Table Of Content
Find out What Are the Most Popular Development Frameworks Used by Developers
Software Development Frameworks have become an essential part of the development space nowadays. Over the years, the standards for developing software products has risen drastically, and with it, the demand for more complex tools and tech too.
That is where frameworks come in. They come with the necessary capabilities and tools needed to build robust applications. And why not? There is no need to reinvent the wheel. If there is a way to do something, a technique that is endorsed by hundreds or thousands of software developers around the world, why wouldn’t you use it?
That is why software frameworks are so popular nowadays, in order to build robust, feature-rich apps. But what frameworks would suit your application? And how would you choose the perfect one from them? Let’s read on to find out what the top software development frameworks have to offer.
What Is A Development Framework?
A software development framework is a platform or base, on which you can build a software application. Think of it as a foundation of sorts, which developers can use as an architectural guideline for their app. Plus, many of these frameworks are also built with specific development philosophies in mind, making it easier to use the frameworks designed according to your preferred development style.
And while newer developers may feel as if using frameworks restricts their creativity or imposes some kind of strict rigidity over their development, they come to realize them for the asset they are soon. That is because frameworks, by default, come with predefined development elements like classes, functions, methods etcetera, designed to help you perform everyday tasks quickly and efficiently.
This streamlining of the software development process is why using development frameworks are so popular, especially among professionals and custom software development services providers.
What Does A Software Development Framework Offer?
Now that you understand that using a software development framework is to your benefit, the question arises – what exactly does a framework offer?
Well, specifically, the details can vary from framework to framework. However, a few features are common to the majority of them. The primary common feature among all of them is that they provide an architectural baseline for the developers to build their app on.
This allows for the different components of the app work together easily, making it easy to integrate these portions into a complete software. Moreover, frameworks also provide:
- Basic functionalities
- In-built development solutions for common tasks and methods
- Structured codebases
- A distinctly defines development philosophy for ease of usage
Now, for those who are aware, the same could be said for a development library. And that might confuse you into thinking that a library and a framework are one and the same. However, that is not true. There is a big difference between the two. Developers can use libraries if and when they need it. Frameworks however, dictate what a developer can or cannot do.
Types of Software Development Frameworks
As we mentioned earlier, with so many different types of software development nowadays, there are many different frameworks available to develop them, based on the developers’ personal preferences or the projects functional requirements.
Companies often prefer frameworks according to the core expertise of their development teams. If your teams are experts in .NET, then a framework made for .NET philosophy would be the way to go. That, in many ways, simplifies the choice of selecting the right development framework.
Now, the type of development you want to accomplish often divides frameworks. That means that a framework made for mobile app development will be of no help when developing a website, because that is not its purpose.
Here, we are going to discuss three types of development frameworks, namely:
- Web Development Frameworks
- Mobile App Development Frameworks
Let’s look at them in a little detail.
Web Development Frameworks
Web development frameworks are designed to help developers build better websites and web apps. Now, a framework could be made for JavaScript, Python, .NET, PHP, or more. And depending on factors like your technical team’s expertise or the client’s preference, you can choose a suitable option for your project.
Listed below are the top web development frameworks used nowadays.
Angular
Angular is one of the most famous and widely used web development framework. Developed by Google, this framework is developed using TypeScript, and follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design. This allows you access to a robust and reliable way to create web apps and websites, from comprehensive web applications to simple websites.
Angular is a modular framework that is designed to be scalable. It specifies individual HTML elements into distinct elements so that you can reuse them later if you desire. Moreover, the open-source nature of Angular gives you the flexibility of choosing from a huge range of integrations and additional elements, as well as a vast community of developers to help you accomplish your projects.
ASP.NET Core
There is no question that the .NET development platform is still one of the top development platforms in the world. And its latest web framework, ASP.NET Core, is testament to that. It is a redesign of the Windows-specific ASP.NET, and is completely open-source.
It is a great option for web developers who want to build modern, secure, and reliable web products for the Windows, macOS, Linux, and even Docker. With features like code completion, multi-factor authentication, web template syntax and more, it is a great framework to use.
ExpressJS
Express is another great framework, a minimalist and lightweight framework that is part of the MEAN and MERN stack. It is also the default server framework for Node.js development for programmers and software firms, due to its minimalist nature, and its ability to extend itself using a variety of plugins.
A high performer, it is one of the most widely used frameworks for web apps as well as mobile apps. Moreover, it is also a great option if you want to develop comprehensive APIs, allowing developers an easy and efficient way to do so.
