Ember.js vs Handlebars.js: What are the differences?
# Introduction
Ember.js and Handlebars.js are both popular frameworks used for frontend web development, with each offering unique functionalities and features.
1. **Architecture**: Ember.js is a full-fledged front-end framework that follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture, providing a comprehensive solution for building robust web applications. On the other hand, Handlebars.js is a templating engine that focuses solely on generating the HTML markup with dynamic content by using template strings.
2. **Data Binding**: Ember.js provides two-way data binding, meaning any changes to the model will automatically reflect in the view and vice versa. In contrast, Handlebars.js only offers one-way data binding, where changes in the model do not automatically update the view unless explicitly re-rendered.
3. **Component-based Structure**: Ember.js promotes a component-based structure, allowing developers to create reusable UI components that can be easily integrated into different parts of the application. Handlebars.js, on the other hand, primarily focuses on generating HTML from templates without a specific emphasis on component-based architecture.
4. **Routing**: Ember.js has built-in routing capabilities that enable developers to define routes, map URLs to templates, and manage navigation within the application. Handlebars.js, being a templating engine, does not provide routing functionalities by default, requiring developers to rely on external libraries or frameworks for implementing routing logic.
5. **Dependency Management**: Ember.js comes with its own dependency injection system, which simplifies managing dependencies between different components in the application. Handlebars.js, being a templating engine, does not offer built-in dependency management capabilities and requires developers to handle dependencies manually.
6. **Flexibility**: Ember.js provides a more opinionated framework with predefined conventions and structure, making it easier for developers to get started with building web applications. Handlebars.js, being a lightweight templating engine, offers more flexibility in terms of integrating with other libraries or frameworks, allowing developers to choose their preferred tools and technologies for different aspects of web development.
In Summary, Ember.js is a comprehensive front-end framework with MVC architecture, two-way data binding, component-based structure, built-in routing, dependency management, and predefined conventions, while Handlebars.js is a lightweight templating engine focusing on generating HTML from templates with one-way data binding and flexibility in integration with other tools.