Choosing the Right JavaScript Framework

I've been developing on the sencha products for years. Primarily an ExtJS single page app developed by a large team since 2008 that's now well on its way to 200.000 lines of code. I also wrote a 5 kloc app in sencha touch.

The thing about sencha that makes them different is that they abstract away the html and css parts to a large degree, by constructing the dom programmatically behind an abstracted component api (e.g., a panel component has a title bar, several toolbars, and multiple child components laid out using border, anchor, column or any of the other layout systems). The upside is that the ui controls are richer than standard html controls and require fewer lines to do advanced things (like having a field with server-backed autocomplete). The downside is that html+css skills don't translate well, if at all. Instead of thinking in terms of dom updates, html templates and style rules, you think in terms of the component lifecycle, the container layout system and themes. The skillset required is extensive and specific, and the code is so deeply tied to extjs that no part of it can be reused outside of it.

Some people like it, some people don't. You can't fight the framework. You have to adopt sencha's architecture and component system completely, or you will have a painful time. We have had to invest extensively in training because the framework is so different from other js frameworks that new developers have a hard time learning it.

As for the whole she-bang, sencha cmd, sencha architect and so on. I tried those tools several times, but they always lacked maturity. The last time i looked at it is 2 years ago though, so they may have improved. Meanwhile we just use the frameworks.

Update: I realized I didn't actually say whether I would recommend it or not. I would not choose ExtJS again, but I would choose sencha touch again, despite the API's being so similar. I feel like the use-case of writing a mobile cross-platform app fits in well with the sencha architecture and api, better than other js frameworks. By contrast ExtJS isn't bad, but it's no better than the free alternatives like ember or angular for building traditional web apps, so I don't see the point in spending the money on a license if you're starting from scratch.

The comments are already pretty deep, but I still want to mention that the right framework is all dependent on what your needs are and what your company is willing to support. Which is why I get tired of article comparisons like this, and trust me, I wrote an article on choosing AngularJS[1] but I still wouldn't push it on anyone.

Each framework has it's advantages, and it really depends on where you and your company align with those advantages. When I started my journey I realized I needed better testing for AJAX events in jQuery, which lead me to Backbone. But in 2012 Backbone seemed like an outdated solution to an outdated app landscape. Now it seems even more outdated, but learning it certainly helped elevate my JS game to choose between Angular and Ember (though now I'd through React/Flux and/or Meteor into the mix).

From there it's really about what you need, as I've said before. For me, a lightweight, performance-driven solution with a great testing framework was necessary. Angular is lighter weight than Ember, but both have great testing frameworks, so Angular won. If I wanted better documentation, an easier learning curve, or better community support (it happens that Rails people seem to like Ember because Yehuda works on it) I would have chosen Ember, but that wasn't important to me or my company. Again, that was 2012-2013, today I'm still using Angular but entertaining the idea of having React replace Angular directives, which I still don't like writing. Again, it's all about what works for you and your organization, and that really is about introspection, not about what some article can do to act as your oracle.

[1] http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/3-reasons-to-choose-angul...

i appreciate the author's effort but don't feel like i have a better handle on the applicability of each framework to real projects (like many similar articles). basically, this article lists some good and bad features of each framework with some light commentary about a few of those features, which means it doesn't really help you answer the question implied by the title ("which js framework should you choose?").

i think it might be better to use a non-trivial example and show side-by-side implementations for 10 or so important aspects (routing, templating, data binding, etc.), with commentary on what kinds of projects would benefit the most from each frameworks' approach to each aspect. since airpair is about selling programming expertise, this would demonstrate actual expertise that would be attractive to prospective customers (vs. the ability to talk about programming, which is easier).

Been meaning to look into React, so thanks for the review. Polymer is really not an option until Web Components are more broadly accepted by the browsers and better specified. One of the things I like about Angular JS is that it represents, IMO, a "baby-step" towards Web Components (which Polymer is built atop) through Directives.

There are a couple React-only routers but a lot of React.js people (including myself) use Backbone for the router/controller.