Django
Django, one of the two popular Python-oriented web development frameworks, is marketed for those who want to create the best possible product in the shortest time possible. Its plethora of features are designed to its developers the ability to develop quickly, using Python to allow for component reusability, allowing you to code less.
Moreover, many developers for more than just using a widely used programming language favor Django. It also offers a number of robust security features for your apps right out of the box. Django is also quite scalable; allowing developers to build complex apps is a short amount of time.
Laravel
Laravel is the PHP framework’s most popular web development framework. It is designed to deliver elegant websites and web apps, and mostly delivers. The syntax is quite expressive, and the frameworks takes some of its most important features from others like Ruby on Rails.
Originally, Laravel was designed and based on Symfony; it uses the MVC model that offers a vast set of tools for developers to build massive, highly robust and feature-rich web apps.
Mobile Development Frameworks
Next up, we are going to look at some of the most popular mobile app frameworks used by developers today. The mobile app industry is a cutthroat one, where app developers have to cater to a wide variety of devices and deliver good performance on all of them.
Let’s find out what frameworks are popular with mobile app developers nowadays.
Ionic
Ionic is first on our list, as it is one of the most powerful yet versatile mobile app development framework you will find today. It offers a wide variety of features and functionality that allows for high quality, near-native apps with a single codebase capable of running on many different platforms.
This allows you to use native features like UI components, security features, gestures and more. Moreover, you will be able to integrate it with the majority of frontend frameworks like Angular and React, quite easily.
Xamarin
Users of Xamarin say that it feels more than a mobile app framework. However, it is just that – a mobile app framework used to develop apps for Android, iOS, and even C#. A reliable tool offers its users a native-live experience, Xamarin has great performance speeds and features to build a robust app.
As a popular cross-platform development tool, it allows you to work using a single codebase. Moreover, it also allows for access to native APIs easily, as well as the help of a massive developer community to help you develop your project quickly and efficiently, according to your software project requirements.
React Native
While the primary users of React Native framework are developers who are expert in React, it is easy enough to be used by a variety of mobile app developers. That is because React Native affords a lot of flexibility and reliability, combining the best of what React has to offer, with that of native app development.
This allows developers to build apps for Android, iOS, and more, and React works by wrapping individual native code components to interact better with the APIs. This allows you to build a single codebase, and publish it to your platform of choice.
Flutter
Flutter is a comparatively new addition to the list, but has seen a meteoric rise in popularity in the years since its inception. Helmed by Google, this mobile app development framework includes four major components – the Dart platform, Flutter engine, foundation library, and a set of design-oriented widgets.
One of the unique features of Flutter is that it doesn’t just allow you to develop mobile apps. You can also use it to develop web apps or even desktop apps, all using the same, single codebase. And its quick too, with its array of customizable widgets, as well as its code compilation into ARM machine code.
Choosing The Right Development Frameworks is Paramount
Now that you have taken a look at the different web and mobile development frameworks, you might be wondering how to choose one of them for your project. Well, there is no simple answer to that question. There are a lot of factors the can influence your choice, which is why you need to be clear about your project requirements if you want to choose the right framework from the list.
We understand that for someone new, it can be a hard decision to make. All of the frameworks listed above, and many of those not listed, are some of the best frameworks you can work with. Yet choosing the one that suits your business needs, is something that is not as easy.
So, to simplify the process, you need to do the following.
- Identify the type of software being developed (mobile app, web, desktop, etc)
- List the suitable frameworks for that type of software
- Consider the expertise of your company’s technical resources. If they are experts in .NET, choose a .NET suitable framework.
This simple process will help you choose the most suitable development framework for your project, and allow you to deliver a robust, feature-rich app to your client.
Conclusion
Now that you know what the top development frameworks for the mobile and web platforms are, you might have discovered that many of them offer somewhat similar features, albeit with different development philosophies. And based on what you desire to accomplish from your project, your choice of software framework can be crucial for its success.
Therefore, if you follow the tips above, and choose your preferred framework systematically, you will be able to develop a robust and reliable software product in no time.
FAQs
| What is development framework? Development frameworks are the tools and libraries that a developer can use to structure their app upon. It can be considered an architectural foundation, using which developers can build a variety of apps quickly and efficiently. |
| What are some popular examples of frameworks? Some popular examples of software frameworks include: – Ruby on Rails – ReactJS – js – Flask |
| What web framework is most commonly used nowadays? According to the recent stats by Statista, Node.js is the most popular web development framework in 2022, followed by React.js. |