Best Software for Front-End Development [2024 List]

Angular

• GitHub starts: 43k+ **

Angular is a structural JavaScript framework that allows you to create web apps (single-page applications) that are responsive and adapt to any screen size irrespective of the device the users are using to browse the web page.

Be it web and mobile web apps or native desktop and native mobile apps, by learning Angular you can deploy the applications to any target.

Angular comes with features like enhanced RXJS, a faster compilation ( by fast we mean fast, some compilations will take only 3 seconds), and HttpClient launch which is a simplified client HTTP API and offers an efficient, up-to-date package implementation on the client side.

On the official website, the developers have made sure to provide a well-organized and detailed set of documentation providing all the necessary information that you may require as a developer to learn and master Angular.

To minimize the risk of errors, Angular offers two-way data binding enabling singular behavior for the apps. You can also work with MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) which allows you to work on the same app separately using the same set of data for improved testability and transparent communication.

Angular also offers Angular CLI, a command line interface to create new projects, add files, and perform testing, debugging, deployment, and updates.

If you want to get into front-end development or further hone your development skills, Angular is one of the in-demand frameworks that you can learn and not regret.

⇒ Get Angular 

React

• Github stars: 118K+ **

ReactJS is a JavaScript library for building huge web applications and user interfaces. It was made open-source by the social network giant Facebook in 2013.

Despite making a late entry into the front-end development scene in 2013 (three years after Angular was released), React is currently trending on par with Angular if we analyze the Google search trend showing its popularity among the developers. However, Angular is still more popular if we consider the Stack Overflow 2018 developer survey.

React is comparatively easy to learn because of its simple syntax. If you know HTML coding, you will be comfortable with React in no time.

Learn how to code or improve your coding skills with these tools.

The high level of flexibility and responsiveness is another core feature that gives React JS an advantage over Angular. React JS is lightweight but can manage high-load applications when combined with ES6 (ECMAScript) efficiently.

The document object model (Virtual DOM) allows you to arrange documents in HTML, XHTML, and XML format into a tree making it easy for the web browsers to parse elements of the web application.

Facebook offers code mods that allow you to update React APIs making it easier to upgrade between the versions.

While React is easy to learn, the ever-developing JavaScript library means the documentation takes its own time before making it into the official website. As a result, you may need to refer to some third-party website or ask a colleague for help if the situation arises.

⇒ Get ReactJS

Vue.js

• Github stars: 123K+ **

Vue (pronounced like view) was first released in 2013, and since then it has become one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks used by developers across the world. Some of the major companies that work with Vue.js include Alibaba, Xiaomi, Adobe, Reuters, and more.

If you already know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript,  congratulations, you already have a head start! You can now put your skills to work and get started with web application development using Vue.js and start building things in no time.

Vue.js is a powerful JavaScript framework yet one of the lightest in the segment that requires minimal optimization efforts. The fast Virtual DOM helps in increasing the speed and efficiency of DOM Updates.

If you already have an existing infrastructure built on JavaScript, Vue allows you to easily integrate smaller interactive parts without having to redesign the entire structure.

Apart from the Virtual DOM feature, React, and Vue share many similarities that include providing reactive and composable view components, similar runtime performances, robust solutions for scaling up and down, and support for MobX with a nearly identical reactivity system.

Vue probably has one of the most comprehensive documentation on its website along with video tutorials that are useful for beginners with little knowledge of JavaScript and HTML.

⇒ Get Vue.js 

Npm

• Github Stars – 15K+ **

Npm is the default package manager for Node.js and the world’s largest software registry. It is a package manager for JavaScript that helps you borrow reusable codes and reassemble them to be used with your web application.

Some notable features offered by Npm include over 470000 free code packages in the registry, the code can be used with multiple web applications without having to re-write it again and again, and lock file support.

However, you may run into the NPM err could not find executable to run if you’re on an older version.

Using Npm, you can find libraries and components from frameworks such as Ember and jQuery, Bootstrap, React, and Angular. You can discover packages (JavaScript plugins) for mobile, front-end and back-end development, and IoT to start building amazing applications.

Some of the popular packages installed using Npm package manager are Browserify, grunt-cli (CLI – command line interface), bower, gulp, and more.

To install Npm, you need to install Node.js. If you have Node.js already installed, you probably also have the Npm command line tool installed.

⇒ Get Npm

WebPack

• GitHub Stars: 43K+ **

WebPack is a module bundler. However, it is also used as a replacement for Gulp or Grunt ( JavaScript task automation tools). It is a powerful utility that gives the developers control over how to split the modules and adjust the builds as per the requirement.

You can use WebPack to bundle JavaScript Modules with dependencies into files. WebPack is relatively new but has gained popularity quickly.

WebPack is ideal if you are building a complex Front-end application with many assets (Except codes) that includes CSS, images, and fonts.

WebPack is certainly not the tool recommended for a beginner because of the learning curve. For small front-end projects, you can use Gulp or Grunt automation tools which don’t have the concept of a dependency graph.

⇒ Get WebPack 

Sublime Text Editor

• GitHub Stars: N/A

Sublime Text is a cross-platform source code editor. Sublime Text natively supports many programming languages out of the box. Some front-end developers swear by it while some may consider it as just another code editor.

Goto Anything feature in the editor allows you to jump to symbols, lines, and words without having to browse through the entire code. If you want to make changes to multiple lines of codes, the Multiple Selection feature can be triggered using Ctrl + Shift + L and Ctrl + D to select the next occurrence of the selected word.

It is a highly customizable tool and allows you to customize key binding, menus, snippets, macros and more with a simple JSON file. Other notable features offered by Sublime Text include split editing, Command Palette, and instant project switch.

Sublime Text is free to download. Although it comes with a free trial, you can continue using it without purchasing a license even after the trial expires. If you use it for commercial purpose, consider making a purchase.

⇒ Get Sublime Text

These are our picks for the top 6 best front-end development tools that you can learn and use to create stunning web applications.

For a front-end developer, it is all about convenience. Depending on their knowledge and preference, they choose the framework. However, for beginners, Angular, Vue.js, and React all three frameworks are excellent choices.

If you aspire to work for a particular company in the software field, find out what JavaScript framework the company uses and you can start working on your skills after defining your goals.

It is always recommended that you master the basics of JavaScript before using any of the JavaScript frameworks. When you have the JS basics right, you can learn to use even new frameworks that will be released in the future.

Are you planning to learn any of these tools or have experience with any of the above-mentioned frameworks before? Do let us know in the comments.