Top Frameworks for Front-end Design and Development for 2015

The web is always changing and with change comes new technologies that allow us designers and developers to build and write better code. Sometimes we have to update technologies we use to something more efficient and more sensible towards our applications. Below is a list of the top frameworks for front-end design and development over the past year.

JavaScript Frameworks

Angular.js

https://angularjs.org/

Angular is an ever-growing popular JavaScript MVC based framework that's built upon HTML. Angular extends static HTML properties by offering dynamic views and applications tailor-fit to your needs.

Meteor.js

https://www.meteor.com/

Meteor is a JavaScript framework great for creating full-stack apps that play well with other frameworks like Angular.js or React.js.

React.js

http://facebook.github.io/react/

React is a JavaScript library commonly used to build the user interface layer of an MVC type of application. React abstracts away from the DOM giving you a better model and performance within your applications.

Ember.js

http://emberjs.com/
Ember is a framework used for creating large dynamic applications with the use of Handlebars templates as well as built-in components. Ember is similar to Angular.js minus a few different quirks.

Batman.js

http://batmanjs.org/
If you've ever programmed a rail app you may feel more at home with Batman.js. Built upon CoffeeScript, Batman.js allows you to develop more robust applications in less time using less code.

Knockout.js

http://knockoutjs.com/
Knockout.js uses the MVVM pattern (Model-View-View-Model). With this pattern, you can extend your static HTML using binding properties on pre-existing code. There are no dependencies and the framework is completely open sourced which is awesome.

Cappuccino

http://www.cappuccino-project.org/
Cappuccino is a modern approach to app development for the web. Built using a new Objective-J language that compiles and runs inside the browser. Similar to Objective-C, Objective-J allows you to develop native-like applications right inside your browser with minimal code.

PHP Frameworks

PHPixie

http://phpixie.com/

Phpixie is a PHP based framework built around the idea of flexibility. PHPixie will fit newcomers and experienced developers by providing ease of use, a solid foundation to start with, and total flexibility.

Laravel

http://laravel.com/

Laravel is probably the most popular PHP framework in existence today. The language of the framework is built around PHP but the code is geared to be minimal and easy to use unlike a lot of other frameworks or native PHP itself. With great documentation as well as the companion Laracasts website Laravel has taken the PHP community by storm.

Nette

https://nette.org/

Nette is a set of decoupled and reusable PHP components. These components can be used independently from the rest of the framework which offers great flexibility depending on your needs.

Symfony

http://symfony.com/

Symfony is a set of PHP components, a web application framework, a philosophy, and a community. With Symfony, you can build out full-featured web applications in dramatically less time than native PHP using components which are non-dependent of each other.

Yii

http://www.yiiframework.com/

Yii is a high-performance PHP framework best for developing Web 2.0 applications. Bundled with Yii is components like caching, authentication, database management, scaffolding and much more.

CSS Frameworks

Bootstrap

http://getbootstrap.com

Probably the most popular CSS framework today is Bootstrap. With Bootstrap you can quickly scaffold the appearance and interactivity of an application or customize a theme to fit your own application.

Semantic UI

http://semantic-ui.com/

A newcomer but a popular candidate to the CSS framework world is Semantic UI. The framework is different in that it offers advanced customizations as well as further functionality than Bootstrap or Foundation inside some of the components. You can easily theme the UI based on your needs.

Foundation

http://foundation.zurb.com/

Foundation is the common "alternate" to bootstrap in the CSS framework world. A lot of support for common elements and design patterns are ready to go when you are. Foundation for apps is a neat extension if you're looking to hit the ground running for common web-based applications in mind.

UI Kit

http://getuikit.com/

UI Kit is a lightweight open-source CSS framework built with responsive web design in mind. Common technologies such as Less and jQuery are under the hood.

Skeleton

http://getskeleton.com/

If you're looking for an extremely simple and lightweight CSS framework look no further than Skeleton. Some larger frameworks are great for larger applications but some applications don't always need that extra code. Enter the skeleton.

Refills

http://refills.bourbon.io/

Refills are more of an extension than a framework. If you use Sass and Bourbon you can opt to use refills for some predefined UI patterns commonly found on a modern website. Anything from typography to grid systems is fully supported when installed.