Choosing a Framework is Hard… Here’s the Shortcut

This isn’t our next official episode of The Stack Unpacked (that one’s about TypeScript), but let’s call this a filler episode — the kind that doesn’t quite fit in the timeline, but covers a question I think every dev eventually faces:

“Which framework should I use for my next project?”

If you’ve ever opened VS Code, stared at a blank project folder, and then spent weeks comparing React vs Vue vs Svelte instead of actually coding… well, you’re not alone. (Confession: I’ve been there. More than once.)

So today, we’re unpacking the big players — React, Vue, Angular, Next.js — plus some of the newer kids on the block: Svelte, SolidJS, and Astro.
The goal isn’t to crown a winner, but to help you figure out when each makes sense and whether you should stick to one or keep switching.

Why Frameworks Exist

Before we dive into names and logos, let’s rewind.
Plain JavaScript (a.k.a. Vanilla JS) can build anything. But as apps grew, developers found themselves tangled in state management, DOM updates, and reusable UI logic.

Frameworks were the answer: opinionated tools that provided structure, solved cross-browser headaches, and made big apps maintainable.

Think of them as power tools for the web:

• You could build a house with a hammer, nails, and patience.
• Or you could grab a nail gun and save yourself weeks of frustration.

The Big Four (and Beyond)

React — The Industry Titan

• Created by: Facebook (2013)
• Philosophy: UI as a function of state. Build small components, wire them together, and let React handle re-rendering.
• Ecosystem: Massive. Tutorials, job listings, libraries — everywhere.

// React Hello World
import { useState } from "react";

function App() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  return (
    <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
      Clicked {count} times
    button>
  );
}

Strengths:

• Dominates the industry → more jobs and community support.
• Huge ecosystem (Next.js, React Native, Remix).
• Flexible: bring your own tools.

Weaknesses:

• “Bring your own tools” can also mean decision fatigue.
• Learning curve around hooks, state, and effects.

👉 Anecdote: The first time I discovered useEffect, I thought I’d found a magic wand that could summon components and variables whenever I wanted. Spoiler: if you don’t manage those carefully, you’ll summon endless popups until your browser begs for mercy.

Vue — The Friendly One

• Created by: Evan You (2014)
• Philosophy: Approachability first. “Progressive framework” — you can sprinkle it into a project or build a full SPA.

<template>
   @click="count++">Clicked {{ count }} times
template>

<script setup>
import { ref } from 'vue'
const count = ref(0)
script>

Strengths:

• Beginner-friendly syntax (template + script + style).
• Great docs, small learning curve.
• Strong adoption in Asia and among indie devs.

Weaknesses:

• Smaller job market compared to React.
• Ecosystem is growing, but less sprawling than React’s.

Angular — The Enterprise Giant

• Created by: Google (2010, rewritten in 2016 as Angular 2+)
• Philosophy: Full framework. Batteries included: routing, state, forms, HTTP.

// Angular Hello World Component
@Component({
  selector: 'app-root',
  template: `Clicked {{ count }} times`
})
export class AppComponent {
  count = 0;
}

Strengths:

• Complete solution → no need to glue together libraries.
• TypeScript-first → safer for big codebases.
• Popular in large, enterprise teams.

Weaknesses:

• Heavy learning curve.
• Verbose compared to others.
• Less popular with startups and small teams.

Next.js — React with Superpowers

• Created by: Vercel (2016)
• Philosophy: Build fast, production-ready apps with React. Provides routing, SSR, API routes.

// Next.js page (pages/index.js)
export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Hello from Next.jsh1>
}

Strengths:

• Solves React’s missing pieces (routing, SSR).
• SEO-friendly with server-side rendering.
• Backed by Vercel, growing fast.

Weaknesses:

• Tied to React → inherits React’s quirks.
• Can feel “too much” for tiny projects.

Svelte — The Compiler Approach

• Created by: Rich Harris (2016)
• Philosophy: Write less code. Svelte compiles templates into optimized JS at build time.