A Single Page Application (SPA) loads once, after which the entire interface updates without reloading the page. Gmail, Figma, and Trello work this way: navigation is instant, data is loaded in the background, and the application state is preserved between views. To implement this kind of architecture, you need a framework that manages the DOM, routing, and application state. The choice of framework directly affects development speed, performance, and the team’s ability to maintain the project over the long term.
Popular frameworks for SPAs
Modern SPAs are most commonly built using a small number of widely adopted frameworks. They address the same core challenges but differ in architecture, level of abstraction, and developer requirements. These differences have a direct impact on how scalable and maintainable a project will be over time.
React
React dominates SPA development thanks to its component-based approach and massive ecosystem. It is a library rather than a full-fledged framework, which gives teams the freedom to choose their own tools for routing, state management, and styling. React Router handles navigation, Redux or Zustand manage global state, while styled-components or Tailwind take care of styling.
This flexibility comes at a cost: teams must assemble the stack themselves and make architectural decisions upfront. For experienced developers, this is an advantage, as it allows tools to be tailored to the specific needs of the project. For smaller teams, however, it can become a source of technical debt, especially when different developers adopt different approaches to solving the same problems.
React is well suited for projects that require non-standard functionality or deep integration with existing infrastructure. Large product companies often choose React precisely because of the fine-grained control it offers.
Angular
Angular provides everything needed for enterprise development out of the box: routing, an HTTP client, forms, validation, and dependency injection. It is not just a library but a full platform with a clear architecture and strict conventions. TypeScript is built in by default, ensuring type safety from day one.
The structure of Angular applications is strictly defined: modules, services, and components are organized according to well-established rules. This creates consistency in large teams where dozens of developers work on the same project. New team members can understand the codebase more quickly because the architecture is predictable.
Angular requires a significant investment in learning. Concepts such as RxJS and dependency injection may feel unfamiliar to developers coming from other ecosystems. As a result, Angular is typically chosen by large organizations with long-term projects where stability, maintainability, and scalability are critical.
Vue.js
Vue offers a gentler learning curve compared to React and Angular. Single-file components combine templates, logic, and styles in one place, making the application structure easier to understand. The built-in Vue Router and the Pinia state management system cover the core needs of an SPA without requiring third-party integrations.
Reactivity in Vue works out of the box: changes in data are automatically reflected in the UI without additional hooks or mechanisms. This speeds up development and reduces the amount of boilerplate code. Vue is well suited for startups and mid-sized projects where time to market is critical and teams include developers with varying levels of experience.
The Vue ecosystem is smaller than React’s, but it is sufficient for typical SPA use cases. Challenges arise when a project requires highly specialized libraries or integrations that are not available within the Vue community.
Alternatives for specific use cases
Svelte compiles components into optimized JavaScript at build time, resulting in high performance and minimal bundle size. This makes it a strong choice for projects where loading performance is critical, although its ecosystem is still less mature than those of React and Vue.
Solid.js is built on fine-grained reactive primitives and avoids the virtual DOM, delivering performance close to vanilla JavaScript. It is well suited for high-load interfaces with frequent data updates, but it requires a deep understanding of reactive programming.
Choosing a framework for an SPA
The choice of an SPA framework https://www.yelk.io/services/spa/ depends directly on team size, project complexity, and long-term development goals. Understanding the strengths and trade-offs of each tool helps teams build a resilient architecture, maintain clean code, and ensure product stability throughout the entire lifecycle.
