Pros and Cons of the Vue.js Framework

Vue.js is a versatile framework for building front-end user interfaces that have been around since 2014. It has a loyal and growing fan base among developers, as shown by its 3.5 million downloads in December 2023 and its 180k stars on GitHub.

Many developers are curious about the benefits and drawbacks of Vue.js, which is why we have prepared this list of the pros and cons of Vue.js.

To Kick Things Off - What Is VueJS?

Vue.js is a progressive framework for building user interfaces and single-page applications using JavaScript. It was created by Evan You, a former Google engineer, in 2014, and has since gained a lot of popularity among web developers and business owners. 

Vue.js is designed to be easy to learn, flexible, and incrementally adoptable, meaning that you can use it for simple projects as well as complex ones. Vue.js also has a rich ecosystem of supporting libraries and tools that can help you create amazing web experiences.

Why Is Vue So Popular & Is Vue Still Relevant?

Vue.js is so popular because it offers many advantages over other frameworks, such as React and Angular. Some of the reasons why Vue.js is a great choice for web development are:

• Simplicity and learning curve: Vue.js is easy to learn and use, with only HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics required. You can write your code in single-file components, which are more readable and maintainable.

• Performance and lightweight: Vue.js is fast and efficient, with a virtual DOM and a reactivity system. Vue.js is also small, around 18 KB gzipped, which means it loads quickly and does not affect your website’s speed or SEO.

• Flexibility and scalability: Vue.js is flexible and adaptable, suitable for any kind of project, from simple websites to complex web applications. You can integrate Vue.js with other libraries or existing projects easily. Vue.js also supports component-based development, which makes it easier to reuse, test, and scale your code.

• Community and support: Vue.js has a large and active community of developers and users, who improve and support the framework. You can find many resources, tutorials, guides, and examples online, as well as get help from other Vue.js fans. Vue.js also has official documentation, which is clear and comprehensive.

Vue.js is still relevant and in demand in 2024, as it continues to evolve and improve, adding new features and functionalities. 

Vue.js is also widely used by many well-known companies and websites, such as Adobe, Alibaba, Netflix, GitLab, and more. Vue.js is a modern and powerful framework that can help you create stunning and user-friendly web applications.

Vue Pros - What Are The Advantages of Vue.js Framework?

Vue.js offers many benefits over other frameworks, such as React and Angular, that make it a suitable choice for various web projects. In this section, we will explore some of the advantages of the Vue.js framework and how they can help you create stunning and user-friendly web applications.

Size

We can’t talk about the advantages of Vue.js without first mentioning its size. After gzipping it weighs only 18kB, compared to approximately 80kB for minified jQuery (depending on what version you use) and 29kB after gzipping. The entire Vue ecosystem is small and fast so choosing it means you are getting one of the best speed parameters available.

Readability - Easy To Learn

Programmers familiar with other JavaScript frameworks can pick up Vue very easily due to its simplicity and clarity. Vue’s syntax is simple and easy to understand. Experienced developers that start working with Vue find its structure very intuitive as the Vue components are pretty much a combination of HTML and JavaScript. Due to its simple structure, it enables the development of large-scale templates and the developer can still easily track the blocks with any errors.

Virtual DOM Rendering & Performance

One of the advantages of Vue.js is its use of a virtual DOM to render the user interface. Vue.js uses a virtual DOM to track the changes in the data and the UI and only updates the parts of the real DOM that need to be updated. This reduces the number of DOM operations and improves the performance of the web application.

Vue.js also uses a reactivity system to automatically detect the dependencies between the data and the UI, and update the UI whenever the data changes. This eliminates the need for manual DOM manipulation or state management libraries and simplifies the development process. Vue.js also provides various optimization techniques, such as lazy loading, code splitting, and server-side rendering, to further enhance the performance and user experience of the web application.

Documentation

Vue.js has very extensive and detailed documentation which makes it fast and easy to learn. It allows for an inexperienced developer, with only a basic knowledge of HTML and JavaScript, to develop an app. This means that a beginner can handle complicated operations using only limited resources and it would still work well.

Reactivity System & Data Binding Feature

One of the best features of VueJS is its reactivity. Data binding between HTML and JS code has never been easier. Vue handles two-way reactive data binding like a charm. When data is changed, the DOM is also changed accordingly. It’s perfect for SPAs. It’s perfect for any application that requires real-time updates.

Vue Components - Building User Interfaces Made Easy

One of the best things about Vue.js is how it allows for easy code reusability. Components and Views are smaller interactive parts of an app that can be easily integrated into the existing infrastructure, with no negative effect on the entire system. Therefore it is excellent for adding lots of small reactive components to an existing template. You can easily share states between components using a dedicated state manager called Vuex. Vue-router and Views both make creating a SPA a breeze.

Another great feature of Vue.js is the support for Single File Components (SFC), which are files with a .vue extension that contain the template, logic, and style of a Vue component in one place. 

SFCs make it easier to write, read, and maintain your code, as well as use preprocessors like Pug, Babel, and Stylus for cleaner and more feature-rich components. SFCs also enable component-scoped CSS, which means that the style of each component is isolated and does not affect other components or global styles. SFCs are one of the reasons why Vue.js is so popular and easy to use.

Vue CLI 3, 4 & 5

Vue CLI is a great tool for creating and building Vue.js projects. But did you know that it has changed a lot since 2018? That’s when Evan You, the creator of Vue.js, announced Vue CLI 3, a new and improved version of the tool. Vue CLI 3 had many awesome features that made life easier for developers, such as a new GUI, plugin support, instant prototyping, and a simpler Webpack configuration.

