The process of application development is not easy even for experienced programmers. Luckily nowadays there is a variety of frameworks that claim to assist the development process. They promise to make the life of a developer easier with less time and money expenditures.
However, it is not always easy to make the choice. While all the frameworks have seemingly the same goals, their functions, features, and design vary. For inexperienced junior developers, the brand name may be the reason for the choice. Whereas mature seniors prefer to go deeper into the peculiarities of each framework. Less popular libraries may sometimes offer more sophisticated solutions for a particular project.
Vue.js is an example of a well-known brand. It is an open-source front-end JavaScript framework for building user interfaces and single-page applications. We will try to compare this giant with its smaller but not less effective counterpart, which is the Webix JS library.
Let’s recall the Vue features that helped this framework to gain its popularity.
- Simple optimization of the HTML blocks.
- Detailed documentation.
- A quick transition from other frameworks to Vue can be made.
- Fairly large reusable templates can be made in almost the same amount of time as simpler ones.
- Tiny size. Vue.js weighs about 20 KB.
At the same time some disadvantages were noticed in the Vue.js reviews:
- Lack of resources. Vue.js has a fairly small market share, which means that knowledge sharing in this environment is still in its infancy.
- Risk of excessive flexibility. Problems may occur with Vue when integrating into huge projects, as there is little experience in possible solutions.
Now let’s focus on the overview of the Webix library.
The advantages of the Webix library
Fast and furious
Webix includes a vast JavaScript library. The design system allows getting the quality material design right out of the box without any customization or setting efforts. More than 100 web widgets are available for the developers, as well as the template library and 5 conceptual design skins. Such a huge choice of resources allows to save up to 30% of working time. All the components are carefully developed, so there is no need for the services of a designer.
Maksim Kozhukh, the head of Webix, has mentioned the high-performance and feature-rich components of the library in his interview. For instance, DataGrid has more than 20 features (clipboard support, shortcuts, context menu, drag-n-drop, filters, data validation, pagination, rowspan, colspan, grid grouping). According to the study of Bryntum specialists, Webix shows one of the best rendering speed for the DataGrid widget currently.
Alert and responsive
Clients of the library point out great technical support. Tore Hvidegaard, the CEO of the digital construction company in Denmark mentioned the usefulness of the snippets in the forum. Any time a specific issue appears in the project, the community forum is there with an answer and a snippet demonstrating how it works. This approach saves much time for the developers.
One more opportunity on hand is the real assistance of the XB Software programmers. They can work for you remotely and deal with the development process at any stage of the project.
The learning curve of the library is short due to the detailed documentation and tutorials. The combination of those help to study and gain expertise fast.
Legal and protective
Most popular JS UI libraries are distributed under the MIT license, which imposes some restrictions. First of all, it does not ensure the completeness of intellectual property rights. Secondly, open-source licenses require developers to release the final product and publish the source code in the public domain, which may be unacceptable for many reasons. Here are the reasons for switching from open-source to a commercial license:
- Purchase/sale of intellectual property rights. Only with a commercial license, the transfer of all intellectual property rights to a new buyer is guaranteed.
- Certification of IT solutions. Each country has its rules of control and regulation, but stay aware that developing solutions for the financial and banking sectors require mandatory certification, and you should not use open-source components. Gambling solutions and healthcare systems are also subject to special audits.
- Technical support. With a commercial license, you get full technical support.
- Advanced features. Commercial versions of libraries offer advanced functionality and additional opportunities. Examples can be found in this article.
Unique
The verified design of the Webix library also contributes to its value. Webix is a carrier of material design expertise for any project. All widgets are perfectly compatible. Users get a correct and beautiful material design right out of the box without the need for configuration and customization. Designers are no longer wanted, as elaborate default design can be used straight away.
Wrapped up
The “magic of Webix” is in its 12 lines of code. The article Creating a Webix-based Business Web Application for Data Storage with Only 12 Lines of Code will make you more familiar with the idea. These “12 lines of code” hide a rich functionality with numerous features that are supported out of the box. You are unlikely to encounter performance issues or a high CPU load. Webix puts performance and optimization at the forefront.
The Webix ecosystem includes 100+ UI widgets to create any modern interface. The library of examples and templates shows all the available UI controls. All the widgets have a sufficient number of features, such as:
- Clipboard support
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Context menu
- Drag-n-drop
- Filters
- Data validation
- Pagination
Another strong side of Webix is its complex widgets. Those are full-fledged SPA applications with the ready-made front-end and back-end layers that can be built into any solution. All of them run on any platform and are compatible with Angular or React environment. Not every framework can boast offering such possibilities.
Verdict
Webix is not trying to compete with global platforms such as Vue, or Angular. On the contrary, Webix can complement them organically. Webix is easily integrated into any architecture. Frameworks as Vue are not as functional and versatile as Webix. Customizing or implementing necessary features may take much time and resources. While Webix offers a ready-made solution.
Webix solves three important business cases:
- Prototyping. It allows you to quickly and efficiently get a UI prototype, even without resorting to programming. Or get the MVP as soon as possible. Those are the earliest and most critical stages of the project’s development.
- Ready-made widget apps for popular application tasks. For example, User Manager is a full-fledged admin panel, that includes the back-end and can act as the core of any multi-user application.
- High-speed programming of the UI layer. Webix is simple and intuitive for those who are good at object-oriented programming.
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