Handlebars.js vs Pug

Overview

Handlebars.js

Stacks8.3K

Followers3.2K

Votes308

Pug

Stacks1.3K

Followers1.2K

Votes467

Handlebars.js vs Pug: What are the differences?

Handlebars.js and Pug are both popular template engines used in web development. Let's explore the key differences between them.

Syntax: One of the main differences between Handlebars.js and Pug is the syntax they use. Handlebars.js follows a logic-less syntax with double curly braces {{}} to denote variables and expressions. On the other hand, Pug uses indentation-based syntax with significant whitespace, which makes it more compact and visually appealing.
Complexity: Handlebars.js is relatively simpler to learn and use as compared to Pug. It has a straightforward syntax and does not involve complex concepts like mixins or filters. In contrast, Pug has a steeper learning curve and may require more effort to master due to its advanced features and unique syntax.
Extensibility: Handlebars.js provides a range of helper functions and allows developers to create custom helpers for more complex requirements. It offers a flexible environment for extending functionality. Pug, on the other hand, has a limited set of built-in features and fewer extensibility options, making it less suitable for complex applications.
Whitespace handling: Handlebars.js preserves all the whitespaces within the template, which makes it more suitable for preserving the original formatting of the HTML code. In comparison, Pug automatically removes unnecessary whitespace by default, resulting in a more compact output.
Conditional statements: Handlebars.js provides support for conditional statements using {{#if}} and {{#else}} constructs. It allows developers to control the rendering of different parts of the template based on conditions. Pug also offers conditional statements but with a different syntax using indentation and hyphens, which may take some time to get used to for developers familiar with Handlebars.js.
Error handling: Handlebars.js provides meaningful error messages and detailed stack traces when encountering syntax errors or runtime issues, making it easier to debug and troubleshoot. On the other hand, Pug's error messages can sometimes be less clear and may require more effort to identify and rectify issues.

In summary, Handlebars.js focuses on simplicity and logic-less templates, while Pug (formerly Jade) offers a concise and expressive syntax with significant whitespace, allowing for more streamlined HTML markup in templates.

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Advice on Handlebars.js, Pug

Asad

Software Engineer at Lisec Automation

Jun 15, 2020

Needs adviceon

.NET

Handlebars.js

@All: I am searching for the best template engine for .NET. I started looking into several template engines, including the Dotliquid, Handlebars.js, Scriban, and Razorlight. I found handlebar a bit difficult to use when using the loops and condition because you need to register for helper first. DotLiquid and Scriban were easy to use and in Razorlight I did not find the example for loops.

Can you please suggest which template engine is best suited for the use of conditional/list and looping and why? Or if anybody could provide me a resource or link where I can compare which is best?

Thanks In Advance

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Comments

Detailed Comparison

Handlebars.js	Pug
Handlebars.js is an extension to the Mustache templating language created by Chris Wanstrath. Handlebars.js and Mustache are both logicless templating languages that keep the view and the code separated like we all know they should be.	This project was formerly known as "Jade." Pug is a high performance template engine heavily influenced by Haml and implemented with JavaScript for Node.js and browsers.
Statistics
Stacks 8.3K	Stacks 1.3K
Followers 3.2K	Followers 1.2K
Votes 308	Votes 467
Pros & Cons
Pros 106 Simple 76 Great templating language 50 Open source 36 Logicless 20 Integrates well into any codebase	Pros 138 Elegant html 90 Great with nodejs 59 Very short syntax 59 Open source 54 Structured with indentation
Integrations
Mustache	Node.js

What are some alternatives to Handlebars.js, Pug?

TypeScript

TypeScript is a language for application-scale JavaScript development. It's a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.

Mustache

Mustache is a logic-less template syntax. It can be used for HTML, config files, source code - anything. It works by expanding tags in a template using values provided in a hash or object. We call it "logic-less" because there are no if statements, else clauses, or for loops. Instead there are only tags. Some tags are replaced with a value, some nothing, and others a series of values.

Slim Lang

Slim is a template language whose goal is to reduce the view syntax to the essential parts without becoming cryptic. It started as an exercise to see how much could be removed from a standard html template (<, >, closing tags, etc...). As more people took an interest in Slim, the functionality grew and so did the flexibility of the syntax.

RactiveJS

Ractive was originally created at theguardian.com to produce news applications. Ractive takes your Mustache templates and transforms them into a lightweight representation of the DOM – then when your data changes, it intelligently updates the real DOM.

EJS

It is a simple templating language that lets you generate HTML markup with plain JavaScript. No religiousness about how to organize things. No reinvention of iteration and control-flow. It's just plain JavaScript.

Jinja

It is a full featured template engine for Python. It has full unicode support, an optional integrated sandboxed execution environment, widely used and BSD licensed.

Twig

It is a modern template engine for PHP. It is flexible, fast, and secure. Its syntax originates from Jinja and Django templates.

Nunjucks

Rich Powerful language with block inheritance, autoescaping, macros, asynchronous control, and more. Heavily inspired by jinja2. It supports all modern browsers.

Hogan.js

Hogan.js is a 3.4k JS templating engine developed at Twitter. Use it as a part of your asset packager to compile templates ahead of time or include it in your browser to handle dynamic templates.

Jsonnet

It is a data templating language for app and tool developers. It is a powerful DSL for elegant description of JSON data.

Related Comparisons

Handlebars.js vs Pug: What are the differences?

Handlebars.js and Pug are both popular template engines used in web development. Let's explore the key differences between them.

Syntax: One of the main differences between Handlebars.js and Pug is the syntax they use. Handlebars.js follows a logic-less syntax with double curly braces {{}} to denote variables and expressions. On the other hand, Pug uses indentation-based syntax with significant whitespace, which makes it more compact and visually appealing.
Complexity: Handlebars.js is relatively simpler to learn and use as compared to Pug. It has a straightforward syntax and does not involve complex concepts like mixins or filters. In contrast, Pug has a steeper learning curve and may require more effort to master due to its advanced features and unique syntax.
Extensibility: Handlebars.js provides a range of helper functions and allows developers to create custom helpers for more complex requirements. It offers a flexible environment for extending functionality. Pug, on the other hand, has a limited set of built-in features and fewer extensibility options, making it less suitable for complex applications.
Whitespace handling: Handlebars.js preserves all the whitespaces within the template, which makes it more suitable for preserving the original formatting of the HTML code. In comparison, Pug automatically removes unnecessary whitespace by default, resulting in a more compact output.
Conditional statements: Handlebars.js provides support for conditional statements using {{#if}} and {{#else}} constructs. It allows developers to control the rendering of different parts of the template based on conditions. Pug also offers conditional statements but with a different syntax using indentation and hyphens, which may take some time to get used to for developers familiar with Handlebars.js.
Error handling: Handlebars.js provides meaningful error messages and detailed stack traces when encountering syntax errors or runtime issues, making it easier to debug and troubleshoot. On the other hand, Pug's error messages can sometimes be less clear and may require more effort to identify and rectify issues.

Handlebars.js vs Pug

Overview