Author: Mihai Avram | Date: 08/07/2020
Technology changes at such a rapid pace that it is difficult to keep up. One moment we learn the latest and greatest new front end framework only to find out that a few months later a new contender may come to take its place. How can we best use our time as developers by choosing what technologies to invest our time and money in? Look no further than here where we will take a journey through the best frameworks to learn at this moment in time for various different full stack needs such as front end development, back end development, machine learning, databases, and more. We might as well pick the best frameworks to learn now so that we don’t have to spend extra time learning another similar framework too soon.
Front End Frameworks
When it comes to front end web development, learning JavaScript, HTML, and CSS will provide the basis of your skillset. Then, if you want to pick the best modern framework, it will likely depend on a few factors.
Best by Popular Demand
React
As of July 2020, React has 6,600 watches, 153,000 stars, and 29,900 forks, which is more than any other front end framework on GitHub. Moreover, the latest StackOverflow survey from 2019 mentions React as the most loved web framework. Finally, the 2019 State of Javascript survey also states that React is the framework with most satisfaction and awareness. All these accolades combined shows that an overwhelming majority of developers prefer React over the other front end frameworks. A close runner-up to React in popularity is Vue.js.
Best for Getting a Job
React
As of July 2020, a search for React on some of the most prominent job board websites such as LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Glassdoor have yielded tens of thousands of open jobs which is more than other front end frameworks.
LinkedIn: 35,104 (searched ‘Reactjs’)
ZipRecruiter: 22,770 (searched ‘React developer’)
Indeed: 10,487 (searched ‘React developer’)
Glassdoor: 5,155 (searched ‘React developer’)
Some runner-ups for front end frameworks most in demand are AngularJS and Vue.js.
Best for the Highest Salary
Three-way tie between React, Vue.js, and AngularJS
As of July 2020, a ZipRecruiter average salary search for these three frameworks yielded the following:
React: $110,278/year
Vue.js: $116,615/year
AngularJS: $112,004/year
This is close enough to render a tie, so pick the one you are most comfortable with, or pick the most popular one and stick with it.
Easiest to Learn
Vue.js
This is because the rules of the framework are very simple to understand, require very little code, and the documentation is very well written as well as aesthetically pleasing. A close runnerup to front end learning simplicity is React.
Back End Frameworks
There must be something that can tie in all the logic and provide data power to all the pretty websites and apps. Back end frameworks are a bit more crowded than the front end frameworks; though luckily there are some clear winners.
Best by Popular Demand
Node.js
As of July 2020 on GitHub, Node.js has 2,900 watches, 71,500 stars, and 17,400 forks, which is more than any other back end framework.
Moreover, Node.js was among the top frameworks listed for the most loved frameworks in the 2019 StackOverflow survey, and Express (which is a Node.js framework) is listed as the most satisfying back end frameworks to use in the State of Javascript 2019 survey. Some popular back end framework runner-ups include Spring Boot, Django, ASP.NET, Laravel, and Flask.
Best for Getting a Job
Node.js
As of July 2020, a search for Node.js on some of the most prominent job board websites such as LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Glassdoor have yielded tens of thousands of open jobs which is more than other back end frameworks. Some in-demand back end framework runner-ups include ASP.NET, Spring Boot, Ruby On Rails, and Django.
LinkedIn: 13,098 (searched for ‘Node.js’)
ZipRecruiter: 11,322 (searched for ‘Node.js’)
Indeed: 5,856 (searched for ‘Node.js’)
Glassdoor: 5,670 (searched for ‘Node.js’)
Best for the Highest Salary
Ruby on Rails and Node.js
As of July 2020, a ZipRecruiter average salary search for these two frameworks yielded the following:
Ruby on Rails: $114,900/year
Node.js: $113,697/year
This is close enough to render a tie, so pick the one you are most comfortable with, or pick the most popular one and stick with it. Moreover, some high paying back end framework runner-ups include Spring Boot, Django, and ASP.NET.
