Software Alternatives & Startups

Underscore Templates VS Underscore.js

Compare Underscore Templates VS Underscore.js and see what are their differences

Underscore Templates

Underscore.js template function for micro templating.

Rating
0 reviews
Underscore.js

Underscore is a utility-belt library for JavaScript that provides a lot of the functional...

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Underscore.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 24 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 24
Localization popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
37 vs 217

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

UT
Underscore Templates
Underscore.js
Website underscorejs.org underscorejs.org
Pricing —
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

UT
Underscore Templates 4 features
Underscore.js 5 features
  • Simplicity
    Underscore templates offer a simple and straightforward syntax for embedding JavaScript logic within HTML templates, making it easier for developers to create templates without a steep learning curve.
  • Server-Side and Client-Side Rendering
    These templates can be easily used for both client-side and server-side rendering, which provides flexibility in where and how logic and templates can be executed.
  • Lightweight
    Since Underscore.js is a utility library, it is relatively lightweight compared to larger frameworks, making template rendering faster for simple projects.
  • JavaScript Expressions
    Allows the use of any JavaScript expressions, providing the flexibility to include complex logic directly within the templates without additional processing.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Compared to full-fledged templating engines like Handlebars or Mustache, Underscore templates are limited in features, lacking built-in helpers and partials, which can make complex templating harder.
  • HTML Escaping
    By default, Underscore templates do not escape HTML, which requires developers to manually handle HTML escaping to prevent security vulnerabilities like XSS (Cross-Site Scripting).
  • Performance
    For very large templates or numerous updates, the performance might not be as efficient as specialized React/Vue components or virtual DOM implementations due to lack of optimizations.
  • Maintenance Difficulty
    Embedding logic directly within templates can lead to maintenance difficulties, as templates can become cluttered with JavaScript code, reducing the separation of concerns.
  • Utility Functions
    Underscore.js provides a wealth of utility functions for common tasks such as map, reduce, filter, and more, making it easier to perform operations on arrays, objects, and collections.
  • Consistency
    The library offers a consistent API, which can make your code more readable and maintainable by providing a standard way to perform common programming tasks.
  • Lightweight
    Underscore.js is lightweight compared to full-featured libraries like Lodash, which can be a benefit if you're looking to minimize your application's footprint.
  • Browser Compatibility
    It supports a wide range of JavaScript environments, making it a good choice for projects that need to work across different browsers and Node.js.
  • Quick to Learn
    Easy to pick up for developers with even a basic understanding of JavaScript, due to its straightforward documentation and familiar function names.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance
    Underscore.js may not offer the same level of performance optimizations as more modern utility libraries like Lodash, potentially leading to slower execution for some tasks.
  • Limited Functionality
    While it covers many basic utility functions, its feature set is not as extensive as Lodash or other similar libraries, which provide a broader range of capabilities.
  • Outdated
    With the advent of ECMAScript 5 and later versions, many of the functions provided by Underscore.js are now natively available in JavaScript, reducing its necessity.
  • No Modularization
    Underscore does not support modular builds in the same way Lodash does, meaning you might end up including the entire library even if you only need a few functions.
  • Community and Maintenance
    While still maintained, Underscore.js has seen less active development and contributions compared to newer libraries, which could impact its long-term viability and support.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

UT
Underscore Templates
Underscore.js

No analysis of Underscore Templates yet.

Overall verdict

  • Underscore.js is a reasonable choice if you need a lightweight library for concise, functional programming helpers. While newer libraries or vanilla JavaScript have made some of its functions less essential, Underscore.js remains useful for its simplicity and comprehensive utility set.

Why this product is good

  • Underscore.js is a popular JavaScript library that provides a comprehensive set of utility functions for common programming tasks. It is valued for its simplicity and ease of integration, especially in projects that require functional programming patterns but do not need the full capabilities of larger libraries like Lodash. Underscore.js is lightweight and can significantly enhance productivity by offering functions for tasks such as object manipulation, array operations, and function binding, making code more readable and maintainable.

Recommended for

    Developers working on smaller projects or legacy codebases that require a reliable utility library with functional programming techniques. It’s also suitable for those who prefer a minimalistic approach and don’t require the extensive features of heavier alternatives.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

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Underscore Templates 0 videos + Add
Underscore.js 1 video + Add

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Introduction to Underscore.JS

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
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Underscore Templates
Underscore.js
100% 100%
0% 0%
5% 5%
95% 95%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

UT
Underscore Templates 0 mentions
Underscore.js 24 mentions

Tracking Underscore Templates since Mar 2021.

  • JavaScript Awesome Package
    Underscore - JavaScript library that provides a whole mess of useful functional programming. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • JavaScript evolution: From Lodash and Underscore to vanilla
    Underscore was created by Jeremy Ashkenas (the creator of Backbone.js) in 2009 to provide a set of utility functions that JavaScript lacked at the time. It was also created to work with Backbone.js, but it slowly became a favorite among... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • KlongPy: High-Performance Array Programming in Python
    There was a step-change improvement for me when I tried expressing some JS patterns via `underscore.js` instead of procedurally: eg: http://underscorejs.org/#each Thinking of something as `each | map | filter | sum` is waaay less buggy... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago

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Alternatives to Underscore Templates and Underscore.js

When comparing Underscore Templates and Underscore.js, you can also consider the following products.