Vanilla JS vs. React JS – A Feature-based Comparison!

Vanilla JS vs. React JS – A Feature-based Comparison!

Web apps might be a little complex & more often, they require dynamic functionalities. That's why businesses hire Indian developers for such. One option for building applications is Vanilla JS, but if you have used Vanilla JavaScript before, you know how messy it can become. JS frameworks similar to React, Angular & Vue enter the scene at that point.

So how would you choose? To simplify it, we will walk you through the significant differences between Vanilla.JS and a JS library like React & compare the basic features. But before moving on to such, let us know the basics of both the JS libraries.

What is Vanilla JS?

Vanilla JS is merely plain JS without any third-party libraries or frameworks. The vanilla script is among the lightest frameworks ever created. It is a quick, cross-platform framework for creating amazing, robust JavaScript applications. It makes both learning and using it simple and easy.

The vanilla script can be used to develop major and impactful applications and websites. The developers who came up with the first version of JavaScript constantly work to enhance it and make it more beneficial for web developers.

What is React JS?

One of the most used JavaScript libraries today is React. It is entirely attributable to its adaptability and the enhancements it brings to the performance. Just like Vanilla, React JS is also a JavaScript-based UI development library React. React is a popular library in website creation even though it isn't a language as it enables us to create intricate user interfaces (UIs) out of isolated "components" of code.

React vs. Vanilla JS:

Now that we know what Vanilla and React JS entail, the question arises, how are they superior to one another? First of all, React separates the user interface into smaller, reusable components that can exchange data with one another. React has an advantage over Vanilla JS because of this breaking down of the user interface.

Because the UI must be updated frequently in large applications using Vanilla JS, the code becomes exceedingly challenging to maintain. In this case, you must first identify the element in the DOM to update a UI element. It is acceptable for updating a single element, but consider applying this to a lengthy form that a user must fill out. It could use much memory and strain the browser.

React offers a fantastic feature in this regard, namely its own virtual DOM. To avoid manual work, the virtual DOM brings a shortcut, while in actual, it is a thin replica of the real DOM. Although it cannot alter the screen, it has the same properties as the real DOM.

Modern frameworks are needed because Vanilla JS makes it difficult to keep the UI in sync with the state, which is the primary and most fundamental reason. Although Vanilla JS is fantastic, developing large applications with intricate dynamic functionalities is not a good choice. So, how can you decide when to choose what? Here we need to understand the differences in their features.

Comparison between React JS & Vanilla JS:

When it comes to popularity, ReactJS is highly exceptional because most developers tend to use it over Vanilla JS. But it's not always React when it comes to functionalities. Let's know why!

Learning Curve:

Because it is based on JavaScript, React JS has a simpler learning path than other complex frameworks on the market. However, it is challenging to learn if they don't know JavaScript. On the other hand, if you wish to know more about Vanilla JS from the beginning, you won't have any trouble doing so.

Many developers attempt to learn various frameworks without experience with Vanilla JS, making it exceedingly difficult for them to work upon. So, before learning about different frameworks, developers should become familiar with the basics of Vanilla JS.

Performance Benchmarking:

ReactJS provides the feature of Virtual DOM, making it effective for managing other UI updates. It refreshes the DOM for each UI update and regularly compares it to the usual DOM. Thus, determining the adjustments required for the standard DOM in this manner renders quick performance.

Unexpectedly, Vanilla JS is much quicker than other JS frameworks, outperforming popular front-end frameworks in terms of performance. One of the key reasons Vanilla JS offers greater speed than ReactJS is that it can generate the UI program 30 times more quickly than ReactJS.

UI/UX Performance:

As already mentioned, React JS offers a fantastic feature as it has a virtual DOM, unlike Vanilla which breaks down the UI into smaller and reusable components. For Vanilla, the UI needs to be updated frequently and manually. Hence, ReactJS outperforms Vanilla JS regarding UI/UX performance because developers don't need to enter the DOM. After all, It happens automatically.

Security:

ReactJS lacks robust security default settings because it is interoperable with a wide range of open-source components. Therefore, ReactJS is susceptible to several security risks. Due to several security system weaknesses, ReactJS web applications aren't entirely secure.

The APIs in Vanilla JS may require different credentials; however, this framework does not provide temporary tokens. If developers wish to guarantee that online apps are secure, they can employ middleman APIs. Hence, in terms of security, Vanilla is far better.

Maintenance:

It will cost more to maintain and develop an eCommerce website if the developers adopt Vanilla JS. However, developers must remember that ReactJS offers good maintenance services to keep the application current, faster, and more dynamic. As developers can readily maintain web applications, ReactJS is far superior to Vanilla JS for this purpose.

React JS or Vanilla JS?

Now that we have made a brief comparison, what is the verdict? React allows us to maintain synchronisation between the UI and state. The UI must be updated if the state needs to be changed in Vanilla JS.

React also emphasises the organisation and reuse of code. A component that was only built once can be utilised repeatedly with different data. Hence, whether you should hire Indian developers to use Vanilla JS or React relies very much on your use case.

This article was written by Harikrishna Kundariya, a marketer, developer, IoT, ChatBot & Blockchain savvy, designer, co-founder, Director of eSparkBiz Technologies. His 10+ experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on IoT and ChatBot.

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