Is RxJS Still Relevant in 2023? Exploring the Controversy and Benefits

RxJS, a powerful reactive programming library in JavaScript, has sparked mixed reactions within the developer community. Let's delve into the key discussions surrounding the relevance of RxJS in 2023, as discussed on Reddit:

• RxJS as a Fundamental Skill: One user emphasized that regardless of the framework or language used, the reactive skills gained from learning RxJS are invaluable and transferable.

  "Rxjs is one of the best tools to add to your belt...the reactive skills you will learn will be with you forever, and will translate to other frameworks or langauges too." - Reddit User

• RxJS in Angular: Another user highlighted the indispensability of RxJS in Angular, positioning it as a fundamental component for developers aspiring to work with Angular.

  "RxJS is, and in the future still will remain, a fundamental part of Angular...some knowledge of RxJS is mandatory." - Reddit User

• Relevance with Specific Frameworks: However, some users expressed skepticism about the utility of RxJS outside of Angular, suggesting that its complexity might outweigh its benefits in other reactive frameworks.

"With react it’s absolutely useless. Same applies to vue/solid/svelte...Just way too complex and useless in a reactive framework." - Reddit User

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• Learning Curve and Value: Despite its steep learning curve, RxJS was hailed for introducing developers to the concept of reactive programming, which is increasingly significant in modern development practices.

  "Reactive programming is a fairly new concept and well worth learning...There is also a Java reactiveibeary, and probably other languages too." - Reddit User

• Challenges and Criticisms: Some detractors expressed strong negative opinions on RxJS, citing its complexities and arguing that it might not be worth the effort for developers unless required for work.

  "RxJS was never worth learning...RxJS just over complicates everything without much benefit to the developer." - Reddit User

• Future Outlook: The potential integration of Observables into the JavaScript language was mentioned, hinting at a possible shift in the relevance of RxJS in the future.

  "There is a Stage 1 proposal to make Observables a part of the JS language. So yeah maybe?" - Reddit User

• Unique Challenges: RxJS was critiqued for creating distinct challenges for developers, such as managing initial values in Observables and handling data freshness, further fueling the debate on its usability.

  "Rxjs creates its own set of unique problems...Observables create a stream of data, but tell you nothing about its freshness, once more forcing complexity on subscribers." - Reddit User

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In the developer community, RxJS is still a contentious topic. Supporters praise its ability to improve reactive programming abilities, while detractors warn against its complexity. The applicability of RxJS in 2023 and beyond will probably be a topic of discussion as the tech landscape changes.