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Introduction to Ember.js

Ember.js is a free JavaScript client-side framework used to design web apps, and it is open source.  It is a component-service framework that focuses on a layer-by-layer application development experience using precise components while maintaining a light layer on top of JavaScript.

Ember also includes a lot of backward and forward compatibilities, which makes it easier for businesses to keep up with the latest Ember versions and community-driven practices.

Backward and forward compatibilities in terms of software or hardware system that can successfully use interfaces and data from earlier versions of Ember API. To read more about it here is the link to the official docs.

Prerequisites

To follow along the reader should have the following:

Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the command line.
Have a basic understanding of some JavaScript concepts like classes, modules, OOP, state management, etc.

Before diving into Ember.js let's go over some knowledge about the component service framework which is a key and fundamental concept of Ember.js.

Component service framework

A component-service framework is a popular strategy adopted by companies to create complex UI by breaking it down into small and reusable components. This allows us to:

Rapidly increase the development rate as working on smaller component take less time.
Finding bugs is also easier as the code base is precise, small, and readable.

Ember tool installation

Ember builds and scaffolds sections of your application using a command-line interface (CLI) tool.

Before you can install ember-cli, you'll need to have node and npm installed.

You can download them using this link to the official docs.

To install ember-cli, run the following on your terminal:

 npm install -g ember-cli

ember-cli (command line interface) is the official method for creating, building, testing, and serving the files that comprise an Ember app or addon.

To make a new application, type the following into your terminal. Inside the current directory, a new directory named example is created, which contains the scaffolding for a new Ember app.

 ember new example

Or, on Windows:

 npx ember-cli new example

Once the Ember installation is complete, check your ember version. You should see an output similar to this:

ember-cli: 2.16.2
node: 7.4.0
os: darwin x64

This creates an application development environment that is ready for production and include the following features by default:

Live reloading development server.
Babel and Webpack integration for the newest JavaScript.
Provides automated testing that allows you to test the app by running your tests in the browser.
CSS and JavaScript transpilation and minification for an optimized production build.
The use of conventions to reduce the variations across applications.

Now after getting a better idea about ember, let's see an example that will further clarify your understanding about this amazing framework.

Difference between React.js and Ember.js

Performance

React

React is a JavaScript open-source toolkit that provides a full suite of lean architecture and component-based workflow.
It is a lightweight platform that is used for the application layer of an app, also allowing you to manage the state of the app.

Ember

This elephant moves slowly, especially when it comes to rendering. The observation and change in recognition are faster than Angular, however, the first render is too slow.
Because change detection is slower, it better enables the development of large-scale applications with frequent updates.

Code maintainability

React

Thanks to its component-based design, it can keep the application code structure. This minimizes the complexity of the code and the time spent building apps.
You can add UI features or elements while designing apps with React.js. You may also develop custom hooks and reuse conditional logic.

Ember

Ember.js is a good choice when following good development standards is super important as it prioritizes conventions over configs. When you utilize Ember CLI and integrated tools for app development, you can keep your applications organized and maintainable.
It allows you to access anyone's code that is simple to grasp and does not require the assistance of a developer.

User experience

React

React.js improves the user experience by properly matching development processes with design. You'll discover a number of developer-friendly designs here, where the core community is working hard to provide a uniform user experience.
React also offers a lot of freedom to developers, but it's critical to use it effectively. You'll be in charge of ensuring that React is at the heart of your ecosystem.

Ember

Ember.js is like a vast library of data and tools, therefore you'll find a lot of them here. You may use them all to create your web application however you like.
Ember CLI and add-ons can be used to create a pre-testable user interface. They serve as APIs for user interface testing and when you utilize Ember CLI, you may make use of capabilities that aren't available by default.

To know more about React here is the link to the official docs.

Advantages of Ember.js

Detailed documentation

Ember's package ecosystem is large and well-developed, so you can be confident in choosing the proper ones to solve your problems.
The framework has a dedicated website where all of the packages are organized and sorted, as well as detailed documentation and individual ratings, here is the link for the detailed documentation.

Ember CLI

Ember's "Command Line Interface for Ambitious Web Applications" allows you to interface with the operating system of your machine.
This is the main tool to produce codes, to perform live recompilations, and run tests in the browser. Most well-known frameworks, like Ember, employ a CLI tool, showing its flexibility.

Disadvantages of Ember.js

Tough to learn

Beginner developers may find Ember to be tougher to grasp than React or Vue.
It is ideal for complex large-scale programs, but it may be overly hefty for basic small-scale apps.

Less in popularity

Ember has had a period of stagnation in popularity over the previous few years, and it has failed to attract any new developers.
If things keep going this way, Svelte.js may soon surpass Ember.

Conclusion

Ember.js allows us to focus on building amazing applications without worrying about the massive overhead that is required to keep an application up and running. To find more information about Ember.js check out the official docs here.

Happy coding!

Peer Review Contributions by: Jethro Magaji

Published on: Jun 15, 2022

Updated on: Jul 15, 2024