Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

stealjs VS Composer

Compare stealjs VS Composer and see what are their differences

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stealjs logo stealjs

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

Composer logo Composer

Composer is a tool for dependency management in PHP.
  • stealjs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-25
  • Composer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19

stealjs features and specs

  • Modular Loader
    StealJS is a dynamic module loader that supports ES6, AMD, and CommonJS, offering flexibility in module formats and simplifying the development process.
  • Progressive Loading
    It supports progressive loading, which allows developers to load JavaScript dependencies only as needed, improving application performance and reducing initial load times.
  • Compatibility
    StealJS is compatible with various environments, including Node.js and web browsers, facilitating seamless development and deployment.
  • Plugin System
    Its extensible plugin system allows developers to customize the build process and integrate with other tools or libraries easily.
  • Live Reload
    StealJS provides live reload functionality, enabling developers to see changes instantly without manually refreshing the page, hence improving the development workflow.

Possible disadvantages of stealjs

  • Learning Curve
    Developers familiar with more traditional build tools might face a steep learning curve initially when adopting StealJS.
  • Community and Support
    StealJS has a smaller community compared to more popular bundlers like Webpack, which can result in less available support and resources.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Though powerful, its configuration can become complex for larger projects and may require additional effort to manage efficiently.
  • Performance Overhead
    Dynamic loading can introduce some runtime performance overhead compared to static bundling, potentially affecting execution speed.
  • Ecosystem
    While StealJS integrates with many tools, it may not have the same breadth of plugin ecosystem that some larger projects offer, potentially requiring manual integrations.

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.

Analysis of Composer

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Composer is considered an essential tool for PHP developers due to its efficiency, ease of use, and robust features that streamline the development process.

Why this product is good

  • Composer is a dependency manager for PHP, which simplifies the process of managing and installing libraries for projects. It ensures that the right versions of packages are used and handles dependencies automatically, saving time and reducing errors. It also has a large and active community, providing extensive support and a wealth of packages to choose from.

Recommended for

  • PHP developers looking to manage project dependencies effectively
  • Teams collaborating on PHP projects who need consistent environments
  • Developers maintaining projects with multiple external libraries
  • Anyone seeking to improve the organization and scalability of PHP applications

stealjs videos

StealJS Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Getting Started With StealJS and ES6
  • Review - Easy ES6 with StealJS

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)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to stealjs and Composer)
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

Share your experience with using stealjs and Composer. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Composer seems to be more popular. 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.

stealjs mentions (0)

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

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 / about 1 month 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 / about 2 months 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 / about 2 months 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 / 3 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 / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

RequireJS - RequireJS is a JavaScript file and module loader.

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

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

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

JSPM - Front End Package Manager, Frontend Development, and Javascript

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