Front-end development deals with the structure and looks of the website. Everything that a visitor sees on a website is the creation of a front-end developer. Therefore, creativity is the priority for front-end developers. There are many tools and frameworks that a front-end developer can use to develop a great web page.
There is a variety of front-end web frameworks, and developers choose a framework according to their project requirements. Front-end frameworks increase the productivity of developers, and they also provide many built-in features.
These frameworks work on the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle, which means there is no need to write the same code again and again. Hence, it improves code reusability. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the three main pillars of front-end development, and all have frameworks that further facilitate working with them.
What is Front-end?
In front-end development, we deal with the overall look of the website (or web app), and the client-side is the main concern. The primary job of a front-end developer is to design the structure of a web page that would display on the client system. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the main tools of front-end development.
What are Web Frameworks?
A web framework is a collection of libraries (predefined code) and APIs (application program interfaces) that call the code and performs the task. Web frameworks are used to create code for websites and web applications.
Best Front-End Frameworks for Web Development
Following is our list of the top 10 front-end frameworks to use in 2022 for web development:
- Bootstrap
- Angular.js
- Vue.js
- React
- Skeleton
- Pure
- Semantic UI
- Foundation
- Materialize
- Preact
1. Bootstrap
We’ll start our list of the best front-end frameworks with Bootstrap. It is one of the most famous and widely used front-end CSS frameworks that needs no introduction. Created and released by Twitter in 2011, Bootstrap is a free-to-use web framework. With this framework, you can quickly develop responsive mobile-first websites.
This framework includes CSS, HTML, and even JavaScript components and performs an excellent task when it comes to developing complex web pages. Furthermore, this framework comes with various JavaScript components in the form of jQuery plugins. These plugins provide additional UI elements, such as tooltips, dialog boxes, and carousels.
Bootstrap has a large community across the globe, and a great developer team is continuously working on its updates. Moreover, the popular CSS framework also has extensive documentation and supports rich libraries. With its continuous updates, now it can use Sass as a CSS preprocessor.
Some Big Firms that Use Bootstrap
- Spotify
- Udemy
- Robinhood
- StackShare
Pros of Bootstrap:
- It is open-source software.
- Bootstrap has exhaustive documentation.
- It can also create complex web pages.
Cons of Bootstrap:
- The Bootstrap website needs heavy changes in style. Otherwise, all the websites you build on the front-end framework look the same.
- Bootstrap contains many classes and components. Although learning them is easy, it still takes a lot of time to learn them all.
- The front-end framework does help in making responsive websites, but it comes with some limitations. The heavy website built on Bootstrap takes more loading time, resulting in slow speed and battery drain issues.
2. Angular
It is considered one of the best JavaScript frameworks that are used for front-end development and developing desktop and mobile applications. Angular is written in TypeScript, which is a superset of JavaScript. Thus, any JavaScript developer can use Angular.
Developed and maintained by Google, Angular saw the light of the day in September 2016. The tech mogul developed such a framework because of the rapid growth of internet users and an increase in demand for mobile applications. In only a few years of its reign, Angular has become one of the most popular JS frameworks among developers.
Angular is one of the four components of the MEAN stack. MEAN stands for MongoDB database, Express.js (a web applications server framework), Angular (a front-end JavaScript framework), and Node.js (a JS runtime environment).
Moreover, Angular provides various built-in templates through which you can quickly develop features for your project. When it comes to speed and performance, Angular tops the list of front-end frameworks.
Some Big Firms that Use Angular
- Upwork
- HBO
- Nike
- Forbes
- Sony
Pros of Angular:
- It uses real DOM, which works as a virtual DOM for trivial updates.
- The front-end framework supports bi-directional data binding.
- It has a proactive community and strong backing from Google.
Cons of Angular:
- Angular needs frequent updates.
- It has a steep learning curve.
3. Vue.JS
Vue is an open-source JavaScript framework released in February 2014. VueJS was created by Evan You, a former Google employee, with the aim of developing a lightweight JavaScript framework.
