Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Babel VS DataTables

Compare Babel VS DataTables and see what are their differences

Babel logo Babel

Babel is a compiler for writing next generation JavaScript.

DataTables logo DataTables

DataTables is a plug-in for the jQuery Javascript library.
  • Babel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-02
  • DataTables Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-29

Babel features and specs

  • JavaScript Version Compatibility
    Babel allows developers to write code using the latest JavaScript features and syntax, and transpile it into a version of JavaScript that can run on older browsers. This ensures greater compatibility across different environments.
  • Future-Proof Code
    With Babel, developers can start using upcoming JavaScript features today. This means that codebases can stay modern and developers can take advantage of new functionalities without waiting for full browser support.
  • Ecosystem and Plugins
    Babel has a rich ecosystem of plugins and presets that can extend its capabilities, making it highly adaptable to different project needs. This modularity allows for customization and enhancement of the build process.
  • Integration with Modern Development Tools
    Babel integrates well with various development tools such as Webpack, making it easier to include in existing build processes and workflows. This helps streamline development and maintain efficient workflows.
  • Community and Support
    Babel has a large and active community, which means extensive documentation, tutorials, and support forums. This can be particularly useful for troubleshooting and staying updated with best practices.

Possible disadvantages of Babel

  • Performance Overhead
    Transpiling code with Babel introduces a performance overhead during the build process. This can slow down development workflows, especially for large codebases with many files.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Setting up Babel can be complex, particularly for beginners. The numerous options and plugins available can sometimes be overwhelming and require significant time to configure correctly.
  • Source Map Issues
    Generating accurate source maps can sometimes be tricky with Babel, leading to difficulties in debugging. Misconfigured source maps can make it harder to track down issues within the original source code.
  • Dependency Bloat
    Including Babel in a project can add a significant number of dependencies. This dependency bloat can increase the size of the project and potentially introduce maintenance challenges or security vulnerabilities.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a learning curve associated with Babel, especially for developers who are new to modern JavaScript tooling. Understanding how Babel works and how to effectively use its features can take time and effort.

DataTables features and specs

  • Feature-Rich
    DataTables provides a vast array of features: pagination, filtering, sorting, and customizable buttons, which can cater to various data handling needs in web applications.
  • Easy to Use
    Its straightforward implementation and extensive documentation make it simple for developers to integrate DataTables into their projects.
  • Extensible
    DataTables supports a variety of plugins and extensions, such as Editor for rich editing capabilities and FixedColumns for better column handling, allowing for enhanced functionality.
  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    It works consistently across different browsers and devices, providing a reliable user experience regardless of the end user's environment.
  • Community and Support
    A large and active community, along with official support forums, provide assistance, plugins, and extensions, contributing to a rich ecosystem.

Possible disadvantages of DataTables

  • Performance Issues
    Handling very large datasets might lead to performance bottlenecks, requiring server-side processing or additional optimization strategies.
  • Complexity in Customization
    While customization is possible, it can sometimes be complex and time-consuming, especially for non-standard functionalities or appearances.
  • Dependencies
    DataTables rely on jQuery, which might be an additional overhead for projects not already using jQuery or those aiming to minimize dependencies.
  • Learning Curve
    To fully leverage DataTables' advanced features and customization options, developers might need to invest time in understanding the API and various options.
  • License Restrictions
    While DataTables is generally free to use under the MIT license, some advanced plugins and extensions are commercial and require purchase.

Babel videos

Babel - Movie Review

More videos:

  • Review - Day 16 | Babel Review | 365 Films
  • Review - Worth The Hype? - BABEL Review
  • Review - Book CommuniTEA: Is BABEL a rac1st mani!fest0? [you should know the answer]
  • Review - Babel is a Masterpiece, And Here's Why

DataTables videos

No DataTables videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Babel and DataTables)
Development Tools
66 66%
34% 34
Javascript UI Libraries
66 66%
34% 34
Libraries And Widgets
62 62%
38% 38
JavaScript Framework
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Babel should be more popular than DataTables. It has been mentiond 147 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Babel mentions (147)

  • Valentine’s Day Breakup: React Dumps Create React App
    Create React App (CRA) is a command-line interface tool that allows developers to set up a React project easily. It primarily serves as a project scaffolding tool, allowing you to create a new project with a single command: npx create-react-app . CRA comes with tools like Webpack and Babel, which handle the bundling and transpiling of code. The tools are pre-configured. It comes with a development server that... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • #wecode Landing Page - WeCoded Challenge March 2025
    @vitejs/plugin-react uses Babel for Fast Refresh. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • You Don’t Know JS Yet: My Weekly Journey Through JavaScript Mastery
    For new and incompatible syntax, the solution is transpiling—converting newer JS syntax to older syntax that can run on older engines. The most popular transpiler? Babel. This process ensures modern JS code can still reach a wide audience, even on legacy systems. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Desktop apps for Windows XP in 2025
    Fortunately we have tools like PostCSS and Babel, that let you target your specific Browser version, and they'll do their best to transpile and polyfill your code to work with that version. This alone will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you if you are working with a lot of code. However, if you are just writing out a few HTML, CSS, and JS files, then that would be overkill and you can just figure out what code... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • The Tools and APIs That Made My GeoGuessr 🌍 Project Possible
    Cross-Browser Compatibility: Some features worked differently across browsers. I used Babel to transpile my JavaScript code, ensuring it worked consistently everywhere. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
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DataTables mentions (73)

  • Solidjs: Simple and performant reactivity for building user interfaces
    Not much is going to compete directly with React's ecosystem maturity. But, of course, there's the option you have when using a non-React library in React: on mount, you instantiate the library in a ref, and then you use effects to turn reactive state updates into library invocations. For example, wrapping https://datatables.net/ if there were no React adapter. - Source: Hacker News / 13 days ago
  • ASP.NET8 using DataTables.net – Part8 – Select rows
    //datatables.js /* * This combined file was created by the DataTables downloader builder: * https://datatables.net/download * * To rebuild or modify this file with the latest versions of the included * software please visit: * https://datatables.net/download/#bs5/jszip-3.10.1/pdfmake-0.2.7/dt-2.0.8/b-3.0.2/b-colvis-3.0.2/b-html5-3.0.2/b-print-3.0.2/sl-2.0.3/sr-1.4.1 * * Included libraries: * JSZip... - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Integrating CanvasJS with DataTables
    CanvasJS is a JavaScript charting library that allows you to create interactive and responsive charts, while DataTables is a jQuery plugin that enhances HTML tables with advanced interaction controls like pagination, filtering, and sorting. Combining these two tools in a dashboard enables real-time data visualization, making it easier to analyze and interpret data trends and patterns through interactive and... - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • New Programming Languages of 2024
    The good parts provided by: https://datatables.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Ask HN: Best/Simplest Stack for Side Projects
    When you say you want to build something simple with a few pages, you might be able to get by with something minimalist like Flask and maybe DataTables: https://datatables.net/ If you don’t expect to have scalability or real-time needs, I would not really recommend Elixir/Phoenix. The core language, dev tools, docs, and OTP are best-in-class, but there’s a learning curve, and the ecosystem has less mindshare than... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Babel and DataTables, you can also consider the following products

jQuery - The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Composer - Composer is a tool for dependency management in PHP.

OpenSSL - OpenSSL is a free and open source software cryptography library that implements both the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, which are primarily used to provide secure communications between web browsers and …

Raven.js - Raven.js is a standalone JavaScript client for Sentry.

jQuery UI - Curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of the jQuery JavaScript Library