Blade vs Pug: What are the differences?

Introduction

Blade and Pug are both popular template engines used in web development, but they differ in several key aspects. Below are the six main differences between Blade and Pug.

1. Syntax: Blade uses PHP-like syntax, allowing developers to embed PHP code directly within the templates using @php tags. On the other hand, Pug uses indentation-based syntax, similar to Python, making it more concise and easier to read.

2. Whitespace handling: Blade preserves whitespace, allowing developers to have precise control over the output HTML. In Pug, however, whitespace is significant, and indentation determines the hierarchy of elements in the generated HTML.

3. Code organization: Blade templates are organized into separate files with a .blade.php extension, allowing for reusable components and inheritance capabilities. Pug, on the other hand, uses a single file with a .pug extension, making it suitable for small to medium-sized projects with less code complexity.

4. Conditional statements: Blade provides a familiar syntax for conditional statements, using @if, @else, and @endif directives. Pug, on the other hand, uses indentation to define conditional blocks and doesn't require explicit control structures.

5. Looping constructs: Blade utilizes @foreach, @for, and @while directives to define loops within templates. Pug, on the other hand, relies on indentation to determine the scope of loops and doesn't provide explicit loop constructs.

6. Integration with frameworks: Blade is the default template engine of the Laravel framework, providing seamless integration and a rich set of features out of the box. Pug, on the other hand, is not as widely supported within popular frameworks and requires additional configuration to work with them.

In summary, Blade is a PHP-based template engine with a familiar syntax and a strong integration with Laravel, while Pug is an indentation-based template engine with concise syntax but limited framework support.