EJS (Embedded JavaScript) and Pug (formerly known as Jade) are both template engines for creating dynamic HTML pages.
EJS is a simple templating language that allows you to embed JavaScript code in your HTML. It uses open and closing tags <% %> to enclose JavaScript code and <%= %> to interpolate the results of JavaScript expressions into the HTML.
Pug is a high-performance template engine heavily influenced by Haml. It uses indentation and line breaks to create a more readable and concise syntax for generating HTML. Pug also supports embedding JavaScript code, but its syntax is different from EJS.
Both EJS and Pug can be used with a variety of web development frameworks, such as Express.js for Node.js and webpack for JavaScript. Ultimately, the choice between EJS and Pug will depend on your personal preferences and the specific requirements of your project.
Which is easier to learn?
EJS may be easier to learn for developers who are already familiar with JavaScript, as it uses standard JavaScript syntax and allows you to embed JavaScript code directly in your HTML templates.
Pug, on the other hand, has its own syntax that may be less familiar to developers who are new to template engines. However, its syntax is designed to be clean and concise, which can make it easier to read and understand once you get the hang of it.
Ultimately, the ease of learning a template engine will depend on your personal learning style and the specific requirements of your project. If you are new to template engines and web development in general, you may want to start with a template engine that has a more familiar syntax, such as EJS. As you become more comfortable with web development, you can then explore other template engines and decide which one works best for you.
Advantages & Disadvantages of EJS & PUG
Here are some advantages and disadvantages of both EJS and Pug:
EJS:
- Advantages:
- Uses familiar JavaScript syntax, making it easier to learn for developers who are already familiar with JavaScript.
- Allows you to embed JavaScript code directly in your templates, which can make it easier to create dynamic content.
- Widely supported by web development frameworks.
- Disadvantages:
- Can result in less readable and more cluttered templates if not used carefully.
- Does not have as many features as some other template engines, such as Pug.
Pug:
- Advantages:
- Has a clean and concise syntax that can make templates easier to read and understand.
- Provides a number of built-in features, such as mixins and filters, which can help to streamline the development process.
- Widely supported by web development frameworks.
- Disadvantages:
- Has its own syntax that may be less familiar to developers who are new to template engines.
- Can require more setup and configuration than some other template engines.
Ultimately, the choice between EJS and Pug will depend on your personal preferences and the specific requirements of your project. Both template engines have their own strengths and can be used effectively in different situations.
Examples of EJS & PUG
Let us have a look at both of them, and how they work to render a common result.
EJS:
<html>
<body>
<h1><%= title %></h1>
<ul>
<% for (var i = 0; i < items.length; i++) { %>
<li><%= items[i] %></li>
<% } %>
</ul>
</body>
</html>
PUG:
html
body
h1= title
ul
each item in items
li= item
In both examples, the template is used to generate an HTML page with a heading and an unordered list. The EJS template uses standard JavaScript syntax to loop through the items array and create a list item for each element. The Pug template uses a more concise syntax, using the each keyword to loop through the items array and create a list item for each element.
Both templates can be rendered with data to generate the final HTML page:
const data = {
title: 'My List',
items: ['item 1', 'item 2', 'item 3']
};
const html = ejs.render(template, data);
// or
const html = pug.render(template, data);
The resulting HTML would be:
<html>
<body>
<h1>My List</h1>
<ul>
<li>item 1</li>
<li>item 2</li>
<li>item 3</li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>
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