Top 5 Frontend JavaScript Frameworks in 2021

According to the 2021 Stack Overflow developer survey, JavaScript has been the most used language for eight consecutive years, with 67.7% of respondents selecting it because of its versatility for front‑end, back‑end, and testing of web applications.

A quick Google search for "JavaScript framework" reveals a plethora of options, each with its own strengths and use cases, making the selection process a challenge for developers.

This article compiles a ranking of the best JavaScript frameworks for 2021—covering front‑end, back‑end, and testing—using data from State of JS 2019, the Stack Overflow 2021 survey, and NPM trends. (This is the front‑end edition.)

1. React.js

React.js tops the front‑end list. It is an open‑source JavaScript library created by Facebook’s team in 2011 and open‑sourced in June 2013. Originally called "FaxJS," it was first tested on Facebook’s News Feed. React has become a major disruptor in web development, shaping modern web applications.

React introduced a component‑driven, functional, and declarative programming style for building interactive user interfaces in single‑page applications. Its virtual DOM enables fast rendering by updating only changed parts, and it uses JSX syntax instead of plain JavaScript.

Although learning React can be more complex than other frameworks on this list, it benefits from a large developer community, abundant learning resources, and widespread adoption worldwide.

React consistently ranks at the top in both Stack Overflow and State of JS surveys, and is used by companies such as Airbnb, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

2. Vue.js

Vue.js is a lightweight, open‑source JavaScript framework designed to build creative user interfaces and high‑performance single‑page web applications with minimal effort.

Created by Evan You in 2014, Vue draws inspiration from Angular and offers a simple, lightweight, and efficient alternative. It combines features from React and Angular, improving them to provide a better, easier‑to‑use, and safer framework. Vue offers two‑way data binding like Angular and a virtual DOM like React.

Vue’s progressive nature makes it flexible: it can serve as a full‑stack framework like Angular or as a view layer like React. Its simplicity and low learning curve have driven rapid adoption, with companies such as Adobe, Apple, BMW, Louis Vuitton, and Nintendo using Vue.

3. Angular

Angular ranks third among front‑end frameworks in the 2021 list. It is a Google‑maintained, script‑based framework for building client‑side single‑page applications. Originally created in 2010 as AngularJS (Angular 1) by Misko Hevery and Adam Abrons, it was later rewritten from scratch in 2016 and renamed Angular (2+).

AngularJS was inspired by React and transitioned from an MVW architecture to a component‑based architecture similar to React. Today, Angular is considered a safe, enterprise‑grade JavaScript framework, used by over a million sites including Google, Forbes, IBM, and Microsoft.

4. Ember.js

Ember.js holds the fourth position. It is an open‑source JavaScript framework that follows the MVVM (Model‑View‑ViewModel) architecture, unlike the other frameworks listed.

Originally a SproutCore 2.0 project, it was renamed Ember.js by Yehuda Katz, a veteran developer and co‑creator of jQuery. Ember’s most popular feature is its powerful command‑line interface, which boosts developer productivity.

Despite being older than React, Vue, and Svelte, Ember maintains a strong user base at companies like Microsoft, LinkedIn, Netflix, and Twitch.

5. Preact.js

Preact.js ranks fifth. It is a lightweight, fast, and compatible alternative to React, not a full framework. Created by Google senior engineer Jason Miller, Preact implements the same virtual‑DOM, component‑based approach as React while being smaller in size.

Preact is fully compatible with React packages, allowing developers to switch without sacrificing performance. Major companies such as Tencent, Uber, and Lyft use Preact in production.

Conclusion

The frameworks listed here represent the core of current front‑end JavaScript development, though they are not exhaustive. As JavaScript evolves through ECMAScript proposals, framework functionality may increasingly migrate toward the language core.