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Vue.js a progressive Javascript framework that developers use to build user interfaces and powerful single-page applications (SPAs). It is MIT licensed, open-sourced and incrementally adoptable. The framework can easily scale between a library and a framework; for the approachable core library, the focus will be on the view layer. Moreover, there is an ecosystem of supporting libraries. 

Vue.js Framework

The most basic use of the framework is in creating the view layer of the web application. Of course, there are a lot of tools for building successful applications in the market, but Vue.js is beating them all and racing to the front, leaving even the popular veteran software technologies like Angular and React behind. 

When Vue was first introduced into the market by its creator, Evan You, it was just a small project developed to meet developer needs. But over the years, the framework matured, becoming full-fledged with developer tooling and grownup ecosystem. Vue was built with the best features of Angular and React, and with some of its own unique features, so it’s no wonder that the framework has become so popular. 

Here are some noted advantages of developing software applications in Vue.js.

1. Developer friendly

Developers, especially beginners in the field of development, absolutely love the framework for its gentle learning curve. Just going over the materials provided in the official guide of the framework would give you enough leverage to develop your own Vue based app easily. Even if you don’t have prior knowledge of ES2015, TypeScript, JSX, or build systems, you can make it through, provided you have a basic knowledge of Javascript, HTML, and CSS. However, if you are planning to make complex web apps, a little experience would go a long way. 

If you are a developer experienced in React, you can easily switch to being a Vue developer. The high accessibility feature of Vue is an additional advantage and you can get your creative juices flowing without worrying about additional syntax extensions. 

Vue is also much superior to React in the popularity context as well. It has about 157k stars in GitHub as of 19th Feb 2020, whereas React has only 144k.

Vue.js GitHub

2. Very small size

The beauty of any JS framework lies in its size, and Vue.js fits the bill because of its small size (18–21KB). The smaller the framework, the more developers download it. This makes it much better than all the bulky frameworks currently in the market, especially React.js, Angular.js, and Ember.js. The small size of Vue makes a positive impact on SEO and UX.

3. Good documentation

Vue.js has easy-to-use documentation on the website. This allows you to do an instant search, learn about keyboard shortcuts, get offline support and a number of other features that allow first-timers to write their first application. The comprehensive documentation makes it easy for anyone with a little knowledge about Javascript or HTML to write their own application.

4. The best of both worlds - React & Angular

When Evan You created VueJS, his aim was to combine the best of React and Angular, and develop a lightweight framework. 

For example, one of the biggest advantages Vue has over React is that a component’s dependencies would be automatically tracked during rendering so the system is perfectly aware of which components need to be re-rendered when the state changes. Each component will have shouldComponentUpdate automatically implemented in it. This removes an entire class of performance optimization and the developer just needs to focus on the app as it scales. 

Another example would be Vue’s companion libraries for routing and state management. Unlike React, which leaves it to the community leading to a fragmented ecosystem, Vue’s companion libraries are officially supported and updated with the core library. 

If you compare Vue with Angular, you can say that the former is much more flexible and opinionated than the latter, so you can structure your app in whichever way you want it. Additionally, VueJS is much simpler, and sometimes even better than Angular because it doesn’t have any confusing syntax. 

VueJS was thus intended to be a correction of the mistakes made in Angular and React.

5. Good performance

Vue is fast. It may not be the fastest, but it is excellent in delivering precise UX in UIs and SPAs. As for mobile applications, Vue launches faster than both Angular and React, which is a good thing because mobile users generally do not have an attention span of more than 3 seconds when it comes to launching applications. Since the world is shifting to a mobile-first experience, Vue scores well as a JS front end framework. 

Testing DOM (Document Object Model) components bound with data is much better in Vue than in React and Angular. DOM is something developers have to be familiar with while rendering web pages because it is a representation of HTML pages with styles, elements and page content. The framework may not be leading, but it surely isn’t far behind.

