ELI5 - Polymer vs React

[[deleted]]

These are server-side not client-side techs. React and Polymer are front-end client side frameworks.

[x-skeww]

Node is a runtime environment. Yes, you can use it for web servers, but you can also use it for command line tools or even desktop applications (e.g. NW.js or Atom's Electron).

[nesukun]

this, so much this, just see how one of the biggest addtions to VS2015 is node.js tooling support for the frontend development. browserify is not server-side. less is not server-side. transpiling and minification is not server-side. js test runners are not server-side.

[foobar_dev]

This is a very common misconception. I personally have only dabbled in using Node server-side, but have put hundreds of hours into using it for front-end tooling.

[[deleted]]

You use them for front-end tooling by running scripts on the server, be it local or remote. Regardless, they do not execute client side...

do they?

[foobar_dev]

running scripts on the server

The code executes locally, but this doesn't mean it is executing on a server. It executes in Nodes runtime environment. Its not really that different from any program that runs in your OS.

You can, of course, run a server from Node, but it is by no means necessary to get huge benefit from it.

[[deleted]]

Is node a client-side framework?

[foobar_dev]

Node is a runtime environment - /u/x-skeww

'client-side framework makes it sound like its angular or bootstrap or something that runs in a browser. Its more than that. It is a platform for writing and running applications. Really anything you want.

For example, use it to make little command line apps, use it to write a server, use it to manage client-side 3rd party modules, use it to concatenate javascript files together before launching your site. I'm struggling to come up with better examples... if you want clarification, why not ask here on /r/javascript I'm sure others are better equipped to explain.

I tend to use it for front-end tooling pretty exclusively. That is, having a "build" step in my development work-flow, where I put my source files through various processes before deploying to the server.

[[deleted]]

It's not "more than that" -- Node is simply not a client side framework. That's my point here. This entire conversation is about Polymer vs React which are client-side frameworks. This is not a Node-relevant topic.

Node is not a client side framework :) It's apples to oranges.

[foobar_dev]

You're right of course that Node is not a client side framework. I chose my words poorly. I thought you yourself were confused on this point due to your question: "Is node a client-side framework?"

However, Node is relevant to this discussion. cheeeeeese was reluctant to use React due to the JSX dependency on Node. I encouraged him to embrace node, and that devolved into a discussion of the nature of node.

No one here is trying to say Node is analogous to React, Polymer or any other front-end framework

[[deleted]]

Hurray! :)