PugJS and Handlebars.js – Template Engines for NodeJS

Template engines for NodeJS are known for making the lives of the developers easier. Notable examples of a template engine are PugJS and Handlebars.js.

Basically, they can make a cleaner-looking syntax without having to deal with the complexity of HTML and JavaScript codes. The codes will be easier to read, and thus, there will be less hassle on building websites.

However, these two obviously have their own strengths and weaknesses.

PugJS is open source and has a very clean paragraph-like syntax. It has a great compatibility with NodeJS. Thus, it delivers high performance on both server and client side. Documentation is also easy to follow for those people who would like to try this engine.

Developers who would like to use PugJS need to convert HTML codes to PugJS’s syntax first. This could be a problem if one developer does not want to use PugJS at all. The syntax is whitespace sensitive as well. Hence, indentation errors are common since developers have different styles.

Handlebars.js is also open source, and its main focus is to help developers create a semantic template. In short, it is a logic-less template engine since you cannot run a JavaScript inside the created template. Developers can even precompile the templates to lessen the load on the client so it can run smoother and faster. It is also highly compatible with Mustache.js.

Documentation for Handlebars.js can be confusing, especially for the beginners. It may not be also compatible with AngularJS or other frameworks that have its own template.

There you have it! These two template engines are actually both great, with minimal to no problems whatsoever.

Check out PugJS here, and Handlebars.js here, respectively.