Easiest to Learn
Ruby on Rails
Many developers refer to Ruby on Rails as a magical framework that is both intuitive to understand, and which can accomplish a trove of powerful features and functionality with little code. Some easy to learn runner-ups in the back end framework category include Django, Flask, and Laravel.
Databases
There are not too many database frameworks to choose from, and most importantly one must know the difference and use-cases of the different types (SQL vs. No-SQL). Fortunately, this article curated by the Xplenty team describes the difference very well.
Best by Popular Demand
MySql
According to the latest StackOverflow developer survey of 2020, MySql was ranked as the best database technology to use. This is also consistent with other database surveys from DB-Engines, ScaleGrid, or JavaTPoint where MySql makes it among the top. Some popular database runner-ups include PostgreSQL and Redis.
Best for Getting a Job
SQL Server
As of July 2020, a search for SQL Server on some of the most prominent job board websites such as LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Glassdoor have yielded tens of thousands of open jobs which is more than other database technologies. Some in-demand database runner-ups include MySql and PostgreSQL.
LinkedIn: 29,049 (searched ‘SQL Server’)
ZipRecruiter: 45,948 (searched ‘SQL Server’)
Indeed: 10,079 (searched ‘Microsoft SQL Server’)
Glassdoor: 22,690 (searched ‘SQL Server’)
Best for the Highest Salary
A two-way tie between PostgreSQL and MongoDB
As of July 2020, a ZipRecruiter average salary search for these two database technologies yielded the following:
PostgreSQL: $127,785/year
MongoDB: $120,379/year
Some high paying database runner-ups include Redis and MySQL.
Easiest to Learn
SQLite
As the name suggests, SQLite is a stripped-down version of SQL that allows one to learn the syntax and basics of SQL without having to get into the more complex items such as triggers, writable views, and other administrative or niche functional items that traditional databases support. However, it is highly advised and recommended that one starts with a full-SQL database first such as MySQL or Postgres which are only a little more time to understand.
Machine Learning Frameworks
It is important to note for Machine Learning frameworks, there is a lot of variability in which tool to use for the job based on many circumstances. This is including whether one is working on a research project, a production grade solution, a quick and dirty solution, and various other criteria. Hence, please take the following information with a grain of salt.
Best by Popular Demand
Tensorflow
As of July 2020 on GitHub, TensorFlow has 8,300 watches, 147,000 stars, and 82,100 forks, which is more than any other Machine Learning framework. TensorFlow also appears among the top contending Machine Learning frameworks according to various blogs and forums such as from KDnuggets and Open Data Science. Some close runner-ups in popular Machine Learning frameworks include Keras, Scikit-learn, and PyTorch.
Best for Getting a Job
Apache Spark
As of July 2020, a search for Apache Spark on some of the most prominent job board websites such as LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Glassdoor have yielded thousands of open jobs which is more than other Machine Learning frameworks. Some runner-ups for in-demand Machine Learning frameworks include Tensorflow, PyTorch, and Keras.
LinkedIn: 14,564 (searched ‘Apache Spark’)
ZipRecruiter: 2,677 (searched ‘Apache Spark’)
Indeed: 1,774 (searched ‘Apache Spark’)
Glassdoor: 1,050 (searched ‘Spark Developer’)
Best for the Highest Salary
A two-way tie between Keras and TensorFlow
As of July 2020, a ZipRecruiter average salary search for these two Machine Learning frameworks yielded the following:
Keras: $156,040/year
TensorFlow: $148,508/year
Some runner-ups for the highest paying Machine Learning frameworks to know are Apache Spark and Scikit-learn.
Easiest to Learn
Scikit-learn
Scikit-learn has very intuitive and easy to use documentation in which there are tutorials and examples which are provided for all standard Machine Learning needs such as Regression, SVMs, Naive Bayes, Clustering, and others. Moreover, Scikit-learn integrates seamlessly with other intuitive Mathematical libraries that can simplify the understanding and usage of Machine Learning concepts. These libraries include NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, and Matplotlib among others.
