Today I will talk about JQuery’s advantages and disadvantages, First off what exactly is JQuery. JQuery is a Javascript library that makes programming with Javascript very easy to use with simplified syntax to achieve complex tasks that would normally use more code to write in vanilla Javascript. There are many advantages to using the JQuery library more than some other Javascript libraries. First off, you might ask yourself what is a library? A library is a reusable piece of code that has a primary use case. A library can comprise several functions/objects/methods, depending on the language. Your application can “link” to a library to allow you access to that functionality. Although some people say that JQuery can also identify as a framework which is a group of libraries. Either way, JQuery has many benefits over a lot of other libraries or vanilla Javascript, but like anything, it also has some drawbacks.
Advantages
- Easy to implement
The top advantage to many developers is the ease of use of JQuery, this is because of having simple syntax, and using fewer lines of code to achieve the same thing using another library or raw JavaScript
2. Very large library
With JQuery’s age (came out in august 2006) and popularity, there are a lot of functions written in comparison to some other JavaScript libraries.
3. Solid opensource resources
There are many and many pre-written plugins that are available, which can decrease the time needed to develop your app. This leads to JQuery’s efficiency and security.
4. Substantial documentation and tutorials
JQuery’s website has great documentation and tutorials for anyone wanting to use it, from beginners to professional programmers. This is great for learning and using the library, you can always look up anything you are trying to do and different functions. Another plus to great docs and tutorial is that anyone can easily learn how to use JQuery.
5. Support for Ajax
Using JQuery allows you to develop Ajax templates easily, using Ajax allows for a smoother app and allows the app to run without requiring the entire page to reload after every click. (I will talk about Ajax in another blog a very helpful tool in your app development)
Disadvantages
- Limited functionality
As with everything JQuery even with its massive library, it can be limited depending on what you require for your web app, sometimes you may have to write code using vanilla Javascript.
2. JQuery file requirement
To use JQuery and its’ commands you need to have the JQuery Javascript file. The good news is that the file is pretty small, the bad news is that it will strain the client computer and possibly the web server especially if you are intending to host the script on your own web server.
Conclusion
Well, as you can see the advantages heavily outweigh the negative effects of using JQuery so it is without a doubt a winner if you are looking to develop an interface using JavaScript commands.
