Framework Vs Library | AngularJS Vs jQuery — All you Need to Know
As a web developer, you might have been contemplating the differences between the technologies you have in your stack. You need to know the difference between AngularJS and jQuery. Though both of them are based on JavaScript, AngularJS is a framework; whereas, jQuery is a library. It is no wonder that jQuery is extensive and robust enough to developers in manipulating the DOM for a longer time.
AngularJS debuted in the year 2010 and helped developers in building dynamic Single Page Applications (SPAs). Adhering to all the latest web practices, it had all the elements inside it for applications to work effectively. As a result, both AngularJS and jQuery are ruling the front-end space.
So, shall we surf through the best use cases and the key difference between AngularJS and jQuery?
Defining AngularJS: What Can You Do with AngularJS?
Let’s start by looking at the newest option out of the two, AngularJS. AngularJS is one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks maintained by Google. It was introduced to better assist developers in building effective single page applications while adhering to the web development best-practices.
As AngularJS offers a structured platform to build SPAs, the chances of developing faulty codes are minimized. Also, AngularJS ships with a bunch of features that empower developers to do more by writing less code.
Here are the features that you get with AngularJS:
- Dependency Injection features
- Form validation
- Templating features
- REST API
- MVC Support Options
- Two-way data binding solutions
- Angular directives (an extension to HTML)
From the features given above, it is evident that AngularJS is your go-to option for web app development as it works on HTML code and JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). These types of behavior and functionalities help develop an interactive website and powerful application and at times, it can also lead to a slow-loading website.
When to Use AngularJS?
With AngularJS, a game-changing web app idea can be developed from scratch. As jQuery helps you in building the overall site, AngularJS takes care of developing the client-side of the web app. AngularJS helps developers to develop fully-featured web apps that are more organized which in turn evades the risk of repetitive codes.
As discussed in the sections above, certain features such as two-way data binding & dependency injections enable developers to build visually rich and engaging apps quickly with AngularJS when compared to jQuery.
Defining jQuery: What Does jQuery Do for Developers?
jQuery is a JavaScript library that helps in DOM manipulation. It is designed with developers in mind to make it simple for them to create websites and web apps. JavaScript is one of the easily accessible programming languages and is more popular among the front-end developers. JavaScript helps in creating interactive and dynamic web pages.
jQuery is widely used because it simplifies the complicated JavaScript codes involved in manipulating the DOM elements and results in a single line of code. Thus, jQuery is easy to introduce various functionalities into a website and ensures high productivity and efficiency.
Here are the features that you get with jQuery:
- Cross-browser compatibility
- Event handling strategies
- CSS manipulation solutions
- DOM and HTML manipulation frameworks
- Animations and effects
Lightweight features for JavaScript (gzipped and minimized)
The best part about jQuery is that it can be employed in almost any developmental situation. Also, you can easily use jQuery with other frameworks, which include AngularJS too. As jQuery has no structure in it, you can be as creative as possible in developing your web app. But, this lack of structure also leads to confusion in the source code while developing larger products/web apps.
When to Use jQuery?
By now, it is clear that jQuery is a lightweight library created to manipulate DOM with JS. You can go ahead with jQuery if you need only a lightweight tool that does robust DOM manipulations during front-end development. jQuery can be used to add functionalities to the pre-existing web app as well as to websites that are under development from scratch.
When you want to add functionalities to an AngularJS web app using jQuery, ensure you follow the right steps. Else, you might have to face issues with data binding and other functionalities. One simple tip is: Don’t try to call jQuery plugins within your controller. Also, jQuery comes into action during situations when you need complete flexibility and customized features.
Final Thoughts on AngularJS and jQuery
Whenever you are in a pursuit to build a powerful and robust application, use AngularJS. If you are looking to manipulate the DOMs, add functionalities, and make it more interactive, you can go ahead with jQuery. Depending on the project demands, you must understand the capabilities of these two and make a quick decision.
Experts at TechAffinity are familiar with both AngularJS and jQuery and have a clear understanding of their capabilities. For a faster and efficient web app development, all you need is to understand the nuances of your technology stack, and we have got it for you. Feel free to get in touch by scheduling a meeting or drop your web app requirements at media@techaffinity.com.
Originally published at https://techaffinity.com on November 4, 2019.
