is communication, and business partnerships are no different. In order to achieve highly successful collaborations, regular conversations are a must. Here questions such as are objectives being met and if there are new challenges that need to be addressed can be discussed, and key goals and timelines kept on track.

Partnerships offer a great opportunity to practice and develop good communication skills, which are invaluable in business. Scheduling in time for both parties to step back and measure performance at regular intervals can only strengthen a partnership as it moves forward.

For more information on how a tech partnership can benefit your business, get in touch with the Solidstudio team!

Learn about the benefits of technology partnership - does together means better?

The power of tech partnership

Learn what is special about Node.js cross-platform capabilities.

Grzegorz is the Head of Development in Solidstudio and he has spent quite a few years here. He’s a skilled software developer that had a chance to work on numerous eMobility-related projects for clients from many different countries.

Grzegorz Bar

 has also heard about its cross-platform, event-driven, non-blocking I/O solution and its capabilities.
In this article, I would like to explain what makes 

 so special about that approach and what exactly rules all those I/O complexities behind the red curtain.
Before we start and dig deeper into the rabbit hole, let's go through a bunch of definitions that will help us understand the entire design better.

It is an event handling design pattern for taking care of service requests delivered concurrently to a service handler by one or more inputs. The service handler then demultiplexes the incoming requests and dispatches them synchronously to the associated request handlers.

. According to the documentation, we can find two abstract entities involved here: 

. The first one receives and delegates the I/O request to the appropriate handler, and when the request is processed, it will add the registered callback handler (

The program that manages the entire process is called the 

. An Event Loop is a single-threaded and semi-infinite loop. The reason why this is called a semi-infinite loop is that it actually quits at the point when there's no more work to be done. From the developer's perspective, this is where the program exits.
The above sounds quite simple, but taking into account those cross-platform, non-blocking I/O, and the asynchronous nature of Node, it doesn't feel like we tackled everything, not just yet.

Now we know the responsibilities of event demultiplexer, but this is just an abstract concept described in the reactor pattern. In the real world, its implementation differs across systems and is known under different names:

NodeJS takes advantage of the low-level non-blocking, asynchronous hardware I/O functionalities provided by these implementations.

The system and its I/O implementations are very complex, e.g., some parts of I/O are not fully supported in terms of asynchrony. Those issues are especially related to the 

 implementations provided by each system. It's worth mentioning that this also has an impact on some of Node's 

To preserve the complete asynchrony across platforms, Node uses a thread pool to address those operations which cannot be covered by system asynchronous I/O. Thread pool also covers CPU-intensive operations (some crypto functions and zlib async functions provided by Node) to prevent blocking the event loop that could eventually kill application execution.
This does 

 mean that a thread pool performs or delegates all the I/O for Node. Thread pool supports those parts of system I/O that are not asynchronous. Node and event loop are both single-threaded (same thread during execution), but there are some functions of Node (blocking operations) that take advantage of multi-threading thanks to thread pool. You can set thread pool size from the default 4 up to 1024 threads. Take a look this simple program and the results that depend on the thread pool size:

This simple usage of crypto.randomBytes shows that it is delegated to the thread pool for execution and the resulting time differs when the thread pool size is larger. Nevertheless, that does not mean that you can set the size to 1024 and completely forget about it.

Time of execution for size=1024 was longer than for other examples because of hardware limitations and memory allocation for the thread pool. Examples were performed on Quad-Core with 2 threads per core which give 8 available threads.

So far we’ve learned that Node takes advantage of system I/O and is supported by Thread Pool to achieve complete asynchrony, non-blocking behavior on heavy stuff, and even multi-threading. Is it Node that manages and handles all those things or maybe there’s some low-level library that pulls all those strings and only exposes the API for Node?

Following the documentation: it is a multi-platform support library with a focus on asynchronous I/O. It was primarily developed for use by Node.js, but it’s also used by Luvit, Julia, pyuv, php-uv, and many more.

libuv implements Reactor Pattern and provides an advanced implementation of Event Demultiplexer with the composition of an I/O processing APIs. Moreover, libuv provides the entire Event Loop and Event Queue mechanism.

libuv is a powerful low-level I/O Engine with cross-platform support that provides complete asynchronous capabilities for anything that is built on top of it. Understanding how libuv's implementation of Reactor Pattern work is crucial for everyone who wants to use Node.js efficiently.

Learn what is special about Node.js cross-platform capabilities. Read it all on Solidstudio's blog.

Angular vs. React – which one is best for your project?

13 AUGUST 2019 • 14 MIN READ