6. Reactivity

Vue saves a lot of developer time with this feature (no need to write additional lines of code while rendering modern web apps). Equipped with a proprietary reactivity mechanism, the framework makes it easy to refresh user interfaces automatically. They can use this time to be more productive, and work on other features. 

There is another feature of Angular that Vue has inherited, and that’s the two-way data binding in DOM manipulations. Two-way data binding makes the connection between UI and model data updates not only possible and easy, but you can track it too. Bound components have data that can be updated on a timely basis. And in Vue, this would be updated reactively, making it an excellent feature when you need real-time updates.

7. Highly flexible

Known for its flexible nature, Vue lets you write quickly, and run it from the browser. You can build all kinds of applications, even complex ones, using ES6, JSX, components, routing, bundling, etc. The framework is also a good choice for building cross-platform applications and you have access to a varied range of environments. 

8. Single file components and readability

Your application or SPA will contain components representing encapsulated elements of your interface. There is no need to divide them into separate files, and the components can be written in Javascript, CSS, and HTML. This kind of approach called Component-Based Architecture (CBA) is used not only in Vue, but in React and Angular, and has its own set of benefits:

(a) Component reusability - The chunks of code can be reused as templates 

(b) Code readability - The components are all stored in separate files, making it easier to maintain, access and fix them. 

(c) Perfect for unit testing - It is easy to monitor how even the smallest parts of the app work. This makes unit testing successful. 

9. Impressive tooling ecosystem

Vue has been around for 5-6 years, and over the short span, the framework comes with a very powerful set of tools. The latest version, Vue CLI 3 comes with heaps of features like Babel support, unit testing, a plugin installation system, end-to-end testing tools, server renderer, browser debugging tools and state manager.

10. Easy integration capabilities

One of the biggest advantages of any new technology in the market would be its capacity to integrate with other applications. With Vue, integration is a piece of cake because it relies on just Javascript and no other technology to work. You can write templates with greater flexibility, and if you have been using React or Angular, you can easily switch over. As it's lightweight and has easy components, you can use the framework with any project. 

11. There’s a vibrant community

Vue’s blooming and vibrant community is another feature that makes this framework highly rated. There are conferences happening all over the world if you want to keep track of what’s happening in the Vue world. 

Vue.js Events

Here are the details of some of the major events:

  • Dates: February 20th - 21st, 2020
  • Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • Dates: March 2nd - 4th, 2020
  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA

  • Dates: March 5th, 2020
  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Let’s have a look at some of the websites created with Vue.js:

Behance

Behance is a website dedicated to photographers and graphic designers wishing to showcase their portfolio. The company uses Vuejs as the front-end programming language. 

Nintendo

Nintendo, the gaming console website, is a platform where gaming enthusiasts buy their games online. They also have Vue.js as their front-end programming language.

Chess

Chess.com is an online gaming website that uses VueJS as part of the front end development for certain modules.

Laravel

The default front-end language for the official website of Larval is VueJs because it is lightweight and easy to integrate. 

Gitlab

Gitlab, the web-based version controlling repository for source codes comes with a number of membership options. This website also uses Vue as its front end programming language.

Final Thoughts

Over the years, there have been several frameworks that help developers build native apps and enable cross-platform development. But Vue.js has not vanished like any of the previous frameworks and is definitely here to stay. The Vuex feature in the framework is an added advantage as it aids in state management and routing functions, thereby making it possible to build larger and complex functions. The framework has too many good features of Angular and React to be cast aside. 

However, there are some features of Vue that may not turn in your favor, so you need to be aware of what the exact requirements are. For example, the language barrier is something you need to cross because most of the forum discussions, instructions and plugin descriptions are in the Chinese language. Another aspect that tips the scales against Vue is that though Vue.js is a progressive framework, the number of plugins for React and Angular is far higher. And finally, Vue is still a young framework, and it is not very easy to get highly experienced Vuejs developers. So while the framework has a lot of advantages, you have to be aware of the limitations too.

Want to incorporate Vue.js in your next app development project? We can help.

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