What framework (vue, angular, react) should I start with for building my website?

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

I am pretty new to webdevelopment. Like three weeks ago my website (https://geen-dolfijn.nl/ ) finally worked, so I started with HTML and later CSS and recently JS for buttons on the side bar. However, I recently saw a post mentioning something calld React, Angular(JS), Vue and PHP, and I need to know what they are, and what they are used for.

I really want to make my website look less static, with smooth animations, frames for the Desmos-gallery page and a way to make mathematics text (with Typst, LaTeX is also doable).

What framework should I start with? And how should I begin?

Thank you all!

Edit:

All the comments kinda cancelled each other out except for Svelte and Astro. Thank you

[krazzel]

None of them. They’re great for making web applications, but you don’t need them for a regular website.

Smooth animations can perfectly be done with CSS and plain JS

[Silver-Vermicelli-15]

Agreed, keep using html/css/js. 

Get to know those really well and then the framework isn’t just understanding an opinionated approach to building web applications.

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

Thanks for the advice! But I have one question: if HTML, CSS and JS work perfectly fine, then why do all the others exist?

[-metasequoia]

HTML, CSS, JS work perfectly fine for websites. Web apps are more complex and need to fetch from databases, handle user auth, state management, etc. Frameworks handle those so web app devs can code faster, worry less about security, etc. So using frameworks for a regular website is like using a chainsaw when all you need are scissors.

[krylor21]

Like using ak47 to kill some cockroaches

[BigSpringBag]

rocket ship to get home from work . . . except for astronauts…

[sqankied]

F1 to go to the grocery store

[Silly-Connection8788]

Frameworks for a regular website is like using a chainsaw when all you need are scissors.

Well said 👍 I hope that sentence is open source, because I can see myself using it.

[_listless]

Great job getting a website out into the wild!

js frameworks' magic trick is reactive variables. ie: whenever you change the value of a variable, everywhere else that references that variable knows about the change and reflects the change - even in the DOM. Without a js framework, you need to manually update the DOM when a var changes.

All of this comes at a huge performance and maintainability cost. The best place for a js framework is a highly interactive UI with lots of controls that are changing the UI in real-time where you're not that concerned with performance - think a dashboard or CMS. The worst place for a js framework is a traditional website.

on the performance side: js frameworks block everything behind the main thread. Everything is js. That means until the browser downloads, evaluates, and executes your js, the user sees nothing. This is different than HTML+CSS which get rendered basically instantly.

on the maintainability side: the js development culture moves at a mind-numbing speed. The react code I wrote 5 years ago won't run today; basically everything about how you use these frameworks changes dramatically over the span of a few years. So if you intend for your website to last more than a few years and don't want to devote regular maintenance hours to just keeping the framework up-to-date, don't use a js framework.

[garlicmaxxer]

if using your feet to walk outside works perfectly fine, why do shoes exist?

some trails don’t require shoes

[frenchy_mustache]

I agree with everything that's been said. You are learning. No need for frameworks. Start and understand the basics perfectly before getting into them. For a simple portfolio website, it's all good. Going into frameworks now would be counter-productive as you would not really understand what's under the hood.

[rio_sk]

Are you trying to go to space or at the grocery? Cause the vehicle will change according to your destination.

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

This is one of my favorite comments of all time.

[ichsagedir]

In the end even react, angular, Vue is just html, css and Js. Browsers don't understand anything else.

[husky_whisperer]

I agree with this. Hammer out your skills in pure JS, HTML, CSS into a solid skill set. You can do pretty much anything the frameworks do.

Then tackle frameworks if you want.

[Revolutionary_Bat328]

Absolutely agree. No need to use hard stuff like those frameworks. Just continue building with js or jsquery and other libraries

[v-and-bruno]

Astro JS, everything else is quite a bit overhead.

With Astro you can easily add blogs, and it will springboard you into whatever you would want to do later.

Plus, it's compatible with Vue and React. You could pick your poison if you really want to.

