What JavaScript Trends Will Dominate 2018? A Deep Dive into Vue, React, and More

JavaScript’s scope is expanding beyond traditional front‑end development, and staying up‑to‑date with the latest trends is essential for developers.

Vue

Vue gained massive popularity in 2017 and is seen as a strong competitor to React, offering a lightweight core, easy learning curve, built‑in state management and routing, and a growing community.

React vs Vue

React benefits from massive corporate backing and a large ecosystem, while Vue’s simplicity and developer‑friendly features make it hard to ignore. Many developers consider Vue a viable alternative to Angular.

Next.js

Next.js acts as “React’s insurance,” providing server‑side rendering, code splitting, routing and state management, and works well with the Now.js deployment platform.

Angular

Despite a steeper learning curve, Angular remains widely adopted and is expected to stay relevant in 2018.

Reason

Facebook uses Reason for web projects such as Messenger; reason‑react allows writing Reason code that compiles to React, offering a potential alternative to Babel and Flow.

GraphQL

GraphQL is the modern API query language adopted by companies like Yelp, Spotify, GitHub and Walmart, and is a hot skill for developers seeking new opportunities.

State Management & Data Fetching

Redux has been a popular state‑management library, but GraphQL‑based solutions such as Relay Modern and Apollo provide more efficient data fetching for React apps.

Storybook

Storybook provides an environment for defining, developing and testing UI components, gaining rapid popularity and being used by projects such as Airbnb’s date picker.

Prettier

Prettier formats code to improve readability and aesthetics.

Code Example

foo(reallyLongArg(), omgSoManyParameters(), IShouldRefactorThis(), isThereSeriouslyAnotherOne());

Formatted version:

foo(
    reallyLongArg(),
    omgSoManyParameters(),
    IShouldRefactorThis(),
    isThereSeriouslyAnotherOne()
);

Testing Tools

Jest leads JavaScript testing, with Enzyme complementing it for React component tests; both have gained significant adoption.

Bundlers

Webpack remains the dominant asset bundler, while Parcel offers a faster, zero‑configuration alternative.

Static Site Generators

Gatsby, built on React, generates fast static sites and emphasizes performance.

Babel, Flow & TypeScript

Babel continues its evolution, while Flow (favored by React developers) and TypeScript (popular with Angular) provide static typing options.

Immutable.js

Immutable.js helps large teams avoid accidental state mutations by enforcing immutable data structures.

Popmotion

Popmotion is a JavaScript animation library gaining attention for its modern web‑animation capabilities.

React Native & Electron

React Native enables mobile app development, and Electron allows building desktop applications with JavaScript; both have strong ecosystems.

WebAssembly

With support from major browsers, WebAssembly is nearing completion and warrants close monitoring.

Learning Resources for 2018

Suggested tools to study include Vue.js, Next.js, Reason, GraphQL, Relay Modern, Storybook, Prettier, Jest, Enzyme, Flow, TypeScript, Gatsby, React Native, Electron, and Popmotion.