Updated March 4, 2023
Difference between Backbone js and Angular js
Backbone js is a javascript UI library which is based on the Model View Presenter application design pattern. Its’ interface is based on RESTful JSON. It is lightweight to be used with other JS libraries. It was written in JavaScript. It was initially released in the year 2010. Jeremy Ashkenas developed it. It was licensed under MIT license.
Angular is also a javascript based UI (front end) framework that was based on TypeScript language. It was developed and maintained by an Angular team at Google with a community and individual contributors. It was licensed under MIT license. It supports cross-platform and modern web browsers. It was initially released in the year 2016. It was written in Typescript. Its code was hosted on the Github repository. It has different features like dynamic loading, reflection, an asynchronous compilation of the templates. The latest version of the angular is Angular 6, which is released in May 2018. The code is based on modularity and has different components as it is the component-based model.
Backbone js is very lightweight such that its size spans around 7.5 KB in production and around 72 KB in development. It provides key-value binding and customized events functionalities to web applications.
Angular provides greater speed and performance and supports the development across all the platforms, and supports different tools with integration and mainly, it was backed by Google; it has a more user base and a larger community that is more credible and reliable.
Head To Head Comparison Between Backbone js and Angular js (Infographics)
Below is the top 9 difference between Backbone js vs Angular js
Key Differences Between Backbone js and Angular js
Both Backbone js vs Angular js are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major differences:
- Backbone js library has MVC pattern where data will be abstracted as a model, DOM as views and binding these both as events whereas Angular js framework provides MVC framework which needs configuration setup and code needs to be developed in a loose coupling way rather than making it more complex that takes some time.
- Backbone js library is lightweight and can be easily integrated and configured with any JavaScript-based web application, whereas in Angular js, everything new component or functionality has to be set up with a configuration in order to make it use or work, which consumes some extra development time.
- Backbone js library provides greater functionalities, cleaner, easy to maintain code, whereas Angular js needs more configurations and causes some confusion in making the configurations for binding the events.
- Backbone js has larger community support and provides offline community education programs and mobility programs as well, whereas Angular js users will not be given any support individually by Google as it has already a large user based community and greater support from its community.
- Backbone js library is purely based on JavaScript, whereas Angular js is based on TypeScript.
- Backbone js provides binding functionality in the case of events and call-back functions handling, whereas in the case of Angular, it is difficult to use both types of bindings initially, which creates some confusion among the developers to adapt.
- Backbone js and MVP based architecture, whereas Angular js are MVC-based architecture and cannot use the HTML parsers in the browser.
- Backbone js performance is much faster than Angular js in the case of more number of pages and larger applications, whereas Angular gives less performance in the case of large data binding events and complex applications where Angular can be compared similar in the case of smaller applications.
- Backbone js primarily concentrate on high performance, whereas Angular js require more configurations and more code for smaller applications.
Backbone js vs Angular js Comparison Table
Below is the topmost comparison between Backbone js vs Angular js:
| The basis of comparison |
Backbone js |
Angular js |
| Definition | Backbone js is a UI framework in JS based on the MVP (Model View Presenter) design pattern. | Angular js is also a UI framework in JS but based on Typescript. |
| Usage | Provides binding and custom event functionalities to web applications. | Dynamic and rich web pages for SPA applications. |
| Integration | Supports integration with different frameworks and web applications as it is lightweight to use. | Supports integration with different frameworks, tools, and IDEs. |
| Platform | Supports any modern web applications to handle complex events and data binding. | Supports cross-platform and any modern web browsers. |
| Generality | Backbone js can be used along with different frameworks like jQuery for the mobile web and desktop applications. | Angular js is available in many versions for many days and is backed by Google, and Angular js is called Angular from Angular version 2 onwards. |
| Community | It has a larger community similar to that of but lesser than Angular. | It has a larger community and many individual contributors. |
| License | It was licensed under MIT. | It was also licensed under MIT and maintained by Google. |
| Compatibility | Supported only by all modern browsers and web applications. | Supports all modern browsers and all cross-platform operating systems or applications. |
| Data Binding | Data binding is easier in Backbone js. | Data binding is difficult in Angular js. |
Conclusion
In this Backbone js vs Angular js article, we have seen that Backbone js is a front-end UI library, whereas Angular is a front-end framework for modern mobile, web and desktop applications and supports different third-party tools or application integration and has greater community support for both Angular js vs Backbone js. The choice depends on the type as Backbone is lightweight and can be used along with Angular to handle complex data bindings and custom event handling.
Backbone js, along with Angular js, gives more stability compared to Angular js alone and is recommended in case of stable and high-end applications that need quality and adaptability to complex changes in the application, whereas Angular js can be preferred alone in the case of smaller applications where performance is not an issue.
The choice of selecting the framework depends on the parameters required for the application and the organization using the application, security features, community support, and easier or faster technical resolutions in the cases of glitches or failures in the application functionalities or components.
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