It’s one of the most popular front-end frameworks on the market today, and it’s especially useful for developing single-page web apps.
According to a StackOverflow survey, 23.06% of engineers prefer using Angular when developing web apps.
And it’s no surprise when you look at its features.
Important features
Two-way data binding
Angular automatically synchronizes data between the model and view components. So, when data in the model changes, the view also shows those changes – this simplifies the development process and reduces the need for direct Document Object Model (DOM) manipulation.
Modular development structure
In Angular, your code is organized into modules that you can develop and test in isolation or combined with other modules. This makes code management and maintenance easier.
Component-based architecture
A component-based architecture means that your app is divided into small, reusable components. Each component is responsible for a specific part of the app and they can easily be reused, tested and maintained.
Dependency injection
Angular’s dependency injection system handles the creation and delivery of dependencies to your app’s components. This simplifies the whole process and makes for more reusable and maintainable code.
Cross-platform capabilities
You can also use Angular to develop cross-platform apps, including mobile and desktop apps.
Angular pros and cons
Pros
High performance
Cross-platform development
Extensive documentation
Cons
Steep learning curve
Complexity
Pricing
Angular is a free and open-source framework and you can freely use it to develop your web app.
And unlike Github, whose main focus is open-source code, Bitbucket is specifically designed for business and enterprise use.
That’s why it’s a solid choice.
Important features
Bitbucket Pipelines
Bitbucket Pipelines is their built-in CI/CD feature, and you can write, test, and deploy code directly in Bitbucket.
Flexible deployment models
Bitbucket is available as a cloud-based solution (Bitbucket Cloud) and for data centers (Bitbucket Data Center), tailored to your specific business needs.
Branch permissions
You can manage who can commit and push code to specific branches in the repository, which significantly improves the security of your code.
Code analysis
Bitbucket can easily be integrated with code analysis tools, and you can see quality reports and security scans directly in your pull requests.
Bitbucket pros and cons
Pros
Unlimited private repos for small teams
Built-in CI/CD pipelines
Flexible deployment models
Cons
Less intuitive UI
Slower performance
Pricing
Bitbucket offers a free plan with limited users, build minutes, and storage.
They also offer 2 paid plans – Standard and Premium.
Figma’s stand-out feature is real-time collaboration – the whole design team can work on the same file simultaneously, which significantly speeds up the design process.
And that’s one of the reasons why it’s such a popular tool.
Important features
Real-time collaboration
Figma allows multiple users to work on the same file at the same time, they can view, comment and edit in real-time.
Version control
Figma automatically saves the version history, so you can track changes and revert to a previous version if you need to.
Developer Handoff
This feature allows engineers to inspect designs, get CSS and other code snippets and download assets directly from Figma.
Asset library
Teams using Figma can create a library of shared assets like:
Colors
Fonts
Effects
This helps ensure consistency and speeds up the design process.
Figma pros and cons
Pros
Real-time collaboration
User-friendly interface
Cross-platform compatibility
Cons
Limited offline access
Performance issues with large files
Pricing
Figma offers a free Starter plan, limited to 3 Figma or Figjam files and lacking advanced features available in the paid plans.
It’s a great option for Agile software development, as it also allows you to track issues and bugs during development.
Important features
Issue tracking
This is Jira’s main feature. You can use it to create, prioritize and track tasks (called issues in the app) and their progress. You can also customize task categorization and track bugs.
Agile boards
Jira supports Agile development methodologies like Scrum and Kanban and you can use boards to visualize your workflow.
Integration with development tools
Jira can easily integrate with development tools like Github and has a large number of add-ons and plugins.
Reporting and analytics
Jira also offers a number of reporting tools for agile projects like:
Burn-down charts
Velocity charts
Sprint reports
Jira pros and cons
Pros
Customizable workflows
Detailed issue tracking
Integration with other tools
Cons
Complexity
Limited direct collaboration
Pricing
Jira offers a free plan up to 10 users, with a maximum of 2 GB of storage – ideal for small teams and projects.
Node.js is a Javascript-based runtime environment that executes Javascript code outside of a web browser.
Often confused for a framework, Node.js is an efficient runtime environment you can use to build your web app’s back-end.
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It also has an active community and works well with open-source development frameworks.
And it’s an increasingly popular tool for developing web apps because of that.
That’s why it’s a solid choice for your app’s development, too.
Important features
Node Package Manager
Node Package Manager (NPM) allows you to access a huge number of open-source libraries, which simplifies adding new functionalities and dependencies.
Built-in HTTP server
It also comes with HTTP modules so you can create a web server that listens to requests and returns responses – this way, you don’t need separate server software.
Cross-platform functionality
Node.js runs on a number of different platforms, including:
Windows
Linux
Unix
MacOS
And it’s this cross-platform flexibility that’s one of the reasons for its increasing popularity.
Node.js pros and cons
Pros
High performance
Active community
Cons
Reliance on external libraries
Performance overhead
Pricing
Node.js is open-source and free to use for anyone who wants to develop a web app.
React is an efficient, high-performance tool that can greatly speed up development.
Let’s take a look at some key features that explain why that’s the case.
Important features
Component-based architecture
With React’s component-based architecture, you can create a wide range of reusable components, which speeds up development.
Javascript XML
React uses Javascript XML (JSX), a syntax extension, that lets you write HTML in the same file as your Javascript code – this way, your code is more readable and it’s easier to create components.
Virtual Document Object Model (DOM)
In React, you can create a virtual Document Object Model (DOM), a lightweight copy of the actual DOM – this way, updates you make to your web app’s DOM are optimized and its performance is improved.
React pros and cons
Pros
Flexibility
Strong community
Reusable components
Cons
Poor documentation
Complex integration
Pricing
React is free and open-source, so you can freely use it to develop your web app.
Tarek is our go-to expert for all things JavaScript, especially React. A proud graduate of the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Organization and Informatics, he’s honed his craft on some of our toughest projects while managing to lead our JS team at the same time. Pretty impressive, right?
Outside the office, you’ll find him dominating in Dota 2 and Counter-Strike. He'll also often daydream about his ideal workspace in the picturesque hills of Zagorje near Trakoscan castle with a Starlink connection, so he's always ready for action.
