Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Play Framework VS Blazor

Compare Play Framework VS Blazor and see what are their differences

Play Framework logo Play Framework

An open source web framework which follows the model-view-controller architecture. It is light-weight, web-friendly, and stateless. It provides minimal overhead for highly-scalable applications.

Blazor logo Blazor

An experimental web UI framework using C#/Razor and HTML, running in the browser via WebAssembly
  • Play Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-23
  • Blazor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19

Play Framework features and specs

  • Scalability
    The Play Framework is built with scalability in mind, making it easier to develop applications that can handle a large number of simultaneous users and requests.
  • Reactive Programming
    Play is based on a reactive programming model, which allows it to handle asynchronous tasks efficiently. This results in better performance and resource utilization.
  • Hot Reloading
    Play supports hot reloading, enabling developers to see changes in real-time without needing to restart the server. This feature boosts productivity by speeding up the development cycle.
  • Java and Scala Support
    The framework supports both Java and Scala, accommodating a wide range of developers and allowing teams to choose their preferred language.
  • Built-in Testing
    Play has built-in support for writing unit and functional tests, offering a comprehensive test framework to ensure code quality and reliability.
  • RESTful by Default
    Play makes it straightforward to build RESTful web services, simplifying the construction of APIs and ensuring that they adhere to REST principles.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The Play Framework boasts extensive and detailed documentation, making it easier for developers to get started and find solutions to common problems.

Possible disadvantages of Play Framework

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New developers might find Play’s reactive model and functional programming concepts challenging, especially if they are primarily experienced with traditional web frameworks.
  • Memory Usage
    Play applications can be memory-intensive, which might lead to higher hosting costs compared to lighter frameworks, especially for smaller applications.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up and configuring a Play application can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for beginners or small teams without extensive experience.
  • Limited Community Support
    Although Play has a dedicated user base, its community is smaller compared to more popular web frameworks like Spring or Django, potentially making it difficult to find solutions and community-driven resources.
  • Verbose Code
    Play applications may require a significant amount of boilerplate code, particularly when integrating with other services or libraries, leading to potentially verbose and less maintainable codebases.

Blazor features and specs

  • Single Language
    Blazor allows developers to use C# for both client-side and server-side development, reducing the need to switch between different languages and enhancing developer productivity.
  • Full-Stack Development
    With Blazor, developers can build full-stack web applications using .NET, leveraging the vast .NET ecosystem and tools.
  • WebAssembly Support
    Blazor WebAssembly enables running C# code directly in the browser, allowing for rich interactive web applications with less reliance on JavaScript.
  • Reusability
    Blazor promotes code reusability by allowing shared code between server and client-side applications.
  • Components-Based Architecture
    It uses a component-based architecture that facilitates easier maintenance of code and enhances modularity.

Possible disadvantages of Blazor

  • Performance Limits
    Blazor WebAssembly can have slower performance compared to JavaScript due to its intermediated execution through WebAssembly.
  • Download Size
    Blazor WebAssembly applications can have larger initial download sizes, which can affect load times and user experience.
  • Newness
    As a relatively new technology, the Blazor community is still growing, which can sometimes limit the availability of third-party tools and resources.
  • Limited Browser Support
    Some older browsers do not support WebAssembly, potentially reducing the reach of Blazor applications if not accounted for.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers familiar with JavaScript frameworks may encounter a learning curve when transitioning to Blazor and the .NET ecosystem.

Play Framework videos

The Play Framework at LinkedIn: Productivity and Performance at Scale

Blazor videos

Is Blazor A JavaScript Killer?

More videos:

  • Review - Blazor vs JavaScript frameworks
  • Review - Blazor server-side vs client-side (WebAssembly) | What should you choose?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Play Framework and Blazor)
Web Frameworks
70 70%
30% 30
Developer Tools
67 67%
33% 33
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Application Hosting
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Play Framework and Blazor

Play Framework Reviews

The 20 Best Laravel Alternatives for Web Development
Play Framework brings Scala and Java into harmony, offering a backstage pass to simplistic, asynchronous web development. No song and dance, just straightforward high-octane performance.
17 Popular Java Frameworks for 2023: Pros, cons, and more
The Play Framework makes it possible to build lightweight and web-friendly Java and Scala applications for desktop and mobile. Play is a hugely popular framework, used by brands such as LinkedIn, Samsung, Walmart, The Guardian, Verizon, and many others.
Source: raygun.com
10 Best Java Frameworks You Should Know
Play is written using Scala Programming Language. It offers web and mobile application development. It follows MVC architecture. Play is compiled to Java-Bytecode, and this makes Play one of the most powerful frameworks.

Blazor Reviews

Exploring 15 Powerful Flutter Alternatives
One advantage Blazor introduces comes around security-sensitive use cases. With .NET powering backend, client, and shared application logic, Blazor simplifies applying consistent security principles systemwide. The robust .NET encryption libraries integrate cleanly to protect network and device data. Single unified user authentication flows minimize risk exposure through...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Blazor should be more popular than Play Framework. It has been mentiond 7 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.

Play Framework mentions (1)

  • Examples of CompletableFuture-based APIs / state of async in Java?
    I can see the Play framework really leans into async, and only tolerates blocking controllers. What else is out there? Source: over 1 year ago

Blazor mentions (7)

  • Blazor and .NET 8: How I Built a Fast and Flexible Website
    I’ve been working on a new website for my series CSharp in the Cards. I built this website in a way that was easy to maintain, flexible and most importantly would respond quickly to requests from visitors. I knew that Blazor with .NET 8 had a static server rendering feature and decided that I wanted to put it to the test. I recently published a new lesson to the website and included a web assembly component to... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • #12: Headless CMS & SWA - Built With Blazor
    Over the last few days we've been exploring JavaScript-based frameworks for building web apps. Today, we switch our attention to our amazing .NET community and talk about building Static Web Apps with Blazor. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • What is a good reason to consider Blazor?
    Hi there. I'm the Program Manager at Microsoft for Blazor, so naturally I'm happy to make the Blazor pitch 😊. If you're comfortable already with JS/TS then it's understandable that Blazor might not have as strong an appeal. Blazor is all about enabling full stack web development with just .NET & C# without having to write JavaScript. But even if you are a JS/TS fan, it's still very convenient to operate fully... Source: over 3 years ago
  • My Favorite C# Features - Part 5: Build for the Modern Web with Blazor
    Building web applications with Blazor is a great way for developers who enjoy C# and .NET to create interactive web applications. I encourage you to check out the Blazor 101 video series published on YouTube and check out https://blazor.net for more learning materials and the tools to get started with Blazor. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • What to Expect in .NET 6
    Blazor has become a smart way to build .NET web applications. This is because of its seamlessness and ease of integration with UI libraries like ComponentOne. This makes the application development life cycle more efficient. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Play Framework and Blazor, you can also consider the following products

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

ASP.NET Core - With ASP.

ASP.NET - ASP.NET is a free web framework for building great Web sites and Web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Microsoft PowerApps - Microsoft PowerApps provides tools to create, customize, share and run apps.

Adonis JS - AdonisJs is a Node.js web framework with breath of fresh air and drizzle of elegant syntax on top of it

Retool - Build custom internal tools in minutes.