Bootstrap is often referred to as an open-source frontend toolkit, while Reactjs is a JavaScript library for building UI. With the building popularity and an emerging market share of Bootstrap, it has proved to be a good competition against React.
With distinct qualities, characteristics, and features in each of these frameworks, the question that comes to our mind is, “ Which one is the optimal framework for our project?”
This blog provides a comprehensive guide between Bootstrap and React by comparing both the frameworks and outlining 12 critical criteria you would need to consider for creating the best web application.
What is Bootstrap? — An Overview
Bootstrap, also known as Twitter Bootstrap, is an open-source front-end CSS framework used to create responsive mobile-first websites. While the front-end framework template is primarily based on CSS, there are various HTML templates available along with support from JavaScript components like jQuery. It has become the second popular UI development framework for its responsive design templates, frameworks, grids, and most importantly, multi-site compatibility.
Mark Otto and Jacob Thornton developed this framework with the idea of standardizing the use of a framework by Twitter employees. This is how the framework came to be known as Twitter Bootstrap. In 2011, the developers launched this project on GitHub for everyone’s access.
Market Usage Statistics
Here are some interesting market usage statistics of Bootstrap:
- As of March 2021, approximately 3 million people have downloaded Bootstrap for web development.
- Till April 2021, Bootstrap is used by 22% of all websites amongst the JavaScript libraries.
- In terms of popularity and traffic, Bootstrap holds 2nd position with 14.8% of the market share.
Use Cases of Bootstrap
- Microblogging applications
- Social media applications
- Video streaming applications
- E-commerce websites
- Content-based website
- Geo-location applications
- On-demand applications
- Payment applications
- Messaging service web app
- Responsive web applications
Popular Apps Built with Bootstrap
- Vogue
- Apple Maps Connect
- Lyft
- Paypal
What is React? — An Overview
Reactjs is an open-source Javascript library to build web apps with rich user interfaces. React offers developers the flexibility to create reusable custom components that encourage rapid development processes. Furthermore, its ability to allow quick rendering of a web page makes it more search engine friendly. All in all, it’s a great library that promotes the development of lightweight and complex business applications.
Market Usage Statistics
Here are some cool market usage statistics for React js:
- React tops the list of “ Most loved frameworks of Stackflow 2019” for almost 74 percent and features “ Topmost wanted frameworks” by StackOverflow at 21.5 percentage.
- The framework boasts over 150k Github stars along with the continuously progressive community.
Use Cases of React
- Web apps (React.js)
- Video streaming platforms
- Media sites
- Software as a Service tools
- Mobile apps (React Native)
- Desktop Apps (React + Electron.js)
- Progressive Web Apps (React + Ionic)
- JAMstack sites (Gatsby.js)
Popular Apps Built with React
- Paypal
- The BBC
- Netflix
Comparison
- Performance Comparison
- Application Architecture
- Ease of Testing
- Scalability
- Suitability for Building Complex Applications
- Security
- User Experience
- Rapid Development
- Application Size
- Code Maintainability
- Learning Curve
Check out the original article to read more comparison points between Boostrap and React.