Made under the consideration of HTML-based template syntax, the simplicity and lightweight of this framework have attracted many developers to use it. Vue is primarily used for developing UIs and single-page applications. Furthermore, Vue has an incrementally adaptable architecture.
This type of architecture focuses on declarative rendering and component composition. The core library of Vue focuses only on the view layer. In addition, this framework provides advanced features, such as routing, build tooling, and statement management, via officially maintained libraries and packages.
Some Big Firms that Use Vue
- Alibaba
- Xiaomi
- Adobe
- GitLab
- Grammarly
- Euro News
Pros of Vue:
- It is simple to use.
- VueJS comes with extensive documentation.
- The front-end framework has high code reusability.
- It features a dev tool extension.
Cons of Vue:
- It has a small community.
- Vue.js is not as flexible as Angular and React.
4. React
It is the most popular front-end framework of 2022 and will continue to reign further. Developed by Meta, React is a very powerful tool used to build intuitive UIs. It was released on 29th May 2013, and since then, Meta has used it for many big projects.
Unlike other entries on this list that are front-end frameworks, React is a library. ReactJS has rich libraries that are used to create mobile applications. The main feature of React is that it works with virtual DOM, so any updates applied on the page do not have any adverse effect on any other part of the web interface.
However, you can only perform state management and render that state to the DOM using React. To create fully-featured React applications, you need to use other libraries for routing and client-side functionality.
Nonetheless, it enables you to build encapsulated components that manage their own state. You can later integrate those components to build a complex UI.
Some Big Firms that Use React
- Airbnb
- Netflix
- Uber
- Dropbox
Pros of React:
- React uses virtual DOM.
- It has high code reusability with React components.
- React follows unidirectional data flow.
- It is open-source with rich libraries.
Cons of React:
- It has a high learning curve.
- React has poor documentation.
5. Skeleton
It is a lightweight CSS framework used for small projects. Skeleton has a low learning curve, and with fewer lines of code, you can create a web application for both large and small mobile devices. Due to its lightweight build, it is very fast compared to other UI frameworks. Though Skeleton does not have many built-in components, it lets you develop by customizing the CSS.
In addition, it comes with a 12-column grid with a maximum width of 960px. This grid shrinks with the devices to smaller sizes. There are two types of buttons, where one type is standard and plain, and the other is vibrant and prominent. Besides, there are many other components, such as lists, forms, and tables.
Major Features of Skeleton
- It comes with a grid system.
- It has typography.
- Skeleton has an inbuilt buttons API.
- It has an inbuilt form.
Some Big Firms that Use Skeleton:
- Steelkiwi Inc.
- CampusBox-API
- Sprit Pixels
- emotion.me
- Sprettynice
- Ledger Note
Pros of Skeleton:
- It is a beginner-friendly framework.
- Skeleton comes with a superior main type and web layout design.
- It is the ideal framework for small resolution devices.
Cons of Skeleton:
- It lacks CSS classes.
- Skeleton has limited templates.
- It is not an ideal framework for big websites.
6. Pure
It is a simple CSS framework with a single stylesheet. Pure.css is a very lightweight framework but has enough libraries to create and develop some complex web pages. Though it is not used for big projects, it could be an ideal front-end framework for a beginner who wants to play and learn more about CSS development.
Pure is designed to develop some specific features for the web pages, and it supports the modular approach to coding. Using menus, grids, buttons, forms, and many other components, you can create responsive layouts for different screen sizes. Also, Pure is an unopinionated front-end framework, meaning that you can effortlessly add new CSS rules and create your own look and feel.
Some Big Firms that Use Pure
- speedtest.net
- mongoosejs.com
- docs.rs
- letsencrypt.org
Pros of Pure:
- It has a low learning curve.
- Pure is a lightweight front-end framework.
- It is open-source.
- The front-end framework offers fast development.
Cons of Pure:
- It is not suitable for creating complex web pages.
