If you're already using a framework, should you never write "plain vanilla" js?

Question

This is more of a question of style and preference than anything, though it's possible that there might be performance considerations as well.

If you're using a framework (say jQuery for the sake of argument, though it could be any framework) and you need to write a new function. It's a simple function, and you could easily accomplish it without using the framework.

Is there an advantage to using the framework anyway, because it's already loaded in the browser's memory, has a readily-accessible map of the DOM, etc.? Or will plain-vanilla js always parse faster because it's "raw" and doesn't depend on the framework?

Or is it simply a matter of taste?

Answer 1

The answer is going to depend greatly on what you're working to accomplish. In general, you're guaranteed at least a minor performance penalty for function overhead if you use a framework to achieve something that can be accomplished using "vanilla" JavaScript. This performance penalty is typically nominal and can be disregarded when taking other advantages of your framework into mind (speed of development, cleaner code, ease of maintenance, reusable code, etc).

If you absolutely have to have the most efficient code possible then you should try to write pure JavaScript that's highly optimized. If, like in most real world scenarios, you're not concerned about a handful of milliseconds in performance difference, stick with your Framework to maintain consistency.