Table of Contents

#1. Bootstrap
#2. Bootstrap Benefits
#3. Bootstrap Disadvantages
#4. Bulma
#5. Benefits
#6. Disadvantages
#7. Foundation
#8. Benefits
#9. Disadvantages
#10. Materialize
#11. Benefits
#12. Disadvantages
#13. UIkit
#14. Benefits
#15. Disadvantages
#16. Semantic UI
#17. Benefits
#18. Disadvantages
#19. Which development environment is better?

The world has long realized that the future is in artificial intelligence and IT. Already today, these two areas are the main engine of progress. Elon Mask private school teaches how to work with AI, rather than familiar disciplines like algebra.

A significant share in this area is the development of the Internet and the creation of a new site. According to the above statistics, on average about 3.8 million domains are registered daily. In 2018, about 5 million web desgins were created, which means that approximately 20,000 sites appearing online every day.

Analysts predict a further increase in these numbers in 2019 and 2020. At the same time, the number of developers is growing. There is not one of them who does not know about frameworks.

Framework is a set of tools for creating websites. Software that simplifies the development of web pages and increase their speed.

CSS Framework is considered the most optimized for the sites development. Maybe you will not have to create them. But the probability of being in the company of developers is higher. So that you can even maintain a professional conversation with them, here I provide a list of the most popular JS frameworks that will not lose their ratings by 2020 and 2021.

Bootstrap

The last few years on the market has been valuing software from Twitter developers - Bootstrap. Today, on its basis, the websites of such brands and organizations as:

• Netflix;
• Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen AG;
• Sony;
• Pepsi;
• HP;
• FBI, NASA;
• cftc.gov – US Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

 

Each of these companies have highly qualified professionals who trust Bootstrap.

This framework was the first to promote the “smartphones first” philosophy. Thus, there is no need to develop a new project for small screens. It is enough to include the appropriate classes of Bootstrap and the design will adapt to a specific diagonal.

Bootstrap Benefits

• rapid prototyping: instead of tricky CSS positioning and puzzles with browser incompatibility, just write HTML and apply the appropriate framework classes to it;
• large ecosystem: thanks to the mass of layouts, themes, admin panels and other tools, you can create more unique and simple designs;
• developed by a large brand: the creator’s fame suggests that the project will have a clear roadmap and a long-term future, as well as constant updates in line with trends;
• a large collection of components: Bootstrap has most of the necessary elements of the user interface, so there is no need to separately hire a team of front-end developers.

Bootstrap Disadvantages

Ideal does not exist, right? This framework is no exception. During his relatively small history, he has already fallen under the barrage of criticism. And that's why:

• UX monotony: maybe Bootstrap has a lot of layouts and built-in modules, they are quite similar. That’s why all the sites of this framework look a bit boring and familiar. Web designers as a kind of artists, do not like it;
• makes it work: the framework has many default values. To redefine them, you need to try hard, although this process could be simplified.

 

This software is perfect for both beginners and developers, preferring a reliable interface.

Bulma

Bulma is a relatively new framework on the market compared to most competitors. But in a short time it made a famous name for itself. Attractiveness is based on a rigorous approach based solely on CSS (no Javascript elements, as in Bootstrap) and elegant default configurations.

The grid of this framework is completely based on Flexbox. Bulma is not particularly demanding to start a web development project. Because it is considered a very good option for round newcomers. With this software, you can quickly set up a site.

Benefits

• simple syntax;
• adaptive design;
• created for everyday tasks faced by small teams, so easy to learn;
• big collection of components;
• popular: on Github has more than 30 thousand stars. Of course, this does not mean quality. But it reflects a high level of user confidence.

Disadvantages

• there are many uncorrected bugs due to its novelty;
• little experience of use - requires time verification;
• lack of Flexbox prefixes for different browsers.

 

Bulma has a small community, but achieved high levels in a short time. Because this is a good option for novice ambitious developers.

Foundation

As the developers themselves say, if programming were a religion, users of the Foundation and Bootstrap would be on opposite sides of the barricades. However, not a single discussion of modern CSS frameworks is complete without mentioning Foundation.

The first thing that can be seen on the main page of the site is the phrase “The most adaptive Front-end framework in the world”. It sounds audacious, but supporters of this software know that words are not thrown to the wind. This is confirmed by the fact that the Foundation is used by companies such as Facebook, eBay, Mozilla, Adobe and others.