But wait, there’s more! Vue CLI 3 is not the latest version of the tool. In fact, Vue CLI 5 is the newest version, and it was released in July 2022. Vue CLI 5 supports Vue 3, the new default version of Vue.js, and has many new features and improvements, such as TypeScript support, browser devtools extensions, and a redesigned GUI.

Vue CLI is an amazing tool that keeps evolving and improving, just like Vue.js itself. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should definitely give it a shot. You won’t regret it!

Flexibility

JavaScript is a great language for web development because it gives you a lot of freedom and choices. Vue.js takes this to the next level by letting you use it in different ways and scenarios. You don’t have to follow a strict convention or a specific pattern to create your components with Vue.js. The framework allows for various styles and technologies, such as the template syntax, the render function, JSX, CSS preprocessors, TypeScript, or WebAssembly, to suit your needs and preferences.

Vue.js is also very adaptable and compatible with existing projects. It works as a standalone library to enhance some parts of your website, or as a full-fledged framework to build a complete web application. It integrates well with other libraries or frameworks, such as jQuery, Bootstrap, or React, without any major issues. Vue.js is designed to be progressive and incrementally adoptable, which means that you can start small and scale up as you go. Vue.js is a flexible and versatile framework that can help you create amazing web experiences.

TypeScript Support

Vue has native support for TypeScript. The team is adding new features and improvements with each update.

Browser dev tools extensions

Vue team has released some really good browser devtools extensions for their framework. They let programmers check the current state of Vuex, components, and views, manually change particular data, or even take a deeper look at events. Fully utilized makes working with Vue a walk in the park.

Cons of VueJS - What Is The Downside of Vue?

Vue.js is a great framework for building web interfaces and single-page applications, but it is not perfect. Like any other tool, it has some drawbacks and limitations that you should be aware of before choosing it for your project.

In this section, we will discuss some of the cons of Vue.js and how they can affect your development process and outcome. Let’s take a look!

Small Community & Language Barrier Problems

Vue is still very new and evolving fast. It doesn’t yet have the widespread support of its fellow frameworks as it is not as popular as React or Angular. It was created by a Chinese-American and the majority of the users are non-English speaking. Most of the coding is written in Chinese, which complicates things for English-speaking developers.

Unfortunately, since it’s evolving fast, many tutorials that you find online may already be outdated. This means if you get stuck, it might take longer for you to find a solution. A corresponding issue might be that there aren’t a lot of libraries/extensions (yet).

(Over-)Flexibility

Sure it’s nice to have flexibility and many options within a framework that you’re working with. However, when working on a bigger project with many developers involved, this may become an issue. Over-flexibility can over-complicate a project and lead to more errors and irregularities within the code, which in turn would delay the project and increase the cost of development.

Limited Resources - Plugins, Libraries & Extensions

Vue.js is a young framework that lacks the support and popularity of React and Angular. This means that Vue.js has fewer resources, such as plugins, libraries, and extensions, that can improve its functionality and features.

Some of the resources that Vue.js needs are:

• UI component libraries: Vue.js has some UI component libraries, but they are not as complete and mature as React and Angular’s ones.

• Testing tools: Vue.js has some testing tools, but they are not as well-integrated and documented as React and Angular’s ones.

• State management libraries: Vue.js has a state management library called Vuex, but it is not as powerful and flexible as React and Angular’s ones.

These limited resources can make it difficult for Vue.js developers to solve their problems, to add complex features, and to follow the latest trends and best practices for web development.

Vue.js developers may have to make their own resources or use third-party ones that may not be reliable or compatible. This can affect the quality and performance of their web applications.

Multi-Purpose Framework - What Is Vue.js Used For?

Vue.js is a framework that can handle different kinds of web projects, from simple websites to complex web applications.

Vue.js is not limited to a specific domain or use case, but rather it can be used for any project that requires a reactive and interactive user interface. Some of the examples of what Vue.js can be used for are:

• E-commerce websites: Vue.js can help you create attractive and user-friendly online stores, with features such as product catalogs, shopping carts, checkout pages, and payment methods. Vue.js can also integrate with e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento.

• Social media platforms: Vue.js can help you create engaging and dynamic social media platforms, with features such as feeds, profiles, comments, likes, and chat. Vue.js can also work with real-time technologies, such as Firebase, Socket.io, and Pusher .

• Data visualization and analytics: Vue.js can help you create stunning and interactive data visualizations and dashboards, with features such as charts, graphs, maps, and tables. Vue.js can also work with data visualization libraries, such as D3.js, Chart.js, and ECharts .

• Games and entertainment: Vue.js can help you create fun and immersive games and entertainment applications, with features such as animations, sound effects, and physics. Vue.js can also work with game engines, such as Phaser, Babylon.js, and Pixi.js .

These are just some of the examples of what Vue.js can be used for, but there are many more possibilities. Vue.js is a multi-purpose framework that can help you create amazing web experiences for any project.

Conclusion - How Naturaily Can Help You Develop Your Vue.js Project?

Vue.js is a great framework for building web interfaces and single-page applications, but it also has some challenges and limitations that you should be aware of before choosing it for your project.

Vue.js also needs a reliable and professional web & e-commerce development company that can provide high-quality Vue development services and support.

If you are interested in working with us, or if you have any questions or doubts about Vue.js, feel free to contact us. We would love to hear from you and discuss your project needs and expectations.

We are confident that we can help you create a successful and satisfying Vue.js project.