Latest Trends in JavaScript for 2016

Featured article by Dave, marketing executive with master’s degree in International marketing

Every technology changes over time but JavaScript has turned out to the most rapidly changing technology.

The rise of JavaScript:

Javascript has been making a lot of noise lately. It is considered as one of the most important scripting languages which continue to evolve. Javascript frameworks like React.js (though it’s not typically a framework), Ember, AngularJS and more have started gaining serious momentum and pervaded into JavaScript developing.

With the release of all new frameworks and libraries, developers look forward for the new challenges they would need to face. This is the reason no JavaScript developer can be confident with the prevalent framework and the libraries he/she uses. To make it a bit easier for you, here is a list of the latest trends of JavaScript for 2016:

1. React.js
It was formed by the amalgamation of Facebook and Instagram. React.js or React is simply a JavaScript library which is used for creating user interfaces. With the introduction of Virtual DOM, React gives you the ability to modify the page’s real DOM which means it provides re-rendering of the DOM but with a different algorithm. Other than this, React also lets you do the rendering on the server side with the help of Node.js. This means you can render the static pages at the server side and then render the client side too. It makes your website SEO friendly.

2. Meteor
Meteor is an open-source framework that helps in developing real-time web applications. In Java the code is written once and is run everywhere, similarly Meteor gives you the power to write the code once and run it on both client side and server side. After installation, you just need to develop both the sides of your application and nothing else. It has its own Command Line Interface which escalates your workflow. In case you are not sure of what to create, it lets you create a demo application too.

For that, you need to type:
meteor create—example fiction
Meteor is a reactive framework which means that any change made will be reflected throughout the scope of the application.

3. Isomorphic JavaScript

This is the next new big thing. These new libraries and frameworks are solving the issues associated with traditional JavaScript frameworks. Basically Isomorphic Applications are those web applications which are converted into mobile app using Cordova. These apps can run both server-side as well as client-side. It gives all the major advantages of React.js. Isomorphic JavaScript applications offer many advantages including SEO-friendly design, faster speed, and easier code maintenance.

4. Backbone

Backbone is JavaScript library that gives you a set of classes for Models/Events/Routes/Collections. There is one unique feature that is its Views. With Backbone, you can swap out the View layer easily without affecting the other areas of code.

5. Data Driven Documents (D3.js)

This is an efficient JavaScript library to create effective charts for multiple purposes. Rendering in D3.js can be done using HTML, SVG and CSS. It provides powerful features like “Enter and Exit”, strong transitions and syntax similarity with jQuery. D3.js does not provide any pre-built charts just like other charting libraries do. Despite its numerous advantages it does not work in some of the browsers, for that you can make use of the plugins such as aight plugin that provide cross browser compatibility.

6. Angular JS

Angular JS allows you to enhance HTML for web apps. It is basically a toolset for creating the framework ideal for your app development. Angular JS is also compatible with other type of libraries. Each feature can be replaced or altered to cater to specific development workflow needs.

7. Ember JS

Ember.js is yet another popular JavaScript framework that can be used to build creative web applications. Ember.js is an open source code which is built on MVC (Model-View-Controller). Additionally, it allows you to change the way you compile your templates with HTMLBars. Ember.js builds ember-template-compiler.js file which can be used server-side or client-server compilation.

JavaScript is one of the most rapidly changing technologies. That being said, no developer would want to stick to any framework for long. So to sustain as a JavaScript developer you must accept the change and also learn to grow with it.

Author Bio – Dave is a marketing executive with master’s degree in International marketing. He currently works for Essay-On-Time to support their content team with his skills and knowledge.