6 Advantages and Disadvantages of jQuery | Drawbacks & Benefits of jQuery

jQuery is an open source library which can be used for the purpose of web design. Web design in essence means that to produce dynamic web pages. 

This library allows developers to perform tasks with less amount of coding. Internally, it is composed with JavaScript library. For an example, large lines of code needed for native JavaScript, the same code can be written in simple few lines with jQuery. 

To make it make it more efficient it combines both JavaScript and HTML. Apart from these, flash animations can also be produced. Al though jQuery looks like an ideal tool by making things easier, it isn't flawless. There are certain pros and cons of jQuery from both developers and client's perspective. Understanding both of them is important to get detailed idea about this framework.

 

In this article, I will be covering about 6 Advantages and Disadvantages of jQuery | Drawbacks & Benefits of jQuery. Through this post, you will know the pros and cons of using jQuery.

Let's get started,

Advantages of jQuery

1. Learning Curve

jQuery is a platform which is easy to understand. Users can get started with jQuery if they have basic knowledge in programming. Compared to JavaScript and other frameworks, it requires you to write less coding in order to achieve the same results. Moreover, code in jQuery is clean with simple syntax. This makes error identification process much easier.

2. Efficiency

jQuery paves the way for higher efficiency by accomplishing more tasks with less code. This is due to the presence of a light weight library. And also, jQuery allows you to perform multiple tasks by combining selectors and methods. Overall, it is a fact that jQuery boosts productivity by saving your time.

3. Popularity

As mentioned earlier, jQuery greatly reduces development time. Besides cost saving, this has contributed to its popularity. More and more websites started using jQuery. It offers ideal solutions to the challenges faced by a conventional JavaScript language. 

4. Browser Compatibility

When developers use coding, they cannot guarantee that it will support each and every browser. Level of functioning differs according to the browser. By using jQuery, you can ensure that it works stable across all the browsers. So developers are not required to write different codes for each browser. This type of coding completely eliminates issues related to inner text and text content.

5. Custom Animations

Animate methods are preinstalled in jQuery framework. With these animate methods, you can apply custom animations directly to your website. Some of them are dialog boxes, date pickers and sliders. Users are not required to write separate codes for these functions.

6. Community Support

The open source nature of jQuery makes it more flexible. It is backed by a large community of developers who try to enhance the experience of jQuery. And these people are actively involved in improving the code base. Whenever there is a problem, you can ask them for solutions. And also, they usually come up with plenty of prewritten plugins that you can use for the development process.

Disadvantages of jQuery

1. CSS Knowledge

Website development using jQuery also requires you to have fair knowledge on CSS. CSS is a tool used to build websites. Without proper knowledge on CSS, the developers cannot fully use jQuery. This includes understanding of classes and IDs as well. And CSS offers only few number of themes. So there is a chance to see the theme used by you on other sites as well.

2. JavaScript Knowledge

jQuery makes use of abstraction which can further complicate the usage of JavaScript. Even though the learning process is simple for beginners, the real issue arises when needed to perform complex tasks like DOM manipulation. Thus, to accomplish these tasks you will require designers who have greater levels of knowledge in JavaScript.

3. Debugging Issues

jQuery makes debugging process more difficult. Libraries and plugins are required to improve overall functionality. When you try to add more libraries and plugins it can create adverse effects on troubleshooting. Because of these complications, you need to spend more time in debugging.

4. Project Support

jQuery allows you to change XML, HTML and XHTML documents including DOM elements as well. Even though with all these features, certain functionalities are limited. Due to this, you cannot develop complex projects using jQuery. Especially, for the projects which needs additional amount of resources. 

5. Backward Compatibility

Many number of versions are released by jQuery. Whenever there is a new version, you are forced to host the library. Either you need to update it or download it from google. Now the problem comes with the compatibility with the selector. Some selectors simply do not consider supporting them. Hence, the already written code could go in vain.

6. JavaScript File Requirement

Commands in jQuery need to run using a small JavaScript file (25 - 100 KB in size). Even this small file can be a burden on client computer. It can deliver extra load on the web server if you try to host jQuery on them.