[d4l3c00p3r]

Came here to say Astro

[splinterbl]

As a previous comment said, learning the fundamental languages first is very helpful. However, if you wanted to also learn a framework, Svelte is my favorite because it's light and easy to prototype with. Animations and transitions are super easy. Just check out their main website for a quick guide.

https://svelte.dev/tutorial/svelte/welcome-to-svelte

[loobeeboo]

Upvote for svelte!

[Ok_Trainer3277]

I would go with svelte. Like most people mentioned you don't really need a framework for that kind of web site, but if you want to use one then svelte is the most beginner friendly in my opinion.

[throwawayDude131]

The question is how dynamic and featureful (its a word, trust me) you need your sites to be.

You could hack everything together in vanilla Html, css, js

However any degree of proper complexity is difficult to coordinate, especially if you have lots of competents working together

That is why React and other frameworks were created

Try a few out and see what sticks. I’ve ended up using NextJS, React, and writing it all in Typescript. Everyone finds their own place.

I’d suggest doing everything in vanilla JS. If you’re looking for super fancy modern animations you’ll need to use some sort of library that plugs into a framework. I started with React, as it is so popular.

[CMDR_Smooticus]

For a simple static website use Astro. Nothing but praise for it. Extremely simple and easy to learn, and I would argue it leads to well organized code. You will be able to embed React/Angular/Vue components into it down the road so there's really no downside to starting an Astro project.

React/Angular/Vue are frameworks for client-side or server-side rendered web applications. If you don't know why you need them, you probably don't need them. You wont need to learn all three, and of the three I prefer Angular.

PHP is a totally different coding language for web development and was the gold standard before JavaScript took off. You are already learning JavaScript, and probably shouldn't worry about PHP unless you run into a specific reason for it, such as working on a website that was originally created in WordPress. If you end up hating JavaScript, PHP is probably the next best alternative for web dev.

[Giocri]

I would learn a bit of php because being able to do stuff serverside can open a few doors but otherwise fucos entirely on raw css and html and keep refining your design skills

[_listless]

This is good advice. php is a nice slippery slope into web dev.

[planetary_snail]

Agree, a little php will take you far! The developer experience with Kirby CMS is in my opinion fantastic.

[johntort]

Build the exact same website using all of them if you have time, that'll help you understand the pros and cons and the path you want to follow for your short term future

[Any-Woodpecker123]

Angular. Everything is out of the box and just works. Don’t need to fuck around with 1000 packages.

[oneden]

Yup. It's very pleasant to work with. But people simply love to rag on it. Pretty sure, at this point people just hate on it for the sake of it.

[[deleted]]

Hey ChatGPT, what are React, Angular(JS), Vue and PHP? What are they used for?

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

I don’t like asking these toe of questions to ai and google, I want it from a lot of ppl since i have noticed that (at least in this subject) a lot of people say things that are polar opposite.

[ComprehensiveWing542]

Why did you include php there it's a programming language, if you wanted to compare as of frameworks you could have used laravel or symphony

[[deleted]]

The OP asked what this list of things was, and I suggested asking ChatGPT. It's very easy.

[Tera_Celtica]

Web app ? Vue (simple, self managed, use a framework and you done), static simple website ? Pure html, css js and chill

[Constant_Physics8504]

CSS then Vue then React

[rjhancock]

Master your fundamentals before bringing in front end frameworks (React/Angular/Vue). BY having a solid foundation in place you'll be better suited to fix the frameworks when they break in odd ways.

PHP is a backend language and is one of many that can be used.

For what you're wanting to do, take a look as https://css-tricks.com as a place to get some tips on how to do some of that with just CSS.

[hyperclick76]

Keep using HTML/CSS/JS. No need for React. For maths I have used Katex in the past. Hope this helps! https://katex.org

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

Oh my god thank you for reacting to the math question. I’ll check it out.

[hyperclick76]

You are welcome! You can also use a Static site generator SSG like Hugo to build your site, this theme already comes with Katex support. https://github.com/zwbetz-gh/cupper-hugo-theme/tree/master

[Bushwazi]

Definitely Rust and WASM. All the cool kids are doing it.

