It seems like the JavaScript framework churn may have finally slowed down. 2020 was one of the most stable years in recent memory: React and Vue continued to grow, Angular and JQuery continued to shrink, but no meteors came along and blew our little world apart. Will 2021 be the same?
Maybe, but I’ve noticed a few rumbles that could grow into avalanches by year’s end and I think it’s worth talking about where we are and where we’re going.
2020: What Happened?
The big surprise this year was Svelte 3, which hasn’t yet gained a huge amount of steam but is extremely popular with developers using it, and I understand why. Svelte right now is where Vue was in maybe 2016—a thing you’ve probably heard of but haven’t used yet, that your friend won’t stop raving about. Why? Well, it’s lightning fast. Svelte cuts the Virtual DOM out of the picture entirely and just renders the page in pure JavaScript.
There’s a reason Angular 1 turned the world upside-down and why React remains the industry’s unbeatable juggernaut, and that’s because watchers/DOM Manipulation and the like are extremely powerful, but they also consume a huge amount of resources and—in a time where load speed is more important than ever —some developers are looking back at the more streamlined past and wondering whether we couldn’t take the best of that era and port it into this one. That’s basically what Svelte is: most of the utility, none of the bloat. Just a light little compile-time framework that stays out of your way until you need it.
Of course, React isn’t going anywhere. Angular (2) is going … somewhere, but it’s hard to say where. It’s bleeding developers, though slowly enough that we could see a turnaround at some point, but it’s not going to happen without major changes. It’s still got an impressive amount of funding and some of the best developers in the world behind it so I wouldn’t count it out, but as-is, Angular is going to stay on a downward track.
Vue continues on a slow upward track. It’s a great framework, but it still hasn’t taken over the world. That’s not entirely surprising, but it still hasn’t hit that point where it really takes off. A lot of us had hoped it was going to overtake React at some point, but it’s hard for a small team to compete with FAANG funding and I imagine Vue is going to be a perennial second-best. It’s still my favourite JavaScript framework, but I just can’t see it becoming market-dominant any time soon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to use Vue as often as my clients let me, but I think if it were going to take off and beat React, it would’ve done it by now.
Okay but What Does that Mean for 2021?
React.
Yeah sorry, it’s a short answer. It’s going to be React’s year. There are challenges and there could be changes, but—despite JavaScript’s infamous churn—I can’t see it coming from the #1 spot in the next 12 months. It’s a good framework, it has a lot of money and talent behind it, and the challenges are still much too small to realistically take over the industry.
Still, Vue and Svelte will keep going up, Angular will continue its slow fall downwards, momentum from legacy projects will keep JQuery (and AngularJS) afloat but they’ll keep on creeping down the charts.
I’m curious to see whether Svelte starts a bit of a movement: a return to stripped-down speedy frameworks to coincide with our increased demand for mobile-first development and lightning-fast load times. I don’t know whether Svelte will ever be huge, but I suspect it’s going to be influential, in the same way, Angular 1 was.
Anything else?
It’s worth noting that, despite having a worse year, Angular gigs still outnumber Vue gigs over 2:1. It was a giant in its time; the transition from AngularJS to Angular definitely bent its back, but it’s still towering over the competition. It feels strange to talk about the rise of Vue and Svelte when—in the macro view—they’re still much smaller market players, and I think it’s important to hold that macro view on JavaScript sometimes; while Angular is in decline, it’s still a safer bet for recurring employment than Vue.
What About 2030?
I can’t even guarantee you the California coastline will exist in ten years, much less React. One broad point though: the tech boom seems to be slowing down. We’re not about to start closing the doors at FAANG companies, but I suspect the flurry of innovation and startup capital that defined the last decade might be stabilizing into something slower and more predictable. The need for yearly JavaScript roundups might be on its way out: we’re seeing fewer and fewer players on the field and bigger gaps between competition. It’s not that nothing is happening, but after a decade of intense movement, we’re approaching something that looks like a status quo.
Barring some major socio-political changes that have knock-on effects in tech (which I’m not willing to rule out), I feel like there’s going to be less change between 2020 and 2025 than there was between 2014–2015.
If you’re looking for a company that offers JavaScript development with the latest frameworks, we have some suggestions for you.
Cubix
A development company specializing in a broad set of services, and a lot of portfolio projects to show off. They would certainly be a good choice for any US based developers, and have certainly worked for a lot of large brands.
CodeClouds
This company offers competitive monthly rate packages and gives you pricing closer to offshore developers while still having several locations globally, including in the US, to provide support. They are a great place to hire a JavaScript expert, and their specialty is eCommerce.
Upwork
If you don’t need a whole company or team for the job, you can always try looking for freelancers. On sites like Upwork, you’ll be able to easily find an individual freelancer who has the exact skillset you need. Remember, when it comes to freelancers, you often get what you pay for the best get to charge practically whatever they want.
