Choosing the Right JavaScript Library: A Step-by-Step Guide for Web Developers

Choosing the right JavaScript library is crucial, especially early in a project. Otherwise, there is a big chance you spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess later. But how to know which one is best?

In web development, there isn’t always a single “best choice.” However, there are usually better options than others, and considering the following factors might assist you in making the right decision.

Widespread usage

Libraries and frameworks that are widely used provide access to a lot of tutorials, courses and discussions about best practices, how-tos, and blogs. Widely used libraries and frameworks would also make it easier to find developers with the necessary experience. In addition, many developers would be eager to work for your business and gain experience.

Detailed documentation

A good documentation makes the library easy to use and helps avoid wasting time. Libraries with straightforward and understandable APIs can get by with little documentation. But complex libraries with difficult concepts require in-depth explanations, examples, and tutorials. You can get started more quickly if you refer to the documentation, which may even include sample code.

Development activity

Active development ensures that any bugs are immediately rectified, and new functionality is added to projects. Check the date in their changelog to see how recently the library was updated. If the library is published in an open source repository like GitHub and there isn’t a changelog, you can look for the most recent commit date.

Active community

A big user base may increase the likelihood that bugs will be found quickly and frequently. More external contributors to the library or framework may result from an active community. They may assist in delivering features that would not normally be on the author’s plan. It could also mean the addition of more courses, videos, courses, manuals, and tutorials on the relevant library or framework.

Browser support

Verify that a library supports each of the browsers you choose. Many libraries these days purposely don’t support earlier browsers’ versions, which your website may need to support, because they are exclusively meant to be lightweight. If the UI component from a library is ever used by your users on a mobile browser, it needs to function properly for them there.

Examples of powerful JS libraries, that fit most of the criteria

Webix JavaScript UI library

The library provides more than 100 widgets and components for building desktop, mobile, and web applications. There are also 13 complex widgets that can function as standalone programs. All of them are adaptable, interact with other famous frameworks, and work with modern browsers and devices. Before making a choice, developers can weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of the software during the free trial period.

Kendo

Kendo UI is a set of four JavaScript UI libraries built for jQuery, Angular, React, and Vue. You can quickly incorporate powerful JavaScript components into your existing or new projects. With just a few lines of code, you can easily add complex elements like data grids, charts, schedulers, and calendars.

Underscore.js

A powerful library with useful functions for numerous programming tasks. More than 100 functions are available, including general ones like map, filter, and invoke as well as more specialized ones like those for function binding, deep equality testing, building indexes, and JavaScript templating.

Sencha

Ext JS comes with more than 140 tested and pre-integrated high-performance UI components. You can speed up web application development with the help of this framework, designed for easy integration. There are also countless user add-ons available from the Sencha community.

Backbone.js

A lightweight JavaScript library makes it possible to create and organize client-side web applications. Various building components, including models, views, events, routers, and collections, are provided by BackboneJS. It is an open-source, free library with more than 100 available extensions.

Conclusion

The selection of a library to enhance the development team’s tools is not a simple task. Therefore, it is essential to choose the framework carefully and to involve developers in the process. The key points we mentioned in the article may help when you next choose a library or framework to use.