Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ClangFormat VS UglifyJS

Compare ClangFormat VS UglifyJS and see what are their differences

ClangFormat logo ClangFormat

A tool to format C/C++/Java/JavaScript/Objective-C/Protobuf code.

UglifyJS logo UglifyJS

JavaScript minifier, beautifier, mangler and parser toolkit.
  • ClangFormat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-08
  • UglifyJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-30

ClangFormat features and specs

  • Consistency
    ClangFormat enforces a consistent coding style across a codebase, reducing the cognitive load on developers by allowing them to focus on code functionality instead of style.
  • Automation
    It automates the code formatting process, saving time for developers by eliminating the need for manual adjustments and code styling.
  • Integration
    ClangFormat can be easily integrated into different editors and IDEs, making it accessible to developers through their preferred tools.
  • Configurability
    It offers a high level of configurability, allowing teams to tailor the formatting style to meet their specific needs and preferences.
  • Supports Multiple Languages
    ClangFormat supports formatting for various languages like C, C++, JavaScript, Java, Objective-C, and more, making it versatile for multi-language projects.

Possible disadvantages of ClangFormat

  • Learning Curve
    New users may experience a learning curve understanding and configuring ClangFormat's style options, especially for complex formatting rules.
  • Overlapping Configurations
    Conflicts can arise in team settings if multiple style configurations or overrides are used without coordination.
  • Opinionated Defaults
    Some developers may find the defaults too opinionated or not in line with their preferred coding style, requiring additional setup and configuration.
  • Complexity in Large Projects
    In large projects, using ClangFormat might lead to extensive changes in code formatting, which can clutter version control history or make diffs harder to understand.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Teams become reliant on an external tool for maintaining code style, introducing an additional layer of dependency into their development workflow.

UglifyJS features and specs

  • Minification
    UglifyJS effectively reduces the file size of JavaScript by removing whitespace, shortening variable names, and eliminating unnecessary code, which can lead to faster load times in web applications.
  • Maturity and Stability
    As a mature and well-established tool, UglifyJS has a long history of usage and a strong community, making it a reliable choice for JavaScript minification with less risk of encountering severe bugs.
  • Customization
    UglifyJS offers various options and configurations that allow developers to control the minification process, such as toggling specific optimizations and preserving certain comments.
  • Compression
    Besides minification, UglifyJS provides compression options which further optimize the JavaScript code by evaluating constant expressions and removing unreachable code.

Possible disadvantages of UglifyJS

  • Source Mapping Complexity
    Generating source maps with UglifyJS can sometimes be complex and might not always accurately map minified code back to the original source, complicating debugging efforts.
  • Transformations Side Effects
    Some of the aggressive transformations made by UglifyJS could potentially introduce bugs if the original code relies on exact syntax structure or has side effects that depend on expression evaluation order.
  • Limited ES6+ Support
    Historically, UglifyJS has lagged in support for newer ECMAScript features compared to other modern minifiers, which might cause issues when dealing with ES6+ syntax without transpiling it first.
  • Error Diagnosis
    When errors occur during the minification process, UglifyJS may not always provide clear or detailed error messages, which can make it difficult to diagnose and fix issues.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ClangFormat and UglifyJS)
Web Application Bundler
32 32%
68% 68
File Management
100 100%
0% 0
Tool
28 28%
72% 72
Monitoring Tools
20 20%
80% 80

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, UglifyJS seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

ClangFormat mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ClangFormat yet. Tracking of ClangFormat recommendations started around Mar 2021.

UglifyJS mentions (1)

  • Overview of the next-gen frontend dev tools
    There are many minifiers such as terser and uglify. But, because minifying also require to parse the JS, it is actually possible to use esbuild and SWC to minify the code. Here's a benchmark of the main minifiers. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ClangFormat and UglifyJS, you can also consider the following products

JavaScript Obfuscator - JavaScript Obfuscator is a free online tool that obfuscates your source code, preventing it from being stolen and used without permission.

Terser - JavaScript parser, mangler, optimizer and beautifier toolkit for ES6+

Uncrustify - Banish crusty code with the Uncrustify C/C++/C#/Obj-C/D/Java/Pawn/VALA source code beautifier.

Closure Compiler - The Closure Compiler is a tool for making JavaScript download and run faster.

Code Beautifier - Code Beautifier CSS Formatter and Optimiser - Online CSS parser and Optimiser

YUI Compressor - Yahoo JS/CSS Compressor