Head-to-Head: Knockout vs Svelte Analysis

knockout

v3.5.1(over 4 years ago)

This package was last published over a year ago. It may not be actively maintained.Types definitions are bundled with the npm packageNumber of direct dependencies: 0Monthly npm downloads

Knockout is a JavaScript library that helps you to create rich, responsive display and editor user interfaces with a clean underlying data model. It uses the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern to simplify dynamic JavaScript UIs by providing a clear separation between the data model, UI components, and business logic. Knockout offers declarative bindings, automatic UI updates, dependency tracking, and templating capabilities.

Alternatives:
vue+
react+
angular+
svelte+
mithril+
alpinejs+
ember-source+
preact+
stimulus+
hyperapp+

Tags: javascriptlibraryMVVMdata-bindingUI

svelte

v4.2.18(about 2 months ago)

This package is actively maintained.Types definitions are bundled with the npm packageNumber of direct dependencies: 14Monthly npm downloads

Svelte is a radical approach to building user interfaces. It is a compiler that takes declarative components and converts them into highly efficient imperative code that directly manipulates the DOM. This results in minimal overhead and blazing-fast performance, as Svelte shifts the work from the browser to the build step. Svelte's reactive declarations and reactivity system enable automatic updates to the DOM when data changes, without the need for a virtual DOM.

Alternatives:
vue+
preact+
inferno+
lit+
solid-js+
alpinejs+
stencil+
mithril+
riot+
hyperapp+

Tags: javascriptframeworkuser-interfacereactive-programmingcompiler

Fight!

Popularity

Knockout has been around for a long time and has a solid following in the JavaScript community, but its popularity has waned in recent years. Svelte, on the other hand, has gained significant popularity and momentum in the past few years due to its innovative approach and excellent performance.

Size

Svelte is known for its small bundle size and efficient runtime. It compiles the components into highly optimized JavaScript code, resulting in smaller bundle sizes compared to Knockout. Knockout, although relatively lightweight, is larger in size compared to Svelte.

Developer Experience

Svelte offers a delightful developer experience with its declarative syntax, component-based architecture, and built-in reactivity. It provides a straightforward and intuitive way to build web applications. Knockout, while also providing a component-based framework, has a steeper learning curve and can be more verbose in comparison.

Performance

Svelte is known for its excellent performance due to its compile-time optimization. This results in faster and more efficient rendering compared to Knockout. Knockout, on the other hand, relies on manual DOM manipulation and can have performance limitations when dealing with large-scale applications.

Community and Ecosystem

Knockout has a mature community and a decent ecosystem of plugins and extensions. However, Svelte has been rapidly growing in popularity and has a thriving community with a wide range of libraries, tools, and resources available. Svelte's ecosystem continues to expand, making it easier to find resources and solutions for various use cases.

Maintainability

Svelte's philosophy of reactivity and state handling simplifies the maintenance of codebases. Its static analysis and compile-time error checking catch many potential issues before runtime. Knockout, while still maintainable, may require more effort to manage complex application states and can be more prone to runtime errors.