Is React the future?

When developing a modern portfolio website, every developer faces an important choice: which frontend framework do you use? This decision has a major impact on development speed, maintainability, and performance. In this article, I compare the three most popular options - React, Vue.js, and Angular - to investigate which framework is most suitable for building a portfolio website within an 8-week timeframe.

The Research Question

Which frontend framework (React, Vue.js, or Angular) is most suitable for developing a modern portfolio website within an 8-week timeframe, considering efficiency, speed, and future-proofing?

Technical Comparison: Functionality and Performance

Angular: The Complete Framework

Angular is a complete MVC framework with all necessary tools built-in. It works with reusable components and uses TypeScript. Version 17 has added signals for easier data management.

Performance characteristics:

• Bundle size: 62.3kb (gzipped)
• PageSpeed score: 79
• Real DOM with Ahead-of-Time compilation
• Lazy loading support

Angular supports both client-side rendering (CSR) and server-side rendering (SSR), providing flexibility for different deployment scenarios.

React: Flexibility and Speed

React is a library focused on the UI that uses a Virtual DOM to update only changed components. With JSX, you write HTML-like code in JavaScript. You choose your own additional tools for routing and state management. React 18 has concurrent rendering for smoother performance.

Performance characteristics:

• Bundle size: 44.5kb
• PageSpeed score: 82 (highest of the three)
• Virtual DOM for efficient updates
• Code splitting and lazy loading

React uses CSR by default. For SSR, frameworks like Next.js and Gatsby are available. React Server Components enable server-side code in components.

Vue: Progressive and Lightweight

Vue is a progressive framework where you can start small and expand later. The template syntax combines HTML and JavaScript in one file. Vue 3 has the Composition API and supports JavaScript, TypeScript, or JSX.

Performance characteristics:

• Bundle size: 34.7kb (smallest of the three)
• PageSpeed score: 81
• Virtual DOM
• Code splitting and lazy loading

For deployment, Vue supports CSR and SSR, where Nuxt.js can be used for out-of-the-box SSR functionality.

Learning Curve and Development Time

Learning Curve

Vue has the lowest entry barrier with simple syntax and clear documentation. It targets beginning developers for creating dynamic web applications without complex prior knowledge.

React has a moderate learning curve where JSX can take some getting used to, but it is accessible for web developers who know HTML and JavaScript. You learn JSX and concepts like state and props, without having to learn a completely new architecture.

Angular has the steepest learning curve due to its opinionated structure and mandatory TypeScript. Only 30% of developers prefer TypeScript. The complex syntax with decorators and lifecycle hooks is overwhelming for beginners.

Development Speed

Vue is designed for fast development, especially for small to medium-sized projects. React reduces complexity through reusable components for faster development, although setup time is needed for third-party libraries. Angular has longer initial development time due to more boilerplate code.

Job Market Relevance

Dutch Job Market (2025)

Research on Indeed.nl shows that React offers by far the most career opportunities in the Netherlands:

• React: 600+ vacancies
• Angular: 300+ vacancies
• Vue.js: 100+ vacancies

React has 2x as many vacancies as Angular and 6x as many as Vue.js in the Netherlands.

Global and European Trends

React dominates globally with 250,000+ jobs and a balanced European presence. With 15 million+ weekly NPM downloads, it is the most used framework.

Angular has 120,000 jobs worldwide with a strong presence in Europe at enterprise companies. The framework has 2.5 million weekly NPM downloads.

Vue is growing exponentially in Asia and parts of Europe at startups, with 80,000 jobs worldwide and 5 million weekly NPM downloads.

Developer Satisfaction

Developer satisfaction figures show that React is most valued:

• React: 62.2% want to continue with it
• Vue: 53.4% want to continue with it
• Angular: 50.75% want to continue with it

Analysis and Comparison

Efficiency

All three frameworks offer sufficient functionality through component-based architecture. Angular delivers the most complete solution but with the largest bundle size and highest complexity. Vue is most efficient with the smallest bundle size and progressive design. React sits in between with flexibility and a medium bundle size.

For development, Vue has the lowest learning curve and fastest startup possibility. React offers a moderate but manageable learning curve with good development speed. Angular has the steepest learning curve and longest development time, making it less suitable for a time-bound project of 8 weeks.

Speed

React achieved the highest PageSpeed score (82), followed by Vue (81) and Angular (79). Vue has the fastest loading time due to the smallest bundle size, while React and Vue both use Virtual DOM for efficient rendering. For development speed, Vue is fastest, React requires setup time for libraries, and Angular has the longest development time.

Future-Proofing

React has the most career opportunities in the Netherlands with 600+ vacancies. Globally, React is dominant with 250,000+ jobs and the highest developer satisfaction (62.2%). NPM downloads confirm React's dominance in usage. All three frameworks are actively being developed with new features, guaranteeing long-term support.

Conclusion

For developing a modern portfolio website within 8 weeks in a Dutch context, React offers the best balance between efficiency, speed, and future-proofing. React combines good performance (score 82, bundle size 44.5kb), manageable learnability, reasonable development speed, and the best career opportunities in the Netherlands (600+ vacancies).

Vue is a strong alternative for maximum development speed and simplicity due to the lowest learning curve and smallest bundle size, but with more limited career opportunities (100+ vacancies).

Angular is less suitable for this specific project due to the steep learning curve, longest development time, and largest bundle size, despite substantial demand (300+ vacancies) at Dutch enterprises.

For a portfolio website that needs to be developed quickly, perform well, and maximize career prospects, React proves to be the most suitable choice.

Sources:

• Neagoie, A. (2025). Angular vs React vs Vue: The Best Framework for 2025. Zero To Mastery.
• Emadamerho-Atori, N. (2024). Angular vs. React vs. Vue.js: Comparing performance. LogRocket.
• BTS Team (2025). Angular vs React vs Vue – Popularity And Trends [2025]. Brisk Tech Solutions.
• Indeed.nl (2025). Vacancy data React, Angular and Vue.js.
• Refonte Learning (2025). Modern Front-End Frameworks Compared: React, Vue, and Angular in 2025.