Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

EJS

347
352
+ 1
18
Handlebars.js

7.8K
3.2K
+ 1
309
Add tool

EJS vs Handlebars.js: What are the differences?

EJS and Handlebars.js are both popular templating engines used for generating HTML markup with JavaScript. While they serve the same purpose, there are several key differences between the two.

  1. Template Syntax: EJS uses a simple and intuitive template syntax that closely resembles traditional JavaScript syntax, making it easy for developers familiar with JavaScript to work with. Handlebars.js, on the other hand, uses a mustache-style templating syntax, which is more concise and easier to read.

  2. Partials and Helpers: Handlebars.js has built-in support for partials and helpers, making it easier to reuse and modularize templates. EJS, on the other hand, does not have native support for these features, but they can be implemented using JavaScript functions.

  3. Conditionals and Loops: EJS provides control flow structures like if-else statements and for loops, allowing for more complex logic within templates. Handlebars.js, on the other hand, has a more limited set of control flow structures, focusing on simplicity and readability.

  4. Whitespace Control: Handlebars.js automatically removes unnecessary whitespace from the rendered output, resulting in cleaner and more compact HTML code. EJS, on the other hand, preserves whitespace, which can be useful for maintaining the structure and readability of the rendered HTML.

  5. Extensibility: Handlebars.js provides a plugin system that allows developers to extend its functionality with custom helpers and decorators. EJS, on the other hand, does not have a built-in extension mechanism, but it can be easily extended using JavaScript functions.

  6. Popularity and Community: Both EJS and Handlebars.js have active communities and are widely used in the industry. However, Handlebars.js tends to have a larger user base and more third-party plugins and integrations available.

In Summary, EJS and Handlebars.js have different approaches to templating syntax, support for features like partials and helpers, control flow structures, whitespace control, extensibility, and popularity within the developer community. As a developer, the choice between the two depends on the project requirements and personal preferences.

Advice on EJS and Handlebars.js
Asad Gilani
Software Engineer at Lisec Automation · | 5 upvotes · 203.3K views
Needs advice
on
Handlebars.jsHandlebars.js
and
LiquidLiquid

@All: I am searching for the best template engine for .NET. I started looking into several template engines, including the Dotliquid, Handlebars.js, Scriban, and Razorlight. I found handlebar a bit difficult to use when using the loops and condition because you need to register for helper first. DotLiquid and Scriban were easy to use and in Razorlight I did not find the example for loops.

Can you please suggest which template engine is best suited for the use of conditional/list and looping and why? Or if anybody could provide me a resource or link where I can compare which is best?

Thanks In Advance

See more
Replies (1)
Josh Lind
Recommends
on
Handlebars.jsHandlebars.js

I like Handlebars, it's very mature... some would say-- outdated.

Handlebars loops are done via {{#each myList}}. Read the docs! https://handlebarsjs.com/guide

Remember, don't put logic in your templates! Keep this layer simple. Sorry to hear you have to use dotNet.

See more
Get Advice from developers at your company using StackShare Enterprise. Sign up for StackShare Enterprise.
Learn More
Pros of EJS
Pros of Handlebars.js
  • 6
    For a beginner it's just plain javascript code
  • 6
    It'a easy to understand the concept behind it
  • 3
    You almost know how to use it from start
  • 3
    Quick for templating UI project
  • 106
    Simple
  • 77
    Great templating language
  • 50
    Open source
  • 36
    Logicless
  • 20
    Integrates well into any codebase
  • 10
    Easy to create helper methods for complex scenarios
  • 7
    Created by Yehuda Katz
  • 2
    Easy For Fornt End Developers,learn backend
  • 1
    Awesome

Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions

- No public GitHub repository available -

What is EJS?

It is a simple templating language that lets you generate HTML markup with plain JavaScript. No religiousness about how to organize things. No reinvention of iteration and control-flow. It's just plain JavaScript.

What is Handlebars.js?

Handlebars.js is an extension to the Mustache templating language created by Chris Wanstrath. Handlebars.js and Mustache are both logicless templating languages that keep the view and the code separated like we all know they should be.

Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

What companies use EJS?
What companies use Handlebars.js?
See which teams inside your own company are using EJS or Handlebars.js.
Sign up for StackShare EnterpriseLearn More

Sign up to get full access to all the companiesMake informed product decisions

What tools integrate with EJS?
What tools integrate with Handlebars.js?

Blog Posts

What are some alternatives to EJS and Handlebars.js?
React
Lots of people use React as the V in MVC. Since React makes no assumptions about the rest of your technology stack, it's easy to try it out on a small feature in an existing project.
Pug
This project was formerly known as "Jade." Pug is a high performance template engine heavily influenced by Haml and implemented with JavaScript for Node.js and browsers.
JSX
It is designed to run on modern web browsers. It performs optimization while compiling the source code to JavaScript. The generated code runs faster than an equivalent code written directly in JavaScript.
Mustache
Mustache is a logic-less template syntax. It can be used for HTML, config files, source code - anything. It works by expanding tags in a template using values provided in a hash or object. We call it "logic-less" because there are no if statements, else clauses, or for loops. Instead there are only tags. Some tags are replaced with a value, some nothing, and others a series of values.
TypeScript
TypeScript is a language for application-scale JavaScript development. It's a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
See all alternatives