jQuery vs. React
Introduction
jQuery and React are JavaScript libraries that provide comparable results using different technologies. Each has different advantages and disadvantages. In this guide, we’ll compare jQuery and React.
jQuery joined the show in 2006. At that time, JavaScript was not as common and trendy as it is now. JQuery changed the fate of web user interfaces as it enabled developers to deliver interactive experiences easily and painlessly.
In other words, jQuery revolutionized the industry by shifting developers from building primitive websites to developing web apps.
React was born in 2013 and was originally written by Jordan Walke. By 2016, React had acquired a wide fan base among web developers, who quickly adopted it as it was capable of embedding HTML within JavaScript.
It allowed seamless HTML manipulation upon a change in state or data. Instead of developing web apps, developers can now build sophisticated, large-scale, single-page apps using React.
For this reason, many new developers are joining the React landscape.
Library Size in KB
The first factor in this comparison is the size of the library, due to its impact on the end user experience. If the end user repeatedly sits and waits for pages to load, their experience of using the web app will not be pleasant. They may get frustrated and choose another, faster web app.
React developers are often opposed to the oversized React library. After minification, the size of the React library is about 95 KB, while the jQuery library is about 75 KB. Thus, jQuery’s file size is an astonishing 18% smaller than React’s. To get an idea of how low 18% is, think about 20% less load on a 3G network when using a smartphone or tablet. not good, is it?
So when it comes to size, jQuery has a great advantage over React.
Opportunities
Over the years, web app developers have shifted from using jQuery to Angular or React. The impact that React has had on the industry is, and still is, unprecedented.
For a direct understanding, just install the React Developer Tools browser extension; This differentiates websites that employ React. You might be surprised by the number of well-known and even popular web apps that use React: Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Netflix, Facebook (Facebook is maintained by React), and Instagram.
Many other companies are upping their game and switching to React to develop their web apps, which translates to a sky-high demand for React developers.
Third Party Libraries
Developers try to avoid reinventing the wheel at all costs. Web development work may demand that you deploy some functionalities or features that another practical developer had previously done, packaged, and released as a library to developers.
Launched in 2019, the largest available source for JavaScript libraries, although it is not comprehensive, is the Node Package Manager (NPM).
jQuery is seven years older than React, so you might think that the number of libraries offered for jQuery would exceed the number of libraries for React. However, when you search this reservoir for packages for jQuery and React, you will see that React has a huge number of NPM packages.
Thus, React will score higher than jQuery based on the number of third-party libraries available.
Ease of Use
The debate between jQuery and React gets a bit tricky when it comes to ease of use. Both are similar, but the purpose is different when implementing them.
If you are building a simple website to which you want to add some style, you can go with jQuery. jQuery works like magic, whether it’s an animated navigation menu, powering a simple contact form, or a basic trigger event in a button.
However, jQuery falls short when it comes to building a web app with sophisticated functionalities and various views. This is where React comes in handy.
React is more capable of handling these apps due to the nature of its design and the mechanism that deploys its components.
For which project is React a better choice than jQuery?
ReactJS is a smart choice when building large applications and complex user interfaces. The library allows you to display multiple dynamic content changes as the user views it. Its decoration simplifies and accelerates the process of product development and release.
With this development tool, you can build a site, application, or specific function from flexible, reusable components (tab bars, lists, etc.) without rewriting code. Thus, it allows developers to build quality applications with a flexible architecture that can be adapted to any further changes.
There is a trend among developers to opt for React. According to JS State, this library has the highest level of satisfaction, and more than 70% of developers use it in their work. Now, most of the large projects are built using this same JS library. We also use it in development.
Yoji experts have developed many web and mobile applications and can easily build supported component systems on projects. Each specialist has unique expertise and their own experience in different projects. We will help you choose the most suitable approach specifically for your project based on your request.
jQuery and React are both popular JavaScript libraries. These libraries greatly aid and streamline the process of front-end web development. They have advantages over one another based on the use-case and specific requirements.
Let’s take a look at the step-by-step comparison between both libraries.
- jQuery is a “write less, do more” JavaScript library. It simplifies complex JavaScript tasks by wrapping them into straightforward methods. React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces (UI). It is a tool for developing different UI elements and components.
- jQuery was initially released in 2006 by The jQuery Team, but React was initially released in 2013 by Facebook.
- The size of the jQuery library is approximately 18% less than React. While this difference may seem insignificant, it can have a substantial impact on page load times
- jQuery makes use of the traditional DOM. In the case of a traditional DOM update, the tree is updated from the root down. Thus, DOM updates can take more time, especially for large and complex applications.
- As opposed to jQuery, React makes use of a Virtual DOM. The use of a virtual DOM speeds up the DOM update process. It makes React substantially fasterthan jQuery.
- During web development, developers often use third-partyJavaScript libraries written in jQuery or React. These third-party libraries can be really helpful and are usually present as NPM (Node Package Manager) packages. There are significantly more NPM packages available in React compared to jQuery. It makes React more favorable when third-party libraries are required.
jQuery is a utility library that wraps different browser APIs. It is not specifically designed for building large applications.
- JQuery can lead developers to create “Spaghetti Code” for large applications, i.e., the code grows bigger and more complex with time and becomes significantly harder to maintain. If we use jQuery for large applications, we might run into the following problems:
- Large applications consist of a huge, complex DOM tree –traditional DOM updates get slower with time.
As opposed to jQuery, React is a component management library. It is favorable for developing large-sized applications because:
- The component-oriented structureof React requires developers to use recommended methodologies. While this takes away some flexibility, it helps maintain the code as the application gets larger.
- The use of a virtual DOM incurs a lesser time overhead for DOM updates. It makes the DOM update process faster for large applications.
Conclusion
In this guide, you get a glimpse of some fascinating facts about jQuery and React and compare the two in a different light.
Technically, there is no clear winner in the jQuery vs React debate from a developer’s point of view as they solve completely different problems.
However, if you look at them in relation to job opportunities or longevity, then React is a better option. React is an amazing JavaScript library backed by a powerful development team at Facebook and is likely to stand the test of time.