Front-end development trends to watch in 2023

Front-end development is a rapidly evolving field, and staying up to date with the latest trends and technologies is essential for developers, clients, and companies to remain competitive. In this article, we will explore some of the most significant front-end development trends to watch in 2023.

##Front-end frameworks/libraries popularity and usage in 2023

In the current front-end development landscape, it is common to use frameworks for building fast, responsive, and secure user interfaces (UI). The popularity and usage of these frameworks can provide insights into the industry trends.

According to the State of Javascript survey, the top most popular JavaScript frameworks/libraries with experience over time are:

React.js
Vue.js
Angular
Ember.js
Preact
Svelte
Alpine.js
Lit
Solid
Qwik
Stencil

React.js continues to be the most widely used and trusted framework, with around 67.9% of respondents planning to use it again in 2023. Vue.js is the second most popular framework, with 35.7% of respondents planning to use it again. Angular, on the other hand, has seen a decrease in popularity in recent years, with 40.5% of respondents not interested in the framework and 28% who would not use it again.

This data suggests that there may be opportunities for new lightweight front-end libraries and frameworks to gain traction.

##Monorepos and building tools

Monorepo is a software development approach where multiple distinct projects are stored in the same repository. This approach makes it easier to share code between teams, reduce duplications, and increase efficiency. Additionally, micro front-ends are a new approach where larger front-end applications are broken down into smaller applications that can be developed, tested, and deployed independently.

To manage Monorepos and make them scalable, there are various tools available, such as Lerna, Nx, and Yarn workspaces.

##The popularity of Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Progressive Web Apps aim to deliver a native app-like experience to users and are indistinguishable from native apps. They are fast and can provide some offline features to users, such as push notifications and background updates. PWAs have a single codebase that can be shared across multiple devices, making development more cost-effective.

##Accessibility

Accessibility is crucial in front-end development to ensure that applications are inclusive and accessible to all users, regardless of their limitations. Building applications with accessibility in mind is becoming more than just a trend, with companies looking to serve all kinds of audiences. Web accessibility is mandated by law, with the EU public sector required to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standards. For the private EU sector, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) aims to create a common accessibility standard for essential products and services.

##Headless CMS

Headless content management systems (CMS) are increasingly popular, as they allow content creators to manage and store content without the need for a front-end interface layer. Content is pushed via APIs and can be displayed in various front-end applications. Some popular headless CMS options for 2023 include Sanity, Storyblok, Contentful, and Starpi.

##AI/ML in code development

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are significant trends in front-end development. Tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT leverage AI to assist developers in coding tasks and suggesting the next lines of code. While AI/ML can enhance front-end development, it is not expected to replace human developers.

Overall, these trends indicate the direction in which front-end development is heading in 2023. Staying up to date with these trends can help developers and companies stay competitive in the industry.

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Tags: front-end development, trends, 2023, frameworks, libraries, Monorepos, Progressive Web Apps, accessibility, headless CMS, AI/ML