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Website Development: From Fundamentals to Deployment

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  1. Lesson 1: Web Foundations (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
    4 Topics
  2. Lesson 2: Responsive Design and Accessibility
    4 Topics
  3. Lesson 3: Modern Front-end Development (Frameworks and State)
    3 Topics
  4. Lesson 4: Back-end Fundamentals, Data, and Security
    4 Topics
  5. Lesson 5: Quality, Performance, SEO, and Deployment (DevOps Basics)
    5 Topics

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Modern front-end frameworks help you build websites and web apps that are component-based, easier to maintain, and scalable for teams. While React, Vue, and Angular all support building interactive user interfaces, they differ in how they handle templates, routing, state, and tooling.

This topic gives you a practical comparison so you can choose the right tool for the job.

1) What they have in common

All three options generally provide:

  • Components: Small, reusable UI building blocks (buttons, forms, navigation bars, pages).
  • Reactive updates: When data changes, the UI updates automatically.
  • Ecosystem support: Community packages for routing, data fetching, UI libraries, forms, and testing.
  • Build tooling: Development servers, bundling, code splitting, and production builds.
  • API integration: Easy ways to call REST APIs (and often GraphQL).

2) Core concept: Components

React

  • Uses function components (most common approach today).
  • UI is described using JSX (JavaScript + XML-like syntax).
  • Component logic and rendering often live in the same file.

Typical React idea: “UI is a function of state”.

Vue

  • Uses Single File Components (SFCs): .vue files with clearly separated sections:
    • <template> for markup
    • <script> for logic
    • <style> for CSS
  • Supports both Options API and Composition API (Composition API is common in newer projects).

Typical Vue idea: “HTML-like templates with reactive data”.

Angular

  • Uses TypeScript-first components, plus a strong framework structure.
  • Templates are separate (or inline), and Angular provides many built-in features.
  • Uses dependency injection and a more formal application architecture.

Typical Angular idea: “A full framework with built-in patterns for large apps”.

3) Templates and rendering: JSX vs templates

React: JSX (JavaScript-driven UI)

  • JSX is JavaScript, so you can use real JS expressions for rendering decisions.
  • Conditional rendering and loops are done using JavaScript patterns.

Strengths

  • Very flexible.
  • Easy to share logic and UI together.

Trade-offs

  • Some people find JSX less “HTML-like” at first.

Vue: Template syntax (HTML-like)

  • Templates feel close to HTML, with Vue directives like:
    • v-if (conditional rendering)
    • v-for (loops)
    • v-model (two-way binding)

Strengths

  • Friendly learning curve for people comfortable with HTML/CSS.
  • Clear separation in SFC format.

Trade-offs

  • Some advanced patterns require learning Vue-specific template rules and directives.

Angular: Template syntax + Angular directives

  • Templates also look HTML-like, with Angular-specific syntax:
    • *ngIf, *ngFor
    • [property] binding
    • (event) binding
    • [(ngModel)] for two-way binding (with forms support)

Strengths

  • Powerful template features out of the box.
  • Strong patterns for forms and validation.

Trade-offs

  • More concepts to learn upfront.

4) Routing (page navigation)

Single Page Applications (SPAs) typically use client-side routing so that navigation feels like a website, but without full page reloads.

React

  • Routing is not built into React itself.
  • Common choice: React Router.
  • You choose how to structure routes and layouts.

Good for

  • Projects where you want flexibility and control.

Vue

  • Common choice: Vue Router (official).
  • Integrates neatly with Vue’s component system.
  • Supports nested routes and route guards.

Good for

  • Apps that need clean, standard routing with minimal setup.

Angular

  • Angular Router is built in.
  • Strong support for:
    • route guards (auth checks)
    • lazy loading modules/features
    • resolvers (fetch data before route loads)

Good for

  • Larger apps with complex navigation and permission rules.

5) State management (at a glance)

State means the data your UI depends on (logged-in user, cart items, filters, form values, API results).

