20 JavaScript tools to blow your mind

12. Angular: One framework to rule them all

Angular is a JavaScript framework maintained by Google with the help of the open-source community. The first version of the framework was based on an MVClike pattern, cleaning up a lot of the clutter we saw in larger codebases that relied on the jQuery-style of programming. The newest version, Angular 2, has taken things to the next level, transforming Angular into a full platform that allows development of not only web UIs, but also native mobile development and more!

13. React: The view library that shook the UI world

React is a view library. This might sound small and innocent, but don’t underestimate it, as this little library put a dent in the whole UI development world. When React launched, it garnered contrasting opinions from veteran web developers. Fortunately, the Facebook engineering team knew it was on to something. Applications written with React carry a component-based architecture, keeping things small and composable. It often adopts functional paradigms to solve problems.

14. Ember: What if Ruby on Rails spoke JavaScript?

If you’ve ever used Ruby on Rails to write a web app, you’ll know it uses the convention-over-configuration paradigm. This means it’s very opinionated about how apps should be written, which is exactly what the team behind Ember delivers for JS developers. Ember is a very complete framework with predictable development practices. This makes it easy to use all the best practices while writing applications.

15. Redux: State of management for all

One of the hardest parts of writing apps with highly dynamic user interfaces is keeping up with the application’s state. This is the problem the Redux library addresses. Redux is commonly used alongside React and is slowly being adopted by the Angular community. It helps you write applications that behave consistently and it offers a great developer experience. So if you’re writing an app that might become very large, you should consider using Redux from the get-go.

Next page: Other fun JavaScript features