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RequireJS VS jQuery

Compare RequireJS VS jQuery and see what are their differences

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RequireJS logo RequireJS

RequireJS is a JavaScript file and module loader.

jQuery logo jQuery

The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.
  • RequireJS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-19
  • jQuery Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

RequireJS features and specs

  • Modularization
    RequireJS encourages a modular approach to development by allowing developers to define dependencies between JavaScript files. This modularization leads to cleaner code and easier maintenance.
  • Asynchronous Loading
    Scripts are loaded asynchronously, which can lead to improved performance. This non-blocking nature ensures that the web page remains responsive while scripts are still being loaded.
  • Dependency Management
    RequireJS automatically manages dependencies, ensuring that each module is loaded in the correct order. This reduces the risk of runtime errors caused by missing or incorrectly ordered scripts.
  • AMD Standard
    It implements the Asynchronous Module Definition (AMD) API, which promotes compatibility between different JavaScript libraries that conform to this standard.
  • Optimization Tools
    RequireJS includes optimization tools that can concatenate and minify JavaScript files, reducing the number of HTTP requests and file size for production environments.

Possible disadvantages of RequireJS

  • Learning Curve
    For developers not familiar with AMD or module loaders, RequireJS can introduce complexity and have a steep learning curve compared to simpler script-loading methods.
  • Not ES6 Module Compatible
    RequireJS is designed around the AMD pattern and does not natively support ES6 module syntax, which has become the standard in modern JavaScript development.
  • Overhead
    Although it offers powerful features, RequireJS introduces some initial setup and configuration overhead, which can be cumbersome for small projects or scripts.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some older libraries or scripts might not be compatible with RequireJS without modifications, leading to potential integration issues when using certain third-party libraries.
  • Declining Popularity
    With the adoption of native ES6 modules and modern build tools like Webpack and Parcel, RequireJS is less commonly used, potentially reducing community support and resources.

jQuery features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    jQuery simplifies complex JavaScript tasks by providing easy-to-use methods, which can lead to shorter development times and cleaner code.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    jQuery handles many browser inconsistencies, ensuring that your code works seamlessly across different browsers without additional effort.
  • Large Community and Ecosystem
    There is a vast community of developers who contribute plugins, extensions, and provide support, making it easier to find solutions and enhance functionality.
  • Animation and Effects
    jQuery offers built-in methods for creating animations and effects, allowing developers to enhance the user interface with minimal code.
  • AJAX Simplification
    The library provides straightforward methods for making AJAX calls, which simplifies the process of loading data asynchronously.
  • Documentation and Learning Resources
    Extensive documentation and a plethora of tutorials are available, making it easier for developers to learn and troubleshoot.

Possible disadvantages of jQuery

  • Performance Overhead
    Using jQuery can add overhead to your application due to its file size and additional abstraction, which can impact performance, especially in resource-constrained environments.
  • Relevance
    With the advent of modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular, and the improvements in native JavaScript (ES6+), the need for jQuery has decreased, making it less relevant in contemporary web development.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic usage is straightforward, mastering more advanced topics and optimizing performance can be challenging for newcomers.
  • Potential for Overuse
    Developers might rely too heavily on jQuery for tasks that can be efficiently handled by native JavaScript, leading to bloated codebases.
  • Maintenance and Legacy Code
    Projects heavily reliant on jQuery may face maintenance challenges as modern frameworks and practices evolve, requiring significant refactoring effort if transitioning away from jQuery.
  • Security
    Older jQuery versions have known security vulnerabilities, and continuing to use outdated versions can pose security risks. Regular updates are necessary to mitigate this issue.

RequireJS videos

Optimize Your CSS With RequireJS

More videos:

  • Review - RequireJS and Magento2
  • Review - Yeoman 1.0 Backbone RequireJS - Video 2

jQuery videos

Quick jQuery Review

More videos:

  • Review - jQuery vs Vue, React and Angular
  • Review - Front-End Development, HTML & CSS, Javascript & jQuery by Jon Duckett | Book Review
  • Review - The Legend of jQuery in 100 Seconds
  • Review - ⭕The one book I regret not having as a beginning web developer || Jon Duckett JavaScript & jQuery

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RequireJS and jQuery)
JS Build Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Development Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Web Application Bundler
100 100%
0% 0
Javascript UI Libraries
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 RequireJS and jQuery

