JAVA SCRIPT - Finding the Perfect Library

 Finding the Perfect Library

Problem

You need functionality in your application, and you’re pretty sure someone somewhere must have already created it. So, other than using a search engine, how can you find good modules, libraries, and tools?

Solution

Look for resource sites that not only provide a listing of libraries, modules, and tools, but also provide information about their use, their popularity, and how active the sup‐ port is for them.

EXPLAIN

First of all, don’t knock search engines for finding good JavaScript source. By using Google’s Search tools and restricting results to the past year, I can easily find recent and up-to-date code, as well as interesting newcomers that haven’t yet achieved a high level of popularity. 

Still, you’re also just as likely to run into pages of Stack Overflow results rather than a library when searching for JavaScript functionality, so another option when looking for a new library is to search popular script resources sites.

 GitHub is a good resource for JavaScript libraries, modules, and tools, and you’ll also be able to see at a glance if the code is being maintained and how popular it is. You can search for specific functionality, or you can use the GitHub Explore page to find new and interesting 

GitHub projects by category. I especially recommend the Data Visual‐ ization category. Micro.js is a site featuring a small set of what it calls micro-frameworks. These are smaller, more purposed JavaScript libraries, all displayed in a fun little site. JSDB.io calls itself “the definitive source of the best JavaScript libraries, frameworks, and plugins,” and it is an excellent resource. 

Again, just search for the general type of functionality you need, such as canvas chart, and then peruse the results. The results even give you an approval percentage, and the returned page also provides information such as GitHub watchers, average time between commits, average forks, and average number of contributors.