A programming framework can be defined in simple terms to be a platform that provides a basis to create a new application without having to put in work from the ground all the way up. Basically, you do not have to start from scratch. A programming framework can be pictured as a predesigned template that contains packets of code ready to be modified by the developer as required to build the application. They generally use a plethora of shared files and other resources gathered in one place for the developer to choose and use from. The developer can change the said the template as he wants to bring in new features or accessories in the new application.
More often than not, programming frameworks are taken for tools that allow developers to create new application without mushing around a lot with coding and thus, effectively saving time. It can be given that definition. Certainly, there have been a lot of times where companies create there own frameworks and later release them commercially for the general public. Now it is seen as a third party tool used for software development. As you can see, there are many ways in which a programming framework can be defined. It has also been defined as a group of packed solutions to help solve a wide range of common problems in application and program development.
Why use a programming framework?
Influenced by what we watch on television and the internet, you would generally imagine a developer struggling and typing rapidly away at a keyboard creating every single but of the code from scratch in front of a monitor spewing out a green backlight. Though, it looks amazing and cool, and is certainly a gist of what programming is, it is not true most of the time.
- Programming frameworks save time
Frameworks rid the developers of having to solve recurring and common problems. This way they help save time. Let’s take an example to understand this better. Routing is a small issue that web applications are required to find a solution to quite often. The framework solves the issue by resolving the URL being clicked on the web application and displaying the required information on screen. Another similar problem is the problem of templating. Imagine you have created a certain application and it contain about a 100 pages. All of those pages contain a header and a footer in common. Imagine if there were a mistake in the text of one of them. It wouldn’t certainly be a nice idea to go about fixing each of those 100 pages. Therefore frameworks solve this issue by using a template. A singular file that contain repeated elements. You can simply insert or remove features or text by use of code for all the pages at once.
- Frameworks offer standardized solutions.
A few things, such as security and privacy of the application in app development is a maze. You make a wrong move and things go downhill quite easily. It is good to bring innovation into the security domain but only when you are absolutely working in security development. If you’re working on an application it’s best to stick to standardized versions of software security. This problem is solved by programming frameworks that have built in standardized application security features such as authentication etc.
Different types in programming frameworks
- Web application development frameworks
Web frameworks can be defined as those that allow developers to create unique and dynamic web pages that have Progressed functionality and have a complicated back end. These are designed by using various other programming languages as opposed to the common HTML, CSS and JavaScript used to develop the front end of simple websites. These frameworks allow developers to easily create and add features inside web applications instead of having to write tons of code just to get a few simple functionalities to work.
Examples of web development frameworks
- Django is an amazing example of a web framework based on Python programming language.
- DOT NET Framework by Microsoft.
- Front end frameworks
These can generally be defined as those that allow developers to create the client side of the web page that uses programming languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript without any hassle. These allow developers to sift through a myriad of options to chose from to create web pages that are as vibrant as applications that run on your desktop. They can also be classified under web frameworks but the ones we mentioned earlier are much more complicated hence stay in their own unique domain.
The most popular and most used front end frameworks are unquestionably Angular by Google and React by Facebook. Although React has left Google’s Angular behind in terms of popularity, it still has its fair share in terms of consumers.
- Mobile application development framework
The mobile application industry is a humongous market with billions of consumers worldwide. Therefore, the developers on this industry also have a variety of frameworks that help them and provide a structural basis to build the applications on.
Few examples of Mobile app development frameworks:
- React native which was created and is currently under the control of Facebook has been the top choice of developers ever since it’s release. It works cross platform and is extremely reliable and flexible too. Amazon prime can be given as an example of an application created using React.
- Flutter is another mobile application development framework created by Google and allows developers to create apps quickly for Android and IOS platforms. It is an open source framework and includes a wide range of options such as API testing, widgets, A great example of an application created using it can be Alibaba.
Xamarin is a Microsoft developed framework for developing mobile applications on a cross platform basis and uses C# and .NET as it’s creational languages. What makes it unique is it’s structural build that has the communication between the shared code and the platform code controlled by an abstraction layer. This allows quick processing and highly dynamic mobile applications to be built by developers in minimum time.
Common mistaken beliefs about programming frameworks
- Confusing programming frameworks with programming languages.
Although, programming frameworks use programming languages as leverage to provide ease in programming and are literally built using them, they are not one and the same thing. A lot of newcomers find themselves confusing and mixing up the two terms and often trying to argue or debate in favor of a programming language versus a framework and vice versa. Which is completely incorrect. The easiest way to remember the difference between these two can be to realize that one of them is open to be used in multiple ways, the former is only specifically used for a precise target. For example even though ASP.NET MVC is based on and uses C# as a leverage, you can only use it to design web applications while there are so many known uses of the C# language.
- Confusing frameworks and libraries.
This is quite common and not really that big of a deal. Both of these things make development of applications easier and save time. That doesn’t make them the same thing though. The difference can be put forth in quite a simple way. Frameworks are pre-made structural influences that assist in coding while libraries can be seen as modules. These modules can be recalled from your code to help you find solutions to targeted problems. Therefore they are certainly quite different but their principle of assistance in application development to save hassle and time is the same.