RequireJS Reviews

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jQuery Reviews

Top 20 Javascript Libraries
jQuery dramatically simplifies JS programming and is easy to learn and use. It is highly extensible and makes web pages load faster. jQuery wraps up a lot of standard functions making the job of the developer easy. A JS code of several lines could be just a method to be called in jQuery. It also has many plugins to perform different tasks. Some of the features of jQuery are...
Source: hackr.io
Top 15 jQuery Alternatives To Know
The world is full of newer technologies and there are alternatives available for all of them. jQuery is no different. The above-mentioned technologies can be a good alternative to jQuery though jQuery itself has a loyal user base of its own. Overall, it depends upon the organizational skills, requirements, budget, and objective, based on which stakeholders can take a call on...
Best Javascript libraries to use in 2021
jQuery has been in the development scene for a long time and has been the unprecedented king for webpage dev. It is one of the most common libraries used throughout the world, with more than 50% of websites using jQuery for their functioning. jQuery is a library used majorly for Document Object Model (DOM) manipulation. The DOM is a tree-like structure that represents all...
Source: codersera.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, jQuery should be more popular than RequireJS. It has been mentiond 101 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.

RequireJS mentions (12)

  • Why hasn't JavaScript implemented namespaces yet?
    There is a library called requirejs (https://requirejs.org/) that accomplishes what I am referring to. However, this is essentially similar to the situation in PHP prior to version 5.3 - a solution implemented at the level of a separate library rather than at the language level. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Getting Started With Parcel.js: A Web Application Bundler in 2022
    Webpack is the most popular bundler and it followed on the heels of Require.js, Rollup, and similar solutions. But the learning curve for a tool like webpack is steep. Getting started with webpack isn’t easy due to its complex configurations. As a result, in recent years another solution has emerged. This tool is not necessarily a front-runner, but an easier-to-digest alternative on the front-end module bundler... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • RequireJS: How to define modules that contain a single "class"?
    I have a number of JavaScript "classes" each implemented in its own JavaScript file. For development those files are loaded individually, and for production they are concatenated, but in both cases I have to manually define a loading order, making sure that B comes after A if B uses A. I am planning to use RequireJS as an implementation of CommonJS Modules/AsynchronousDefinition to solve this problem for me... Source: about 3 years ago
  • When to use Requirejs and when to use bundled javascript?
    This may be a dumb question for web guys. But I am a little confused over this. Now, I have an application where I am using a couple of Javascript files to perform different tasks. Now, I am using Javascript bundler to combine and minify all the files. So, at runtime there will be only one app.min.js file. Now, Requirejs is used to load modules or files at runtime. So, the question is if I already have all things... Source: about 3 years ago
  • JavaScript Module Formats and Tools
    AMD (Asynchronous Module Definition), is a pattern to define and consume module. It is implemented by RequireJS library. AMD provides a define function to define module, which accepts the module name, dependent modules’ names, and a factory function:. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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jQuery mentions (101)

  • This One jQuery Mistake Froze Our Web Page! Here's the Fix You Need to Know
    Whenever the number of items increased, the browser became slow, sometimes even unresponsive. At first, we thought it was a server issue or maybe too much data. But no — the problem was hiding inside a small line of jQuery. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • Is jQuery Dead?
    Ah, jQuery — the library that powered a generation of web apps. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Understanding Awaitables: Coroutines, Tasks, and Futures in Python
    Then we have callbacks, which were popularized by AJAX calls. Back then, with jQuery, we could define handlers to deal with both success or failure cases. For instance, let's say we want to fetch the HTML markup of this blog (skipping error failure callback for brevity), we do. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • the entire history of JavaScript, i guess
    One of them is JQuery created by John Resig. The library addresses extremely-frustrating issues related to cross-browser compatibility that existed at the time. To this day, it remains the most widely used JavaScript library in terms of actual page loads. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Let Me Talk About Component-based Front-end Development
    The once popular jQuery, with its strengths fully utilized in jQuery UI and Bootstrap, provides many UI components and is also friendly to backend developers, seemingly meeting the requirements. However, looking at their component implementation and resource loading forms—. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing RequireJS and jQuery, you can also consider the following products

JSHint - New JSHint website. Anton Kovalyov Oct 1st, 2013. For the last couple of weeks I've been working on a new homepage for JSHint and today I'm proud to announce the new jshint. com! JSHint Website.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

rollup.js - Rollup is a module bundler for JavaScript which compiles small pieces of code into a larger piece such as application.

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

stealjs - Futuristic JavaScript dependency loader and builder. Speeds up application load times. Works with ES6, CommonJS, AMD, CSS, LESS and more. Simplifies modular workflows.

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 …