AngularJS or ReactJS – Which Is the Better Choice for App Developers?

Choosing the right framework for a new JavaScript system, application or website is a top priority for any business. It can have a direct bearing on project’s durability and ability to fit in deadlines, further code maintainability, and scalability of your future app.

Some might argue that comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges because while React is a library that deals with views, Angular is a legit framework. In fact, Angular is one of the top JavaScript frameworks and much like other software suits it has multiple out-of-the-box solutions and designs. However most React developers will add a few libraries to React to work it like a regular framework. Of course the resultant workflow of this stack is much different from Angular so comparison is moot.

The primary difference between AngularJS and ReactJS lies in state management. Angular has data-binding bundled in by default, whereas React is generally augmented by Redux to give unidirectional data flow and work with immutable data. Both are opposing approaches and there is no consensus on which is better: mutable/data binding or immutable/unidirectional.

Scalability:

Angular is easy to scale thanks to its design as well as a powerful CLI. React is testable and therefore scalable compared to other frameworks like Vue.

Computed Properties

As far as performance is concerned, plain getters in Angular are out of the scenario because they get called on each render. It is however possible to use BehaviorSubject from RsJS, as it serves the purpose. React allows the use of @computed from MobX – achieving the same objective but with a nicer API. Dependency Injection.

Dependency Injection

Dependency injection is a bone of contention as it is contrary to the prevalent React paradigm of functional programming and immutability. But some sort of dependency injection is almost unavoidable in data-binding environments, because it aids in decoupling (and thereby mocking and testing) where there is no separate data-layer architecture. Angular supports DI and one great advantage is the ability to have different lifecycles for different stores.

Some of the common React paradigms deploy some kind of global app state that maps to disparate components, however it is conducive to the introduction of bugs when cleaning the global state on component unmount. On the other hand, a store that is created on component mount and is seamlessly available to the component’s children –is a more useful and often neglected concept. This is out of the box in Angular, but quite easily replicated with MobX as well.

Simplicity + Code length

React is quite easy and simple to understand but it takes quite some time to set up a project in React.

Angular on the other hand, is not simple by any means. Its inherent complexity sometimes causes confusion and Angular specific 3rd party libraries and syntax.

Model Complexity

Angular’s performance is sensitive in terms of scope because of copy-n-compare. You cannot use large models. However, this has benefits and disadvantages. The Pros are that it makes the code simpler and more testable but the cons are that you need to break down stuff that you normally use and rebuild it again (for example – for server requests). React however gives you the power of choice without the performance penalty. The outcome really depends on whether you’re a good coder or a bad coder.

Conclusion: Which is better React or Angular?

Both React and Angular work on completely diverse approaches to front-end application development for startup, small and medium enterprises. The technologies are both powerful and flexible and while neither is better or worse, it depends on your business application goals and system constraints that make the final choice.

Overall, both frameworks provide a robust set of tools for quality, scalable, reactive web applications. For those who prefer to code in classic JS, react may find more favors, but for those looking at a more mature and sophisticated solution, AngularJS might be your best bet.