What are some runner-ups?
None because when it comes to Machine Learning, the fundamental Mathematical and Statistical concepts are the most important to learn. Scikit-learn provides an easy way to learn these concepts through documentation and practical examples. Other tools such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, or Apache Spark enable more specialized Machine Learning cases in which more of a Machine Learning proficiency is needed.
Mobile Development Frameworks
Mobile frameworks tend to change at a very rapid pace, so take the following information with a grain of salt and try to pick the ones that you think will be the most robust to changes in the future.
Best by Popular Demand
A two-way tie between React Native and Electron
As of July 2020, both React Native and Electron have the most GitHub popularity metrics such as watches, stars, and forks. Moreover, according to the 2019 State of Javascript survey, both of these frameworks have been rated as the most popular in the mobile framework space. Some close runner-ups in the popular mobile frameworks space are Swift and Cordova.
Best for Getting a Job
React Native
As of July 2020, a search for React Native on some of the most prominent job board websites such as LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Glassdoor have yielded thousands of open jobs which is more than other mobile frameworks. In demand runner-ups for mobile frameworks include Swift, and Cordova.
LinkedIn: 3,375 (searched ‘React Native’)
ZipRecruiter: 3,018 (searched ‘React Native’)
Indeed: 2,333 (searched ‘React Native’)
Glassdoor: 2,426 (searched ‘React Native’)
Best for the Highest Salary
Swift
As of July 2020, a ZipRecruiter average salary search for Swift developers yielded the following:
Swift: $127,276/year
Some high paying mobile framework runner-ups include React Native, and Ionic.
Easiest to Learn
React Native
According to a crowdsourced survey by StackShare, React Native is the easiest to learn out of all the mobile frameworks. Technically Vue Native might be easier; however, it is by far not as popular and common than React Native so it is not worth learning as much as React Native is.
Other Important Aspects of Full Stack Development
Now that we covered most of the technology stacks, let’s take a step back and understand some pieces of software that serve as the glue to technology. This consists of operating systems, hosting software, testing frameworks, IDEs, DevOps software, and more. Below you may find some honorable mentions in each of these categories. These are essentially the top contenders for their respective groups and markets.
Platforms
Linux – Best open-source, lightweight, and powerful OS
Docker – Best for shipping and running software in a stable environment
Kubernetes – Best for shipping and running clustered software in a stable environment
AWS – Most powerful and all-encompassing hosting solution
GCP – A growing, easier to use, and cheaper hosting solution
Azure – The best hosting solution for Microsoft-first products
Heroku – Best for simple full stack hosting solutions
WordPress – The most popular website hosting solution
Digital Ocean – Simple web or app hosting service with fast loading times and high SLA
Firebase – Great hosting infrastructure for mobile apps
Elasticsearch – Best for text storage, search, and analytics
DevOps
Gradle and Jenkins – Best for software build automation
Git – Best for version control
Slack – Most powerful and most adopted communication software
Sentry – Best for application monitoring and alerting
Insomnia – Best for sending and testing requests over the internet
The Silver Searcher – Best for quick directory and file system searches
Notion – Best for creating and storing documentation/wiki
Jira and Asana – Best for Agile/DevOps practices
Trello – Best for Kanban board organizational practices
Puppeteer – Best for browser automation
Linting – Great for making sure good code is written
TypeScript – Great for making sure that the code handles the data and variables as intended
Testing
Robot and PyTest – Best for Python testing
Jest and Mocha – Best for JavaScript testing
Selenium – Best for web app testing and browser automation
Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
Visual Studio – Best for Windows users
Sublime Text – Powerful and easy to use lightweight editor
Atom – Best for language-agnostic Mac and Linux users
Vim – One of the most powerful lightweight editors with a steeper learning curve
That’s all folks! 🎊 Happy coding 🎊