Definition:
A web framework is a set of tools dedicated for building a general, or a particular kind of web application.
A web framework makes a web programmer’s life easier by:
- Automatically create folders for a web application.
- Automatically create skeleton files (files already containing codes for the web application and a programmer can simply modify them)
- Provide functions for common web tasks.
- Managing add-on modules (libraries to perform certain task for a web application, like user authentication).
Typically web frameworks are separated by the programming languages they are built upon.
Analogy:
- LEGO sets. Each unique LEGO set provides components to build a particular LEGO toy.
- Garden kits.
Common Examples:
- Node.js
- Ruby on Rails
- Django
- Zend
- Bootstrap
- AngularJS