Updated March 18, 2023
Difference Between Ionic 4 vs Ionic 3
In this post, we will learn the difference between Ionic 4 vs Ionic 3. Ionic is a framework for building projects. They are open-source software development kit that helps in building mobile applications. The initial framework of ionic 4 was released in 2019. The initial framework of ionic 3 was released in 2017. Ionic 3 uses Angular scripts as their programming language. Since it doesn’t allow the usage of any other language to build apps and it is not optimal, ionic 4 was introduced. It uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for writing applications. It is based on web components. New versions are released within six months of the version release.
Head to Head Comparison Between Ionic 4 and Ionic 3 (Infographics)
Below are the top 34 differences between Ionic 4 and Ionic 3:
Key Difference Between Ionic 4 andIonic 3
Let us look at the key differences between as below Ionic 4 and Ionic 3:
- Ionic 4 has a version release for every six months, whereas ionic 3 has no release like this.
- @ symbol is used in ionic 4 to start the name of the package. Ionic 3 has no @ symbol in its package syntax.
- Ionic 4 allows updates from each supported framework, whereas ionic 3 does not allow updates from the supported framework.
- The latest version of React and JavaScript is used in ionic 4, whereas ionic 3 does not use React and JavaScript.
- Ionic 4 was built to use the web components in the framework. Ionic 3 does not allow the use of web components in its framework.
- Life cycle events used in ionic 3 is updated and used in ionic 4. Ionic 4 uses the events provided by Angular.
- API is promise-based in ionic 4, whereas it is not promise based in ionic 3.
- Ionic 3 navigation was based on a simple stack, whereas ionic 4 uses an Angular router to integrate with the applications.
- App Page module is exported for lazy loading in ionic 4, and the Home Page module is exported in ionic 3.
- The applications are linkable in ionic 4, whereas it is not linkable in ionic 3.
- New pages are pushed to the top in ionic 3, while in ionic 4, pages are arranged in a better manner.
Ionic 4 and Ionic 3 Comparison Table
Let’s discuss the topmost comparison between Ionic 4 and Ionic 3:
| Ionic 4 | Ionic 3 |
| Ionic 4 do not have the custom style and supports the setup from each framework recommended. | Ionic 3 has a custom style for the folder structure and app set up. |
| Overlay components in ionic 4 are created asynchronously. | Overlay components in ionic 3 are created synchronously. |
| Navigation is more consistent in ionic 4. | Navigation is not consistent as ionic 4. |
| Ionic 4 has a rich animation. | The animation is not good in ionic 3. |
| The base framework need not be bonded in ionic 4. | It is necessary to bind the base framework in ionic 3. |
| The command-line interface has many features in ionic 4. | The command-line interface has less features in ionic 3. |
| NavController and ion-nav are not used in ionic 4. | Ionic 3 uses NavController and ion-nav. |
| The app-routing module is created automatically in ionic 4. | The app-routing module is not created automatically in ionic 3. |
| ngOninit and ngAfterViewinit are used in ionic 4 for navigation lifecycles. | ionWillLoad is used in ionic 3 for navigation lifecycles. |
| Router-link helps to navigate between pages in ionic 4. | In ionic 3, click helps to navigate between pages from the start of the page. |
| Reactive forms have to be imported to each page. | App module has to be imported on each page. |
| Ionic 4 can work with multi frameworks. | Ionic 3 cannot work with multi frameworks. |
| Ionic 4 is faster. | Ionic 3 is not faster. |
| Full-screen components are present in ionic 4. | Full-screen components are not available in ionic 3. |
| Rows and columns are displayed on top of the app using an ion-picker. | Ionic 3 does not have an ion picker option. |
| Material design interaction is better in ionic 4. | Material design interaction is not good in ionic 3. |
| When the URLs are matched, the route is shown clearly by the ion router. | Ion router is not available in ionic 3. |
| The items are reordered using ion-reorder in ionic 4. | The items are not reordered by itself. |
| Search bars present help in searching the texts using different styles. | The search bar does not have different styles in ionic 3. |
| Child contents are shown automatically. | Child contents are not shown automatically in ionic 3. |
| CSS variables become the main component in ionic 4. | Ionic 3 does not have CSS variables. |
| Colours can be changed frequently in ionic 4. | Colours cannot be changed frequently in ionic 3. |
| Icons developed in ionic 4 can be used in android and desktop apps. | Icons developed in ionic 3 can be used only for their own app building. |
| Conflicts in the same library are not handled well in Maven. | Conflicts in the same library are handled well in Ant. |
| Placeholder content is displayed using skeleton text in ionic 4. | Placeholder contents are not displayed in ionic 3. |
| to list items in ionic 4, <ion-item> is used. | In order to list items <button> is used. |
| Popover dialogue controls the overflow actions in ionic 4. | Popover dialogue is not available in ionic 3. |
| Ionic 4 can be rightly called a standalone library of web components. | Ionic 3 can be called as the framework coupled with Angular. |
| Ionic 4 can either work with a framework or without a framework. A framework is considered optional. | Ionic 3 works only with a framework. The framework cannot be considered optional. |
| Ionic CLI tool is developed, which provides helpful commands to developers. | JIonic 3 does not have a CLI tool with commands. Angular CLI helps in this regard. |
| The built-in server is available in ionic 4. | Ionic 3 does not have any built-in servers. |
| Single ion router component is used in ionic 4 that helps in routing the tools. | Components are pushed directly for navigation in ionic 3. |
| Applications are split up into multiple bundles to differentiate between them. | Applications are transferred only as a single bundle, so that differentiation is not possible. |
| Ionic 4 uses an Angular style guide for file structure. | Ionic 3 has its own file structure and style. |
Conclusion
Migration from ionic 3 is easy as it is done by creating new applications and installing dependencies. Ionic 4 uses Stencil for code refactoring. The ionic framework is open source and can be used by anyone. Every new version is developed with new enhancements in the framework.
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