Bootstrap vs React: Which One to Choose For Your Next Front-end Project?

Bootstrap vs React:  Reactjs development services are the leading technologies for developing front-end applications and websites. Bootstrap is referred to as an open-source toolkit to add improved designs to the website, whereas React is a JavaScript library used for building responsive UI. With its popularity and successful run in website development, Bootstrap has become a competitor against React. 

In this blog, we will compare two of the most popular frameworks, Bootstrap vs React, to decide which is the right one for your next front-end application. 

Bootstrap vs React – An Overview

Bootstrap 

It is an open-source front-end framework that allows developers to create eye-catchy and attractive web applications through designs. Bootstrap is built on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it efficient and easy for web development projects. It is supported by a large community of developers and is ideally suited for building responsive and cross-browser-compatible web applications. 

Use cases of Bootstrap

• E-commerce Websites
• Content-based Websites
• Geo-location Applications
• Video Streaming Applications
• Social Media Applications
• Payment Applications
• Messaging Service Web Application
• Responsive Web Application

Market Usage Statistics

• Reports claim as of May 2022, more than 4 million people have downloaded bootstrap for web development. 
• According to some statistics till May 2022, more than 21% of all websites are built with bootstrap amongst JavaScript frameworks. 
• When it comes to popularity and traffic, bootstrap ranks in the top 2 with a significant lead in the market share. 

Popular apps built with Bootstrap are Whatsapp, Paypal, Lyft, Vogue, etc. 

React

ReactJS is an open-source JavaScript library that allows developers to build React js web apps with rich interfaces. React js development offers the flexibility to code reusable components, making rapid development much easier. React is mainly used to build complex business applications, and its quick rendering feature makes React more search engine friendly. 

Use case of React

• Software as a Service Tool (SaaS)
• Web Applications (React.js)
• Mobile Applications (React Native)
• Progressive Web Applications (React + Ionic)
• Desktop Applications (React + Electron.js)
• Video Streaming Platforms

Market Usage Statistics

• According to the 2018 State of Developer Economy Survey, 60% of developers use React.js as a primary framework. 
• In 2021, React topped the list of “Most Loved Frameworks” of StackOverflow and was amongst the topmost wanted frameworks. 

Popular applications built with React are Facebook, Twitter, and Netflix. 

Key Comparisons

Performance

Performance doesn’t matter much for small projects, but performance plays a critical role for large projects. Here is a quick brief about the performance of Bootstrap vs React. 

Bootstrap – It is one of the most used frameworks, and it is famous for its user-centric website and web app designs, but in terms of performance, it hasn’t been a standout in recent times. It has a vast library and unutilized resources, which leads to minimal performance. The upside of Bootstrap is that it offers extensive customization features to increase app performance. 

React – It is lightweight and performs faster than Bootstrap, as individual components work in functional order. The component-based architecture of React helps to create robust single-page applications; the reusable feature removes unnecessary code, and reduced DOM manipulation speeds up page loading. 

Application Architecture

When choosing a framework, choosing flexibility and not rigid adherence to architectures and guidelines is essential. Treating frameworks as guidelines rather than methods and standards is always a good idea. Let’s take a look at Bootstrap vs React to have a quick comparison of their application architecture. 

Bootstrap – Bootstrap architecture can be described as a View-View-Controller architecture as it uses two components: a logic layer and a presentation layer. View components explicitly focus on the visual display, whereas view controllers set the behavior of all visual components within the framework.

React – Unlike other libraries and frameworks, React doesn’t have built-in architectural patterns. React provides a presentation layer for applications composed of components. Components in React work like functions that render native UI based on data changes. Constituting the internal architecture of React js is the continuous interaction between user actions and the application component state. If you want to build apps with limited functionality and scope, the state of React components is excellent.

However, React relies on external libraries like Redux, Flux, MobX, Reflux, etc., to implement architectural patterns to build real applications.

Scalability

Frameworks significantly impact web applications’ scalability, so choosing the proper framework is essential. This is why Bootstrap vs React stands out in terms of extensibility.

Bootstrap – Mobile-friendly Bootstrap can be used to build scalable websites and apps. Bootstrap allows your website’s responsive content to expand or contract depending on the browser, app, or screen the user is using. This framework is also preferred for developers as it eliminates cross-browser bugs and compatibility issues with a single universal piece of code.

React – React applications are pure JavaScript, and developers can rely on traditional code organization to make their projects more extensible. However, React is an excellent platform for building extensible user interfaces around virtual DOM and component reusability.

Security

It is simply a technology or framework that governs an organization’s implementation and management of security. Therefore, providing standards or best practices for building secure applications is essential. Here is a quick comparison between Bootstrap vs React on their security!

Bootstrap – Frontend frameworks often have security vulnerabilities, and Bootstrap is also on the list of threats. It is vulnerable to an XSS vulnerability mainly due to its data-target attribute, and the developer has reported this threat in an updated version as well. In Bootstrap, threats like affix configuration target property, data container property of tooltip, data-target attribute, and popover data-temple attribute are possible. 

React – React-based applications are more vulnerable to threats like XSS vulnerabilities, server-side rendering attacks, SQL injection, and a few others. It is up to the developer to implement various security best practices to protect applications from these threats. Best practices may include but are not limited to exploiting flaws in script injection, protecting against unsafe links, and using the Javascript serialization module.

User Experience

It is another crucial aspect that plays a massive role in websites and web applications. The goal of a better user experience is to provide browsing experiences that keep users in the loop and encourage them to know more about specific products or brands. Here is a quick comparison between Bootstrap and React regarding their User Experience. 

Bootstrap – In terms of user experience, Bootstrap is referred to as one of the most effective in web application development. Its responsive design maintains consistency across all platforms. To enhance the user experience to a next-level bootstrap UI HTML kits like Get Shit Done, Stream, and Shards Dashboard Lite React can be used. 

React – With high-quality user interfaces and fast web page rendering; React apps are more likely to be adopted by users. The application includes a rich user interface with a clean everything-on-place system. User interface components such as buttons, forms, and text fields are well-designed to be easy to interact with.

The Bottom Line!

After so many comparisons, the bottom line is that both Bootstrap and React are potent frameworks that serve different purposes in web development. 

Bootstrap is a front-end framework that provides pre-designed components and styles, making it ideal for quickly creating responsive websites. On the other hand, React is a JavaScript library that allows developers to build complex user interfaces with reusable components. React’s virtual DOM and efficient rendering make it an excellent choice for building large-scale applications. 

Ultimately, the choice between Bootstrap and React depends on the specific needs of the project and the developer’s skills and preferences. Whether you need to rapidly prototype a simple website or build a robust web application, Bootstrap and React have much to offer. 

While selecting the best technologies, we often forget selecting the right development company is also equally important. Select the best React js development company that can match your expectations. If you are looking for a Reactjs Development Company in India, Artoon Solutions can be the right company to invest money in React js Development service. 

Let’s plan your next front-end project now!