React

  • Local state: useState, useReducer
  • App-wide state: commonly one of:
    • Context API (small/medium needs)
    • Redux / Redux Toolkit (structured and popular)
    • Zustand, Recoil, Jotai (lighter alternatives)
  • Data fetching state: often React Query (TanStack Query)

When React shines

  • You can choose a state approach that matches your app size and complexity.

Vue

  • Local state is simple and reactive.
  • App-wide state: Pinia (current standard) or Vuex (older)
  • Data fetching state: Vue Query (TanStack Query for Vue) is common

When Vue shines

  • Clean, integrated state patterns with a small learning overhead.

Angular

  • Angular has services + RxJS for state-like flows.
  • Larger apps may use:
    • NgRx (Redux-style)
    • Akita, NGXS (alternatives)
  • RxJS is a core part of how Angular handles async work.

When Angular shines

  • When you want strong structure and predictable patterns for complex apps.

6) Tooling and project setup

React

  • Common build tools:
    • Vite (modern and fast)
    • Next.js (full-stack React framework for SSR/SSG)
  • Huge ecosystem, many choices.

Impact

  • You must make more decisions (routing, state, folder structure, etc.).

Vue

  • Common build tools:
    • Vite (first-class Vue support)
    • Nuxt (Vue framework for SSR/SSG)
  • Official tooling is well aligned.

Impact

  • A guided experience with fewer “Which library should we use?” debates.

Angular

  • Uses the Angular CLI (official and standard).
  • Strong conventions: modules, services, components, environments, testing.

Impact

  • More setup out the gate, but very consistent for teams.

7) Performance and bundle size (general guidance)

  • React: performance depends a lot on how you architect your app and manage re-renders. Good optimisation options exist.
  • Vue: generally efficient reactivity and good defaults; often feels “light” for many typical apps.
  • Angular: can be heavier initially, but strong tooling for lazy loading and production optimisation.

In real projects, performance is often influenced more by:

  • how many scripts you load,
  • image optimisation,
  • API speed,
  • and how you code (rendering patterns, caching, etc.)
    than by framework choice alone.

8) Accessibility and responsive design support

Frameworks don’t automatically make a site accessible—you still need to implement WCAG-aligned patterns.

All three can produce fully accessible sites if you:

  • use semantic HTML (buttons as <button>, headings in order, labels on inputs),
  • manage keyboard focus properly (especially in modals and menus),
  • use ARIA only when necessary and correctly,
  • test with keyboard-only navigation and screen readers.

Note: Angular and Vue templates can encourage cleaner HTML structure; React’s JSX flexibility can lead to either very good or very messy markup depending on the team.

9) When to choose which (practical decision guide)

Choose React when:

  • You want maximum flexibility and a large ecosystem.
  • You’re building interactive UIs with many reusable components.
  • Your team is comfortable making architecture choices (routing/state/tooling).
  • You might move into Next.js for SEO-friendly rendering later.

Choose Vue when:

  • You want a gentle learning curve and “HTML-first” templates.
  • You want official routing and state options that fit together neatly.
  • You’re building small to medium apps quickly, or your team prefers a guided ecosystem.

Choose Angular when:

  • You’re building a large, enterprise-style app with many screens and rules.
  • You value strict structure, conventions, and TypeScript by default.
  • You want built-in solutions for routing, forms, and app architecture.
  • Your team can invest in the steeper learning curve.

10) Quick comparison table

| Feature | React | Vue | Angular |
|—|—|—|—|
| What it is | UI library (ecosystem adds the rest) | Progressive framework | Full framework |
| Component style | JSX + functions | SFCs (template/script/style) | TypeScript components + templates |
| Routing | External (React Router common) | Vue Router (official) | Built-in Angular Router |
| State options | Many choices (Context/Redux/etc.) | Pinia (official standard) | Services + RxJS, NgRx for larger apps |
| Learning curve | Medium | Low–Medium | Higher |
| Best fit | Flexible product apps, UI-heavy sites | Fast development, clean structure | Large teams, complex apps |

Key takeaway

React, Vue, and Angular all support modern component-based development. The main differences are how much structure the framework provides, how UI is written (JSX vs templates), and how standardised the tooling and patterns are. Your best choice depends on project size, team experience, and how much flexibility vs convention you want.