I’ve been in the professional world for just about three years now. I still don’t know a lot, and I’m still learning, but there is one thing I’m 100% sure of: everything is constantly changing.
When I first started coding in school, I was taught that JavaScript should be the icing on the cake. If it didn’t work, the website should work. Nowadays, it seems like every way you look there is a new JavaScript framework popping up.
Angular. React. Vue.
Those three, and others, are all the rage these days with their virtual DOM and two-way binding. You can do everything asynchronously and make everything component based. They’re cool, no doubting that. I’ve used AngularJS quite a bit, and it can be marvelous how smooth things can work.
However, I still like jQuery, and use it occasionally, and that’s okay.
Simple and Easy
One of the main reasons I like jQuery is because of how simple and easy it is to get it up and running. You can literally just include the library and run. It’s that simple.
Whenever you get into starting an app based on these new frameworks, it can be a bit of a hassle. There is a lot of setup involved. Sure, it may pay off in the long run, but the start-up is a bit of a drag. There is a certain structure to how the pages and components have to be set up, not to mention that each of the frameworks have their own particular way of doing things.
I use AngularJS, not Angular 2. Why? Because Angular 2 scares me. Also, it adds a whole other level of stuff you have to do to get it to work. AngularJS you can write and be merry if it’s set up correctly; Angular 2 you have to compile, which means writing more code just to have your code run.
If I have a small project, why wouldn’t I just grab a tool with very little overhead? Plop in the jQuery library, do what I need to do, combine and minify. Boom. Done.
Obviously there are use cases that better suit each. All I’m saying is I don’t see why anyone should be afraid or ashamed to plop in the jQuery library.
Vanilla JavaScript
So you’ve decided that you don’t want to use a full blown framework like Angular, Vue, or React, but you still don’t know if you want to use jQuery.
That’s fine. You know why? Cause vanilla JavaScript has come a long way. The whole point of jQuery was to help sort of the inconsistencies with how the browsers handle JavaScript. Nowadays, it’s pretty set (sure, there will always be discrepancies, but still).
There is nothing wrong with going the vanilla JavaScript route either. You can totally get by with using some good ol’ vanilla in a simple web application. If you need some better tools, such as not wanting to write ten lines of code for an AJAX request, then load up some jQuery.
Don’t Feel Bad
The point I want to make is you shouldn’t feel bad about choosing the tools that you chose for your particular project. There is always going to be someone out there that goes “well if you would’ve use this…”.
But it’s not their project, and not their code. They don’t have to work with it.
Choose what library, or no library at all, that is best for your project. Don’t be scared off just because everyone is clawing at the latest and greatest frameworks. If you want to use Angular in your project, use Angular. jQuery? Use jQuery. Vanilla JavaScript? Use vanilla.
Do what’s best for you and, ultimately, going to help you create the best version of your project.
Thanks for reading!