Frameworks are created to support the construction of internet applications based on a single programming language, ranging in focus from general purpose tools such as Zend Framework and Ruby on Rails, which augment the capabilities of a specific language, to native-language programmable packages built around a specific user application, such as Content Management systems, some mobile development tools and some portal tools.

General-purpose website frameworks

Web frameworks must function according to the architectural rules of browsers and web protocols such as HTTP, which is stateless. Webpages are served up by a server and can then be modified by the browser using JavaScript. Server-side page changes typically require that the page be refreshed, but allow any language to be used and more computing power to be utilized. Client-side changes allow the page to be updated in small chunks (asynchronous) which feels like a desktop application, but are limited to JavaScript and run in the user's browser, which may have limited computing power. Some mix of the two can also be used. Applications which make heavy use of JavaScript are called single-page applications and typically make use of a client-side JavaScript web framework to organize the code.

JavaScripts EveryWhere

JavaScript library seems to be the new kid on the block (the Web) on a six month cycle. It takes the web community by storm every now and then. The web community one can genuinely attest it is increasingly vibrant, diverse and moving so rapidly on multiple fronts. For developers it has become an ardous task just to keep up.
Here we share or list our preferences for front-end development.

AngularJS

Angular is the popular enterprise framework that many developers are using to build and maintain complex web applications. Angular’s popularity is immense, and companies using it are as diverse as Domino’s Pizza, Ryanair, iTunes Connect, PayPal Checkout, Google. Angular is an open source framework supported by Google. Angular describes itself as an extension to HTML for building complex web apps. Also if you’re familiar with TypeScript, that’s how Angular 2 was written.

A Rundown of the Best New Features in ES2015

Angular is an MVC-type framework. It offers two-way data binding between models and views. This data binding allows for an automatic update on both sides whenever there is a data change. It enables you to build reusable View Components. It provides a services framework to allow easily backend-frontend server communication. Finally, it is just plain JavaScript.

When to use AngularJS?

Current Info:

• GitHub: https://github.com/angular/angular.js
• Current Version: 1.4.7/1.2.29
• Website: angularjs.org

React

React is this year’s favorite JavaScript project! Everyone seems to be talking about ReactJS. Every conference we've been to in the last year had at least a couple of talks on React and other libraries in the same family (Flux, Redux). React is open-source and developed mostly by Facebook with contributions from other major tech companies. React describes itself as a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

React is mostly the V in MVC (model-view-controller). It focuses entirely on that piece of MVC and disregards the architecture of the rest of your application. It provides a component layer that makes it easier to make UI elements and combine them together. It abstracts the DOM away so that it optimizes rendering and allows you to render React from node.js. Further, it implements a one-way reactive data flow that makes it easier to understand and use than other frameworks

Being the V in MVC, several projects combine React with the likes of Angular or Ember.

When to use React?

When you want a powerful View layer but don’t need an elaborate framework for the rest of your application or when you want a View layer to go with your Angular, Backbone, or Ember application. When you are trying to build an isomorphic web framework.

Current Info:

• GitHub: https://github.com/facebook/react
• Current Version: v0.14.0
• Website: Facebook.github.io/react/

Backbone

Backbone is a famously simple framework that fits into a single JavaScript file. Backbone has been around for a while; developed by Jeremy Ashkenas from CoffeeScript and Underscore fame. Backbone is especially popular with teams looking for a simple structure for their small web applications without bringing in a large framework like Angular or Ember.

Backbone provides a full MVC framework along with routing. The Models allow for key-value binding and events for handling data changes. Models (and Collections) can connect to RESTful APIs. The Views have declarative event handling, and the Router does an excellent job of handling your URL and state management. Everything you need to build a Single Page Application without offering too much and without unnecessary complexity.

When to use Backbone?

Current Info:

• GitHub: https://github.com/jashkenas/backbone/
• Current Version: 1.2.3
• Website: backbonejs.org

Ember

Ember is an opinionated web app framework focusing on programmer productivity. Ember is relatively popular, and the core team includes smart people like Yehuda Katz, who was part of the Ruby on Rails and jQuery Core Teams. Ember describes itself as “a framework for creating ambitious web applications” that doesn’t waste your time. It is very opinionated and makes many choices for you.

Ember is also an MVC framework. It includes a templating and view engine that automatically updates when data changes, just like Angular, Backbone, and React. It includes the concept of web components that let you extend HTML with your own tags (just like Angular). It also has a routing and model engine that knows how to work with your RESTful API.

When to use Ember?

When you just want a framework that just works. Use Ember when you do not need flexibility because you are on a tight budget or a hard deadline.

Current Info:

• GitHub: https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js/
• Current Version: 2.1.0
• Website: emberjs.com

jQuery

jQuery is the library that needs no introduction. It is single-handedly responsible for making cross-browser sites a reality and for bringing the web to where it is today. Web Standards have been adopted and genuinely respected by most major browser manufacturers and jQuery is one of the reasons why. The mission of jQuery Foundation is “to improve the open web, making it accessible for everyone, through the development and support of open source software, and collaboration with the development community.”

jQuery is the most used JavaScript library in the world, and no app should ever go without it unless you dislike programmer productivity. It makes DOM traversal, event handling, animation, AJAX so much simpler and easier across all browsers.

When to use jQuery?

Current Info:

• GitHub: https://github.com/jquery/jquery
• Current Version: v1.11.3 or v2.1.4
• Website: jquery.com

Underscore &lodash

Sometimes what comes built-in to JavaScript is just not enough for programmers to be truly productive. There’s always a utility function that is missing or a function that would simplify the code. Underscore (and lodash) is a JavaScript library that provides a whole suite of utility functions without monkey patching the built-in JavaScript objects. Both libraries provide over 100 functional helpers and other specialized goodies; including functions like map, filter, invoke, reduce, template, throttle, bind, extend, pick, clone and so much more.

When to use Underscore?

Current Info:

• https://github.com/jashkenas/underscore
• Current Version: 1.8.3
• Website: underscorejs.org

D3.js

Data visualization and charting is a common requirement for web applications. D3.js is the defacto standard when it comes to any data manipulation and visualization. It is one of the most popular projects on GitHub and is used by hundreds of organizations. Plenty of graphing, charting and visualization libraries build on top of D3.

D3 allows you to manipulate data documents from any source and apply a transformation into the DOM or/and SVG or/and CSS. D3 focuses on modern web standards and ensures you are free from any proprietary format like Flash or Silverlight.

When to use D3.js?

Current Info:

• GitHub: https://github.com/mbostock/d3
• Current Version: 3.5.6
• Website: d3js.org