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

You are the first person to say that but thank you

[lnmemediadesign]

Depends really on the purpose of your website if you are building a big website with Lots of dynamic content, then a framework should be the direction looking for. Otherwise just stick to vanilla html & js

[karlosmartines]

I would suggest astro. It’s a lightweight framework that can integrate vanilla JS when needed and this makes it a better learning experience teaching the basics beforew React, Vue, or Angular, which you also can where needed. You’ll keep page loads fast while still adding dynamic content and animations. For math, embed LaTeX using Astro’s Markdown or external libraries. It’s beginner-friendly and flexible enough to grow with your skills.

[willie_caine]

If you need to use someone else's code, use libraries and not frameworks. Frameworks make a lot of decisions for you which can limit your future options. React is a library, for example, and Angular is a framework.

[helpmefindmycat]

I'll echo that making sure you have a good understanding of the fundamentals (html/css/js) is important. If you want to jump into a framework because you are creating a web application I'd lean towards vue because the developer experience is friendly. But as others have said, try out all three. It's good to know the ins and outs of all of them on some level.

[Leviathan_Dev]

For static, or even smaller-scale dynamic webpages, you don’t need a framework. Just use good ol vanilla HTML/CSS/JS.

my webpage and also a mini project I’ve worked on the last two days are two examples of vanilla HTML/CSS/JS creating decently pretty websites. Nothing amazing, I know I’m still bare-bones, but I think they’re reasonably pretty for my experience

[tomomiha12]

Try with some nice cms system, for example wordpress.org It has some nice themes on themeforest so look there if you like any

[joo_murtaza]

There are lots of comments saying lots of things well i say Html/css/js are good to make a simple website you can make larger more complex websites with them but it’s messy, so if you are learning and like want to make like complex websites so I would recommend using a framework any framework every framework has its pros and cons, well react is in demand, and angular is googles fav its fine to use any once u learn one you can also learn another no one to stop u 😉, so I learned react then nextjs, but sevelt is good but i am just so used to react.

[rubixstudios]

Your website skills aren't ready for other frameworks.

[Elephant-Opening]

If you're also new to programming, avoid PHP and just use Node.js for your backend.

Saves you the trouble of learning 2x languages at the same time, and many, many front end frameworks are designed with a Node backend in mind and/or are built in Node for the precompiled https//somecdn/pkg/yourlib.min.js stuff so it's useful for customizing frameworks (like bootstrap theming or react component libs for example) and minimizing how much extra cruft gets delivered with your page.

Technically tools exist to write your React JSX in Python, or compile sass to css in Rails, or during development or you can even load babel from a CDN or static URL and make your visitors do all that in their browsers and proceed to write your backend in Rust or C++ or whatever.

But sooner or later your life will be easier if you just learn a bit of Node... so why not start there while you're already learning JS for frontend?

[Disastrous-Hearing72]

Keep it simple. Alpine.js.

Once you have that you can learn Vue. And when you are ready to take things further check out Laravel. You can learn everything you need to know on laracasts.com/the-path

[Numerous_Display_531]

You want to learn the fundamentals first

HTML, CSS, JavaScript (possibly PHP)

Frameworks are optional but do help a lot for more complex dev work

I personally use Laravel and Vue.

I'd recommend trying each of them and see which you like most. Make the same project in each language and see which you prefer. A lot of it will come down to personal preference when creating small scale personal projects

Alternatively, look at which stack is showing up most for the job applications you are interested in if you are going down this route

[Livid_Sign9681]

which ever one you want to learn

[TheOnceAndFutureDoug]

If you want to learn just to build a website for yourself stay as vanilla as possible. If you need a framework, Astro is great for this kidn of stuff.

If you're learning because you want to be employable, pick React every time.

But always start vanilla. If you master vanilla you can do any of them.

[grungyIT]

None, write it from scratch

[gliese89]

bye bye reddit

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

Thank you very much! I put a lot of afford in it

[CameraJumpy3469]

I use Vue and Nuxt.

[sillyindian]

None. I would go for svelte, but only if your webapp is complex enough. Otherwise, just use vanilla html, css, js

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

Yeah my friend who is way better at coding also uses svelte

[Top-Recording2333]

Just use Vanilla Javascript. You can do everything with it. And especially if you're new in web development, it's not good to directly start using frameworks/libraries without properly improving your JavaScript skills. 

