To create a website, we can choose any library. There are quite a few of them! However, in the context of cryptocurrencies, two of them are worth mentioning – Web3.js and Ether.js. These two frameworks have their own unique advantages, but also disadvantages. Web3.js is by far the more popular, but Ether.js has a wider range of features.
There is no denying that the choice between the two frameworks depends on personal preference and the project you are working on. Today we will look at both and compare their main features.
What is Web3.js and what are its most important features?
Web3.js is a JavaScript library. It makes it easy for us to interact with the Ethereum blockchain. Web3.js provides functions that allow us to create, send and track transactions. We can also interact with smart contracts. Very importantly, Web3.js is open source software. It is used by many companies, including Microsoft and IBM.
Web3.js is a framework that is ideal for developing applications on the Ethereum blockchain. With it, you can build a user base that interacts with the blockchain of this network. Such code has a collection of libraries that allow you to perform various tasks. This includes sending Ether between users or even reading and writing data from smart contracts. Interestingly, you can even create your own smart contracts with Web3.js. Web3.js can both write to and read from Ethereum.
Ether.js – definition and functionality
Ether.js works very similarly to Web3.js. It is a Java library that also allows interaction with the Ethereum blockchain. It offers functions such as creating, sending and tracking transactions. We can also interact with smart contracts using Ether.js. Ether.js runs as open- source software.
The Ether.js library aims to be a complete and compact library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain and its entire ecosystem. It was originally developed as ethers.io, but has since evolved into a very general library.
Key features of Ether.js:
- It securely stores the private keys of its clients.
- Imports and exports JSON portfolios.
- Imports and exports BIP 39 memonic phrases, as well as HD portfolios in English, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.
- It includes metaclass functions that create JavaScript objects from any ABI contract.
- It connects to Ethereum nodes via JSON-RPC, INFURA, Etherscan, Alchemy, Cloudflare or MetaMask.
- The name ESN can be used anywhere Ethereum addresses are used.
- Ether.js is very small.
- It provides complete functionality for all necessary needs related to Ethereum.
- It has extensive documentation.
- It has been extensively tested and modified.
- It has a fully operational TypeScript, with files and full sources.
- It has a MIT licence, and it contains fully open source code that you can do whatever you want with.
Basic differences between Web3.js and Ether.js
Web3.js is a versatile library. It also has relatively more advantages over Ether.js, such as the fact that it is more user-friendly. It is easier to work with Web3.js, and it also has a larger developer community, which makes it easier to get support.
Unfortunately, Web3.js is not yet as advanced as Ether.js. As a result, this framework is not yet as stable. It also lacks some features available in Ether.js.
If you want to interact with the Ethereum blockchain, Ether.js is an excellent choice. Ether.js allows you to write smart contracts in JavaScript right in your browser, making it a simpler and more accessible blockchain language. But this advantage is also its limitation. Ether.js focuses mainly on the Ethereum blockchain, while Web3.js is more comprehensive. Moreover, some of the more Ethereum-specific features of Web3.js are not available in Ether.js.
Application of Web3.js and Ether.js
Web3.js has many applications. These include creating dApps, developing and managing smart contracts or even selling tokens. Web3.js is also a great platform for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain.
The entire Web3.js library greatly simplifies coding and provides developers with numerous tools to perform tasks, including JSON RPC communication, sending transactions and interacting with smart contracts. The framework’s library can also be easily implemented into existing sites and websites due to its compatibility with JavaScript. Web3.js is also a popular tool among developers working on decentralized applications.
In contrast, Ether.js is a somewhat more “powerful” tool. The framework allows us to build already larger applications that run on the Ethernet. Some of these applications are cryptocurrency wallets, decentralized exchanges, but also smart contracts. Ether.js makes it easy for developers to interact with the Ethereum blockchain and write secure code that works as intended. Ether.js can also easily implement smart contracts and interact with them. According to developers, they use Ether.js when they create powerful decentralized applications on the blockchain Ethereum.
Summary
We can summarize today’s lesson very briefly but succinctly. Ether.js is a library that helps developers build decentralized applications on the Ethereum network. Web3.js is a framework that allows developers to connect mainly to the Ethereum network. However, this does not change the fact that both libraries are important for the development of the entire Ethereum ecosystem. They also have their strengths and weaknesses.
If you want to learn more about Ethereum and decentralized applications, you should definitely read on:
