@nlabs/gothamjs/lib/docs/comparison.md

Platform

# GothamJS vs Other Frameworks

This comparison highlights the key differences between GothamJS and other popular React frameworks.

## Feature Comparison

| Feature | GothamJS | Next.js | Create React App | Gatsby |
|---------|----------|---------|-----------------|--------|
| **Setup Complexity** | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
| **Routing** | Built-in (React Router) | Built-in (File-based) | Requires react-router | Built-in (Gatsby Router) |
| **State Management** | Built-in (ArkhamJS/Flux) | External (Redux, etc.) | External (Redux, etc.) | External (Redux, etc.) |
| **Form Handling** | Built-in (React Hook Form + Zod) | External | External | External |
| **UI Components** | Built-in | External | External | External |
| **Internationalization** | Built-in (i18next) | External | External | External |
| **Authentication** | Built-in | External | External | External |
| **Notifications** | Built-in | External | External | External |
| **SSR/SSG Support** | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| **Development Experience** | Streamlined | Comprehensive | Basic | Comprehensive |
| **Bundle Size** | Medium | Large | Small | Large |
| **Learning Curve** | Gentle | Steep | Gentle | Steep |
| **Customization** | High | High | Medium | Medium |
| **Community Size** | Small | Very Large | Very Large | Large |

## When to Choose GothamJS

### Choose GothamJS when:

- You want a complete, ready-to-use React framework with minimal configuration
- You prefer a Flux-based state management approach
- You need built-in form handling with validation
- You want a consistent UI component library out of the box
- You're building a client-side application with authentication needs
- You value developer experience and want to minimize boilerplate code

### Choose Next.js when:

- You need server-side rendering (SSR) or static site generation (SSG)
- You want file-based routing
- You need advanced deployment options (Vercel integration)
- You're building a large-scale application with a large team
- You need API routes built into your application

### Choose Create React App when:

- You want a minimal React setup with maximum flexibility
- You prefer to add libraries as needed
- You're building a simple client-side application
- You're learning React and want to start with the basics

### Choose Gatsby when:

- You're building a static website or blog
- You need excellent image optimization
- You want to use GraphQL for data fetching
- You need a large plugin ecosystem
- You're building a content-heavy site

## Migration Path

If you're considering migrating to GothamJS from another framework, here's what you need to know:

### From Create React App to GothamJS

1. Install GothamJS and its dependencies
2. Replace your root component with `<Gotham>`
3. Configure your routes in the GothamJS config object
4. Migrate your state management to ArkhamJS
5. Replace form components with GothamJS form components
6. Replace UI components with GothamJS components

### From Next.js to GothamJS

1. Install GothamJS and its dependencies
2. Convert file-based routing to GothamJS route configuration
3. Migrate server-side logic to API endpoints or serverless functions
4. Migrate state management to ArkhamJS
5. Replace UI components with GothamJS components

## Conclusion

GothamJS offers a comprehensive solution for React applications with a focus on developer experience and productivity. While it may not have the large ecosystem of Next.js or the SSR capabilities of Gatsby, it excels at providing a complete, ready-to-use framework for client-side applications with minimal configuration.

By combining routing, state management, form handling, and UI components in a single package, GothamJS allows developers to focus on building features rather than configuring tools and libraries.