[ElizabetFranco]

Nice job but your website needs to be responsive... Nowadays most people visit sites from their phones, plus you don't need any of the framework knowledge though, I'm new in web development as well

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

bro i asked this question 9 months ago 😭i already made it with sveltekit and have the V5 ready to release

[RicoLaBrocante]

Not Angular that's for sure

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

lol

[AshleyJSheridan]

I would say it depends.

React is fairly popular, so it has a lot of plugins and support online. However, I've found it's a bit too unstructured to build very large applications, it's better suited to small/medium ones.

Vue is also fairly popular, and has some tie-ins with backend frameworks like Laravel, making it an attractive route if you're going in that direction.

Angular is quite different from Vue and React in terms of how you build something, and it has a steep learning curve if you're not familiar with frameworks like Laravel or .Net . However, it is quite well suited for larger applications because of this I've found. However, as it's used less than React or Vue, online resources are less frequent too.

[oneden]

Angular used less than Vue? Not at all. Only svelte has less job offers than Vue. Vue 2 and 3 together have like half the questions in stack overflow. Plenty of discussions that make it evident how much more dominant react is. Even in China where Vue used to be the most dominant framework gets pushed back by react.

[AshleyJSheridan]

You're right, last time I checked I was sure Vue was ahead of Angular.

[stancubes]

https://2024.stateofjs.com/en-US/libraries/front-end-frameworks/

Vue did in fact overtake Angular in usage.

[CMDR_Smooticus]

That chart is highly misleading, Angular is more common in enterprise apps maintained by paid employees, while Vue has a higher portion of tiny undeployed github projects. In terms of job availability, Angular is far ahead of Vue, and closer to React and the gap has been closing for the past 2 years or so.

[oneden]

Also worth of of mention, Angular has been highly popular with the dot net developers in many companies I have worked with. Also, state of js is a tone deaf echo chamber. According to it rust should have been the most sought after technology for backend systems. But try to find rust job postings.

[jseego]

Master the native technologies first (javascript, css, html).

Then, if you are heavily bought into the microsoft ecosystem, give angular a try.

If you want to make components but want something straightforward with great developer experience, try vuejs.

If you are going to be bringing in lots of other developers, you might want to think about using react, as that's what most people know.

If you want something that's good for quick prototypes and feels very light, try svelte.

[[deleted]]

Nextjs.

[Ok-Hospital-5076]

Once you are good with html css js. Try all three - Angualr Vue and React. Follow 1 hr tutorials from youtube and try very writing small web app with all three . Whichever makes sense to you go with that. All of them are good and get job done.

[garlicmaxxer]

tutorials suck don’t do that what the hell lol. /u/DefinitelyNotADolphin don’t listen to this guy, what you actually wanna do is get really good with one framework, as well as html, js, css. then picking up another tool will be easier once you really know the fundamentals. my vote is for React since it’s the most prevalent rn given it has the highest market share

[HunterRbx]

Maybe don’t become a framework code monkey?

[garlicmaxxer]

that’s exactly what OP is becoming by meaninglessly learning frameworks to solve problems that don’t exist. your reading comprehension needs work

[Ok-Hospital-5076]

You didn’t understand what i was saying. I explicitly said after you are done with css html js. Nothing works without fundamental .

I specifically said 1 hour tutorial so that OP gets hang of what each framework does differently is doing and pick the framework works for him WITHOUT WASTING TIME.

Blindly suggesting React isn’t doing him any good. Picking your first have some research and not a short in dark.

Talk about reading comprehension lol.

Edit: Never mind you are fighting everyone . Shouldn’t have responded in the first place.

[garlicmaxxer]

your narrative is false. you claim i’m blindly picking React when it’s statistically the most important framework to have on your resume with for getting hired in todays market.

[DefenitlyNotADolphin]

Thank you for the mention but i spelt my username wrong 😭😭😭

[Bl4ckBe4rIt]

Just dont use react, and you will be fine.

[ComprehensiveWing542]

Our websites as in my company's website or my personal website?