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Handlebars.js vs Mustache vs Pug: What are the differences?
Introduction
In website development, there are several template engines available to streamline the process. Three popular template engines are Handlebars.js, Mustache, and Pug. In this analysis, we will highlight the key differences between these template engines and provide a concise summary.
Syntax and readability: Handlebars.js uses a simple and intuitive syntax, resembling HTML, making it easy to read and understand. Mustache also follows a similar syntax but lacks certain features like conditionals. On the other hand, Pug uses a combination of indentation and tags, which can be initially confusing but offers concise and readable code once familiarized.
Conditional logic: Handlebars.js provides built-in support for conditional statements, allowing developers to incorporate logic within the templates. Mustache, however, lacks this feature and only focuses on variable substitution. Pug, while having access to JavaScript logic, utilizes a different syntax for conditionals, requiring additional learning to work with.
Loop iteration: Both Handlebars.js and Mustache allow for loop iteration through arrays and objects. Handlebars.js provides more flexibility and features, such as nested loops, custom helpers, and partials. Mustache, however, has simpler syntax for loop iteration but lacks these additional functionalities. Pug, being focused on indentation-based structure, does not have specific syntax for loop iteration, which may require using JavaScript loops directly.
Partial templates: Handlebars.js and Mustache both support partial templates, which allow developers to reuse code across the application. This provides modularity and avoids code duplication. However, Pug, being indentation-based, does not have a dedicated partial template feature. Instead, it offers mixin functionality, which can achieve a similar result but requires a different approach.
Whitespace handling: Handlebars.js and Pug handle whitespaces differently. Handlebars.js preserves all whitespaces in the HTML output, which can sometimes result in unwanted spaces. Pug, on the other hand, removes unnecessary whitespaces by default, resulting in cleaner HTML output. Mustache, being a logic-less template engine, does not have any specific handling for whitespaces.
JavaScript usage: Handlebars.js and Pug allow developers to execute JavaScript code within the templates, providing greater flexibility for complex logic. Mustache, being a logic-less template engine, does not directly support JavaScript execution and focuses on variable substitution.
In Summary, Handlebars.js and Mustache offer more flexibility and features for conditional logic, loop iteration, and partial templates compared to Pug. However, Pug provides a simpler and more concise syntax once mastered and has better whitespace handling by default.
@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
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.
Pros of Handlebars.js
- Simple106
- Great templating language77
- Open source50
- Logicless36
- Integrates well into any codebase20
- Easy to create helper methods for complex scenarios10
- Created by Yehuda Katz7
- Easy For Fornt End Developers,learn backend2
- Awesome1
Pros of Mustache
- Dead simple templating29
- Open source12
- Small8
- Support in lots of languages1
Pros of Pug
- Elegant html138
- Great with nodejs90
- Open source59
- Very short syntax59
- Structured with indentation54
- Free25
- Really similar to Slim (from Ruby fame)6
- It's not HAML6
- Gulp6
- Clean syntax5
- Readable code5
- Easy setup5
- Difficult For Front End Developers,learn backend5
- Disdain for angled brackets4