Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pugjs VS EJS

Compare Pugjs VS EJS and see what are their differences

Pugjs logo Pugjs

Pugjs is an online platform that manages programming in the best way with powerful tools.

EJS logo EJS

An open source JavaScript Template library.
  • Pugjs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-10
  • EJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-11

Pugjs features and specs

  • Clean Syntax
    PugJS offers a clean and minimal syntax that reduces the amount of HTML you have to write. This means less boilerplate and a more readable code, enhancing developer productivity.
  • Whitespace Significance
    The syntax of PugJS eliminates the need for closing tags, which simplifies the code structure and makes the document easier to maintain.
  • Template Inheritance
    PugJS provides powerful template inheritance features, allowing developers to extend and reuse templates easily, promoting DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principles.
  • Conditional Rendering and Iteration
    PugJS supports conditional statements and loops, allowing developers to render content dynamically within templates, which is particularly useful for complex applications.
  • Integration with Node.js
    PugJS is efficiently integrated with Node.js, making it an excellent choice for server-side rendering in JavaScript applications.

Possible disadvantages of Pugjs

  • Learning Curve
    The unique syntax of PugJS can be difficult to grasp for beginners or those accustomed to traditional HTML, leading to a steeper learning curve.
  • Whitespace Sensitivity
    While the whitespace-sensitive syntax reduces clutter, it can lead to syntax errors if not managed carefully, as indentation plays a critical role in the template structure.
  • Limited Browser-Side Usage
    PugJS is primarily designed for server-side usage, meaning it has limited direct application in client-side JavaScript without additional tooling.
  • Less Popular for Front-End Development
    Compared to JSX or plain HTML, PugJS is less commonly used for front-end development, which can result in fewer community resources or plugins.
  • Conversion Needed for HTML
    PugJS templates need to be compiled into HTML before they can be used in a webpage, which adds a step to the development process unless automated.

EJS features and specs

  • Simplicity
    EJS is easy to learn and use, especially for developers who are already familiar with JavaScript. The syntax is straightforward, making it a good choice for quick application development.
  • JavaScript Integration
    Since EJS templates are JavaScript files, you can seamlessly integrate JavaScript code, making it easy to manipulate data and use familiar JavaScript functions.
  • Lightweight
    EJS is a lightweight template engine, which makes it an optimal choice for applications where performance and simplicity are critical.
  • Flexibility
    Allows for the embedding of plain JavaScript within the templates, giving developers the flexibility to add logic directly in their HTML.
  • Partial Templates
    Supports partials, which help to reuse code snippets across different views, promoting DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principles.
  • Server-Side Rendering
    Supports server-side rendering, which can improve performance by reducing the amount of client-side processing needed.

Possible disadvantages of EJS

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to more feature-rich template engines like Handlebars or Pug, EJS offers limited functionalities which might be a drawback for large, complex projects.
  • Debugging
    Debugging EJS templates can sometimes be challenging. Errors within templates can often be vague, making it difficult to trace the root cause.
  • Maintenance
    Embedding a lot of JavaScript within templates can make the code harder to read and maintain, especially as the complexity of the application grows.
  • Performance Overhead
    For very large and complex templates, EJS can introduce a performance overhead compared to more optimized template engines designed for high performance.
  • Community and Support
    While EJS has a reasonable user base, the community and support may not be as extensive as more popular alternatives like React or Vue.js.

Analysis of EJS

Overall verdict

  • Yes, EJS is considered good, particularly for projects where developers want ease of use and flexibility with JavaScript templating. It is lightweight, easy to learn, and integrates well with Express, a popular Node.js web application framework.

Why this product is good

  • EJS (Embedded JavaScript Templating) is popular because it provides a simple way to generate HTML markup with plain JavaScript. It allows for the embedding of JavaScript logic within your HTML templates, making it straightforward to use for those familiar with JavaScript. It's known for its efficiency in rendering templates and ease of integration with Node.js applications.

Recommended for

    EJS is recommended for developers building server-side web applications using Node.js and those looking for a simple, yet effective, templating solution. It is particularly suitable for small to medium-sized projects where dynamic content generation is needed and for teams that prioritize simplicity and performance.

Pugjs videos

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EJS videos

Kane Creek - Bestop Trail Review at EJS 2019

More videos:

  • Tutorial - JavaScript Templating Tutorial | Introduction To EJS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pugjs and EJS)
Development
56 56%
44% 44
Javascript UI Libraries
0 0%
100% 100
Localization
49 49%
51% 51
Website Localization
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Pugjs might be a bit more popular than EJS. We know about 33 links to it since March 2021 and only 26 links to EJS. 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.

Pugjs mentions (33)

  • JavaScript Awesome Package
    Pug - Pug โ€“ robust, elegant, feature rich template engine for Node.js. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • The Joy of Mixing Custom Elements, Web Components, and Markdown
    Always curious why no one has made Markdown + pugjs-style[0] html parsing system. [0] https://pugjs.org/api/getting-started.html. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Web Components and SSR - 2024 Edition
    Server-side Framework SSR is when you use a framework that runs the HTML templating logic entirely on the server to compose the HTML that will be rendered in the browser. These are frameworks like Ruby on Rails, ASP.Net, PHP, or even Node.js frameworks that use templating languages like Pug or EJS. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • htmx and ExpressJS
    It is a novel experience to say the least for me. I mean yes I have been using Handlebars, pug, and other templating engines but this is novel in how it changed my perspective about HTML (Just read their motivation in htmx.org). - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • How to Build an Application With Node.js
    We need a templating engine to render HTML code in the browser using Node.js. We'll use ejs (Embedded JavaScript) for this tutorial but there are others such as Pug (formerly known as Jade) and Express Handlebar, which also render HTML on the server. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
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EJS mentions (26)

  • Next.js vs Express: What to Choose in 2025?
    Express does not provide SEO benefits by default and would require additional configuration with tools like EJS (Embedded JavaScript) or Handlebars for server-side rendering. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Chapter 7: HTML part two
    For a more robust approach, we'd probably need to install a templating language of some kind, such as Twig, EJS, Handlebars, Pug or Mustache (this is not a complete list!). Reading the documentation for posthtml-modules, you'll notice it doesn't mention package.json or any of the approaches we've used in this guide. Instead, the examples are in JavaScript and we've advised to add this to our Node application. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Web Components and SSR - 2024 Edition
    Server-side Framework SSR is when you use a framework that runs the HTML templating logic entirely on the server to compose the HTML that will be rendered in the browser. These are frameworks like Ruby on Rails, ASP.Net, PHP, or even Node.js frameworks that use templating languages like Pug or EJS. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • How to Build an Application With Node.js
    We need a templating engine to render HTML code in the browser using Node.js. We'll use ejs (Embedded JavaScript) for this tutorial but there are others such as Pug (formerly known as Jade) and Express Handlebar, which also render HTML on the server. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Getting to the meat and potatoes of serverless recipe parsing with Amazon Bedrock
    The tags is where you put the HTML you want Claude to read. The <%- document %> contained within is an ejs placeholder. More on this shortly. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pugjs and EJS, you can also consider the following products

OneSky - Full Stack Localization Solution

Mustache.js - Minimal templating with {{mustaches}} in JavaScript - janl/mustache.js

Weblate - Weblate is a free web-based translation management system.

Handlebars - Handlebars is a JavaScript template library that is, more or less, based on ...

DeepL Translator - DeepL Translator is a machine translator that currently supports 42 language combinations.

Vue.js - Reactive Components for Modern Web Interfaces