The framework works great in conjunction with GPU-accelerated for lightning fast and smooth animation. Also, it offers the Fastclick.js tool for faster rendering on mobile devices.

Benefits

• full modular set of tools that allows to solve almost all interface tasks;
• exceptional flexibility: the framework gives the developer complete control over the interface. It does not impose any style language, but is directly a CSS environment;
• an extended collection of interface elements that allows you to use the Foundation for sites of large corporations.

Disadvantages

Foundation is one example of providing strengths that can appear as weak and that’s why:

• complex basis: many internal layers, dual components, infinite customization options make working with the framework incredibly difficult;
• variety: sometimes you just want to finish the project quickly, but the abundance of options soaps your eyes, which may cause the final stage to be too long;
• small community: since it is more difficult to study the Foundation, there are not so many specialists in it. If problems arise, it will be difficult to find a solution.

 

If you are a beginner, this software is definitely not for you. The Foundation has too many opportunities that cannot be resolved without a lot of experience working with frameworks. But if you no stranger to that, the Foundation will be a good choice because of its flexibility, excellent semantics and a really high level of adaptability.

Materialize

A modern adaptive development environment based on Google’s material design specifications. Many programmers put it in third place after Bootstrap and Foundation. If you want to create a website in the style of Google, then you need to use this particular framework.

In this environment, there are enough components and classes, but first of all it is aimed at maximizing the performance and speed of loading pages. Materialize uses a 12-column grid format, as the Bootstrap.

Benefits

• large selection of components;
• looks good on any device;
• convenient customization;
• open source.

Disadvantages

• big size;
• lack of flexbox;
• monotony of ready-made sites design.

 

Despite the fact that on the basis of this framework, quite similar projects are obtained, many users trust it. With Materialize, you can start to impose sites with minimal experience with CSS.

UIkit

Minimalism is one of today's trends in any design, including web development. Therefore, UIkit is steadily gaining popularity among many designers. Providing an elegant look using maximum empty space, this development environment has the most advantages of all frameworks.

UIkit is an easy and adaptive development environment. It helps to create an advanced interface using components such as Nestables (allows you to sort items by drag and drop, which facilitates the organization of navigation panels).

Benefits

• extended customization options;
• adaptability to any devices;
• structured code;
• simple addition of any components without damage to the overall appearance;
• themes.

Disadvantages

• some classes are difficult to read, therefore it is more difficult to achieve results;
• most of the templates are paid;
• small number of users.

 

At first glance, UIkit pages seem very simple. In fact, this framework will be harder than Bootstrap and will not work for beginners. This is an autonomous system and it will not be possible to make changes without significant efforts.

Semantic UI

Known for its simple and elegant designs, as well as incredible thematic effects. This framework has more than 3000 different themes available and about 50 user interface variations. Thus, Semantic UI is a great development environment for creating responsive websites.

It is very young, but was able to earn popularity due to its simplicity. The code of this development environment does not require explanation, because it is well suited to many beginners. In Semantic UI, it's pretty easy to keep track of code bottlenecks without digging into stack traces.

Benefits

• loads only necessary components, reducing download time and file size;
• the possibility of customization is greater than that of Bootstrap;
• a wide range of components;
• easy to use.

Disadvantages

• despite downloading of only the necessary components, the file size is still large;
• will not suit the user who does not know Javascript;
• contains many bugs like the impossibility of mixing classes;
• small selection of classes.

 

Semantic UI is an excellent development environment for most beginners due to its simplicity. However, many functions (like modal) use the Javascript setting, so without experience with this programming language, the Semantic UI will not be available.

Which development environment is better?

Probably, you asked this question more than once. Most likely, the answer in all cases was “no”. Bootstrap is the most popular user rating, but it’s not the best. The choice of framework depends on many factors.

If you need advice on choosing, here it is: isolate yourself from information noise. After all, you do not have to use a product for which everyone goes crazy like logos. To experience something new is great, but constantly running around in circles in search of something perfect is a waste of time.

Set a desired result in front of you and choose a development environment for it. Then work will become much easier. It is likely that in the end you will stop at a framework that is not even listed above. So what? The main thing - to cope with the task at 100%.