- It does not have enough classes and UI designs.
7. Semantic UI
The next name on our list of the best front-end frameworks is Semantic UI. It is a very powerful front-end framework and a worthy competitor to Bootstrap. It is one of the most simple front-end frameworks with a moderate learning curve. You can also use this framework for developing complex web applications.
Its structure is more difficult than Bootstrap, and the installation could be baffling, but the numerous features of Semantic UI make using it worthwhile. Semantic UI comes with more than 50 UI components, including buttons, forms, grids, and tables. Along with UI components, it provides more than 3,000 theming variables. Also, the best part of this framework is that it lets you share your UI between multiple projects.
Some Big Firms that Use Semantic UI
- Snapchat
- Accenture
- Digital Services
- Ovrsea
- Deepnatural
Pros of Semantic UI:
- It has a moderate learning curve.
- Semantic UI has minimal load time.
- It offers easy customization.
- The front-end framework has more than 20 inbuilt themes.
Cons of Semantic UI:
- It has large packages.
8. Foundation
Developed by ZURB and released in September 2011, Foundation is a responsive front-end framework. It is released as an open-source project with features like code snippets, typography, forms, buttons, navigation, and many interfaces. Considered an HTML framework, Foundation is written in HTML, CSS, Sass, and JavaScript. Moreover, it is the first responsive framework written in Sass.
This front-end framework comes with the most common patterns required to prototype a responsive website. All the components are simple and easy to extend. In addition, since version 4.0, this framework started following the mobile-first approach, meaning that you can design a website layout for mobile devices first and later enhance them for large devices.
Some Big Firms that Use Foundation:
- LaunchDarkly
- Docker
- Workday
- HotelTonight
- WeWork
Pros of Foundation:
- It is a flexible framework.
- It is available as open-source software.
- Foundation has no style-lock in.
- The front-end framework uses REMS.
Cons of Foundation:
- It is bulky.
- It has a high learning curve.
- The syntax is complex.
9. Materialize
It is also a responsive front-end web framework and a CSS framework. Materialize follows Google’s material design concept, and it is written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This is an ideal framework for those developers who want to take HTML, CSS, and JavaScript knowledge to the next level.
Materialize has a rich UI with many animations and layouts. It has a built-in IZ column grid feature that is used for website layouts. The front-end framework also includes features like typography, forms, buttons, and colors.
Some Big Firms that Use Materialize:
- Digital Services
- DroneDeploy
- Greencode
- Leonis Holding
- Marstech
Pros of Materialize:
- It offers a wide variety of components.
- Materialize has active community support.
- It has a giant and mushrooming community.
Cons of Materialize:
- It has a large file size.
10. Preact
Preact is a quicker substitute to React. Like React, it is a JavaScript library with the same ES6 API as React. It provides the thinnest virtual DOM abstraction on top of the DOM. Also, Preact is one of the fastest virtual DOM libraries available out there.
Though this library is small in size, it does not compromise speed and performance and allows you to create dynamic and complex web applications. When you need a lightweight framework, we recommend you to opt for Preact rather than React. However, it is not ideal when you require displaced functional elements while creating web applications.
Some Big Firms that Use Preact
- GROUPON
- Etsy
- Bustle
- Selly
- Narcity Media
Pros of Preact:
- It boosts performance while building web applications.
- Preact is extremely small in size.
- It is fast, portable, and embeddable.
Cons of Preact:
- It does not support the React prototype.
- Preact does not support the synthetic event employment of React.
Conclusion
That was our list of the best front-end frameworks to use in 2022. Many of these were the best of the bunch in 2021 and will continue to gain more and more developers in 2022. Each one of these frameworks is suitable for specific requirements. So, all you need to do is find out your needs and choose the most suitable one. All the best!
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Great post! Been diving into more CSS frameworks myself. I think there are a lot of other CSS frameworks worth mentioning like Cirrus and Tailwind. Both are currently on my radar and work quite well in my projects.