Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Composer VS Vanilla JS

Compare Composer VS Vanilla JS and see what are their differences

Composer logo Composer

Composer is a tool for dependency management in PHP.

Vanilla JS logo Vanilla JS

Vanilla JS is a fast, lightweight, cross-platform framework for building incredible, powerful...
  • Composer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • Vanilla JS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-06

Composer features and specs

  • Dependency Management
    Composer allows for easy and efficient management of PHP dependencies, ensuring that the correct versions are used and conflicts are minimized.
  • Autoloading
    Composer supports autoloading, which means you don't have to manually include or require files, reducing boilerplate code.
  • Version Control
    It allows developers to specify and install the exact versions of the libraries they need, which helps in maintaining consistency across different environments.
  • Community Support
    Composer has a vast and active community, resulting in a plethora of libraries and packages readily available for use.
  • PSR Compliance
    Composer adheres to PHP-FIG PSR standards, promoting best practices and interoperability among PHP projects.
  • Custom Repositories
    Ability to use custom repositories allows for flexibility, enabling enterprises to create their own repository for internal use.

Possible disadvantages of Composer

  • Learning Curve
    Beginners may find Composer overwhelming due to its command-line interface and the complexity of managing dependencies.
  • Performance
    Installing or updating packages can sometimes be slow, particularly for projects with many dependencies.
  • Dependency Conflicts
    While Composer aims to minimize conflicts, complex projects can still face issues with dependency resolution that require manual intervention.
  • File Size
    Projects using Composer can lead to increased file sizes due to the inclusion of multiple libraries and their dependencies.
  • Security
    Including third-party packages can expose a project to potential security vulnerabilities if those packages are not well-maintained or audited.

Vanilla JS features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Vanilla JS refers to using standard JavaScript without additional libraries or frameworks. This results in smaller file sizes and faster load times, as there are no extra dependencies.
  • Performance
    Since there is no additional abstraction or overhead from libraries, code execution is generally faster, making Vanilla JS highly efficient for performance-critical applications.
  • Full Control
    Developers have complete control over the code, which allows for customized solutions without the constraints imposed by third-party libraries.
  • No Dependencies
    By not relying on external libraries, applications are less prone to break when those libraries experience updates or deprecation.
  • Better Understanding
    Using Vanilla JS often requires developers to have a deeper understanding of JavaScript, which can lead to better code quality and problem-solving skills.

Possible disadvantages of Vanilla JS

  • Longer Development Times
    Since everything must be coded from scratch, initial development can take longer compared to using libraries that offer pre-built solutions.
  • Reinventing the Wheel
    Developers may end up writing solutions for problems that have already been solved by libraries, leading to redundant efforts.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Without the abstractions provided by libraries, new developers may find Vanilla JS harder to learn and implement correctly.
  • Less Community Support
    Though JavaScript has a large community, specific problems faced when not using popular frameworks may not have as much community-generated content or support.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Ensuring cross-browser support can be more challenging without utilizing libraries that automatically handle many compatibility issues.

Composer videos

AI vs Human Music Composer 2019 - Orb Composer Review

More videos:

  • Review - Review Composer Cloud from EastWest / Soundsonline.com
  • Review - Behringer Composer PRO-XL MDX2600 Review (AUDIO TEST)

Vanilla JS videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Composer and Vanilla JS)
Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Javascript UI Libraries
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Composer should be more popular than Vanilla JS. It has been mentiond 143 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.

Composer mentions (143)

  • Arguments a customer can understand not to use WordPress
    There is also no requirement to follow the PHP-FIG standards. The best thing that is build because of those standards is Composer. The most plugins I downloaded while writing use composer. The problem is that the plugins ship with their own vendor directory. While the standard is to have one vendor directory for the whole project. This results in different packages with the same or different version of it in the... - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • Insights from the PHP Foundation Executive Director
    “Extensions are now very close to being like packages; they basically look like Composer packages. It’s still open to discussion whether PIE will be part of Composer someday. It’s not decided yet, but I hope it will be,” Roman added. - Source: dev.to / 21 days ago
  • PHP Core Security Audit Results
    Dependencies are managed by Composer (like npm, cargo, etc) for more than 10 years now. https://getcomposer.org. - Source: Hacker News / 25 days ago
  • WordPress and Components
    Composer and Packagist have become key tools for establishing the foundations of PHP-based applications. Packagist is essentially a directory containing PHP code out of which Composer, a PHP-dependency manager, retrieves packages. Their ease of use and exceptional features simplify the process of importing and managing own and third-party components into our PHP projects. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • 2025 Best PHP Micro Frameworks: Slim, Flight, Fat-Free, Lumen, and More!
    Simplicity: Getting started is a breeze—install via Composer, define some routes, and you’re off. Scaling up? Add middleware or libs like Twig or Eloquent as needed. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
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Vanilla JS mentions (74)

  • Users don't care about your tech stack
    > Users don't care what language or libraries you use. Users care only about functionality, right? But guess what? These two things are not independent. If you want to make something that starts instantly you can't use electron or java. You can't use bloated libraries. Because users do notice. All else equal users will absolutely choose the zippiest products. Semi-dependent. Default Java libraries being a piles... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Nothing: Simply Do Nothing
    Before clicking, I thought this was going to be the next step in the evolution of "frameworks" like http://vanilla-js.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • We're in the brute force phase of AI – once it ends, demand for GPUs will too
    Http://vanilla-js.com/ only include what you need, and it minifies to zero byes!! - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Vanilla Prime: A simpler, more sustainable way of web development
    Vanilla JS has been a long-time joke about how modern javascript has advanced far enough not to need libraries for a lot of stuff people still reach for: http://vanilla-js.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Show HN: Plain Vanilla – a tutorial website for vanilla web development
    Http://vanilla-js.com/ (the SSL certificate expired 15 years ago) It is a framework, but just vanilla :). - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Composer and Vanilla JS, you can also consider the following products

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

Svelte - Cybernetically enhanced web apps

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Next.js - A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps

Babel - Babel is a compiler for writing next generation JavaScript.

Elm - A type inferred, functional reactive language that compiles to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript