What is a framework in programming? All about software frameworks

Web development and software development can be complex work. A software framework can make your job easier and save you the trouble of writing your code totally from scratch. The right framework can also reduce your development time by making it faster to design, build, and troubleshoot your apps.

This article explains what frameworks are, lists backend and frontend frameworks for web, mobile, and other software development, and explains how to choose a framework based on the benefits it provides.

What is a framework in programming?

A framework in programming is a code foundation that facilitates development by offering a (sometimes large) set of templates and convenience functions that you can build your own applications on top of.

Most programming languages have at least one major framework that is actively developed and maintained. Popular frameworks frequently remain well-maintained over time, while the less popular ones may not be that well supported in the long run. 

Some example frameworks (which we'll expand on later) include Vue and Angular for JavaScript, Ruby on Rails for Ruby, Django for Python, and the Laravel framework for PHP. The contents of a framework can vary broadly depending on its language and the purpose it was developed for.

What is the value of frameworks in programming?

Frameworks make programming applications much simpler for you and your team. Since the foundation of the application is already written and tested, a framework speeds up the development process, improves security, reduces the risk of programming errors, and a whole lot more. You start with a robust, reliable framework for programming and build your own bespoke functionality on top of it, rather than doing everything from scratch.

Software frameworks can also go a long way toward improving your software and web development projects by providing guardrails and coding best practices that you can adopt. They offer fast, reliable patterns that you can use to avoid having to figure everything out yourself (and, potentially, getting it wrong).

Choosing the right framework will reduce development time, save money, and ultimately help you develop better applications and websites. But, it can be hard to choose between the different types of frameworks, and the options available for each.

Types of frameworks

Frameworks can be used for a variety of development projects. You can find frameworks for desktop and mobile software development, web development, working with APIs, and even data science programming.

Here are the types of frameworks that you’ll come across most often and a few popular examples of each. Note that some frameworks can extend across categories.

Frontend frameworks

These open-source JavaScript frameworks are used for the development of the front end (user facing) of a web application, including the design and functionality of the user interface:

• Angular: A framework for building web applications with an emphasis on TypeScript.

• Vue: A lightweight framework with a component-based architecture.

• Next.js:  A React-based framework for building web applications.

• Svelte/SvelteKit: A newer, fast framework that offers increased performance by shifting work from runtime to the build process.

Backend frameworks

These frameworks are used for the development of the back end of web apps, or the components that handle server-side functionality.

• Ruby on Rails: A Ruby-based, server-side framework for developing web applications.

• Django: A high-level Python framework for web development.

• Express: A Node.js framework for developing web and mobile applications.

• Spring: A Java framework for microservices, serverless, and the cloud.

It's worth giving Next.js a special mention here as well: This full-stack JavaScript framework lets you build both your front and back ends (including APIs) in the same codebase with the same tools. 

Mobile application frameworks

These are used to assist in the development of mobile applications for Android, iOS, and more — or even cross-platform applications that rely on the same codebase.

• React Native: An open-source UI framework maintained by Meta (Facebook) for developing cross-platform mobile apps on Android, iOS, Android TV, MacOS, and more.

• Flutter: An open-source UI framework maintained by Google. It can be used to develop cross-platform mobile apps.

• Ionic: Ionic takes Angular and adds an entire mobile development SDK for making apps that can take full advantage of mobile devices' features, like notifications, screen orientation, vibration, and just about everything else a modern device can do.

Other types of programming frameworks

• Command-line interface (CLI) libraries such as PyCLI help you build programs that can be run from the command line with sub-commands, arguments, and other CLI features.

• Cross-platform desktop application development used to be highly specialized for each operating system, but frameworks like Electron let you build apps that run on Windows, MacOS, and Linux using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

• Everyone's dipping their toes into AI development, and AI frameworks like PyTorch are there to give you a leg-up in building and training machine learning models.

• Analytics involves processing huge amounts of data. Apache Spark is a data science framework with an ecosystem of integrations for machine learning, analytics, and data storage.

• Game engines like Unreal Engine are programming frameworks that bring together all the sound, visuals, and logic code necessary to create a modern video game without having to spend decades researching and developing each (now very complex) component. 

Software framework vs. code library

Code libraries are often confused with frameworks, as they both aim to reduce the amount of work you need to do to develop an app. However, they are not the same thing. Libraries are small and perform a specific task that you want to add to your existing project (for example, the Auth0 library implements authentication), whereas frameworks perform multiple tasks (for example, authentication, data storage, session management, and debugging) to provide the foundation of a whole application.

Contentful’s Senior Software Engineer, David Fateh, explained the two terms by comparing development to the process of building a house. “A framework,” he said, “is like a construction blueprint: A template that defines a basic structure for your build. A code library is more like a carpenter’s tool belt: It has tools designed to perform specific tasks.”

What are the benefits of a framework in programming?

Frameworks offer a skeleton to build on so that you don’t have to start from scratch when building software or web applications. In short, a framework will reduce your software or web development costs and your development time.

But that’s not all a framework does for you. It can also:

Improve productivity

You or your company can use a software framework to provide reusable generic functions. This saves you from writing code for the parts of the software or web application that don’t change from project to project. Frameworks also improve collaboration across development teams, as everyone will be familiar with the same set of tools and guidelines, and working in alignment.

Simplify testing and debugging

Frameworks can help you eliminate problems faster when you begin troubleshooting. Using a framework means less code to debug, and those that include debugging tools make it easier to narrow down problems.

Speed up your application

When you develop an application from scratch, your code for certain functionality might not be perfectly optimized. (We all know deadlines can be tight.) When you use a framework for that same functionality, you are using code that has been developed and continuously reworked to provide the highest possible speed. In short: Software frameworks can make your apps much faster.

Improve reliability

A framework is maintained by developers who will test the code rigorously to ensure top-notch reliability. They’ll also ensure that it meets changing requirements so you don’t get caught with a web application that suddenly doesn’t work.

Make development clearer through better documentation

Good software frameworks come with extensive documentation and community support. This provides regularly updated resources, opportunities for shared learning, and a supportive network of fellow programmers — all key reasons to use a framework.

Enable you to build more secure applications

Whether your framework is maintained by a company like Meta or Microsoft or by a community of programmers, you can trust that it has been tested and re-tested to address the known security vulnerabilities of the programming language.

Increase consistency

Each framework enforces its own structure and best practices, and if it's compatible with your coding style (or you adapt to it), it keeps your project organized and easy to maintain. Good frameworks will have documented best practices you can follow.

Enable scalability with less risk

Frameworks have documented deployment requirements, and many include tools for the aspects that you would need in order to scale an application to many users, from session management to parallel database access to integration with a production-grade reverse proxy server.

What are the challenges of a framework?

Frameworks are great for many kinds of software and web development, but they’re not perfect. Here are some potential programming challenges to keep in mind as you explore the possibility of using a framework.

Framework and programming language familiarity

A framework can help speed up development, but they aren’t simply plug-and-play tools. You’ll need to learn the framework itself, in addition to the programming language the framework is based on. For example, if you like the idea of using Django, you’ll need to know Python, which Django is written in, as well as the best practices of building applications using Django specifically.

Structural limitations

Software frameworks aren’t designed to do everything. Some are designed with some assumptions to make them as broadly useful as possible, while others are focused on a specific use case. Each of these approaches makes each framework unsuitable for some specific tasks.

Choosing the right one

For any given programming language, there is usually more than one framework. You’ll need to do some research to find out which will work best for your application.

How do you pick the right software framework?

If you’re a programmer at a company, your organization will likely have a set of frameworks it already uses for various software development projects. Unless you’re trying to do something very new or different, it usually makes sense to pick one of the already-used frameworks due to the ease of knowledge transfer, your colleagues’ familiarity with the framework’s best practices, and long-term maintainability.

If you’re looking for a software framework on your own, here are some questions you can ask to make the decision easier:

• What programming languages do you know? 

• What are the core features of your app and which frameworks support these?

• Is there anything else that’s particularly important for you, such as a specific approach the framework takes, or a specific type of license it’s available with (such as MIT)?

Once you’ve answered these questions, look for the frameworks that are tailored toward your requirements. Then, do research to find out what other programmers think of a framework. Find the community of programmers that uses the framework on Reddit, Hacker News, Discord, Slack, or other locations, and ask the group whether they think the framework is right for you.

In most cases, popular software frameworks are open source and maintained by a community of developers. Some will have a corporate backer to fund and guide development; for example, Vercel makes Next.js because it speeds up app development and makes it simpler for developers to use their app-hosting service. A framework with some level of corporate sponsorship is a good sign of its longevity and support.

There are a lot of resources out there, whether you’re working on frontend development using JavaScript or on the back end with Python, so don’t always pick the newest, shiniest software framework. Do your homework and find the programming framework that’s right for you.

What frameworks does Contentful recommend?

If you’re planning to build with Contentful, you can use any framework: our platform is agnostic about the programming language and framework you use to connect to our REST and GraphQL APIs from your front end or back end. So find what works best for your programming style and preferred platforms, your company, and your particular project goals.

We use React and Next.js in our Contentful App Framework that lets you build custom apps with prebuilt UI components, further taking the work out of getting your ideas out into the world (and we'll even host it for you!).

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