SharePoint Framework is considered as one of the most recommended SharePoint development options because of its extensive customization features, modern development toolchain, and patterns. It uses modern web development technologies and tools to excel the user experiences and developer flexibility for the development environment.

SharePoint Framework, also known as SPFx, is a most consistent and modern development methodology that works perfectly between SharePoint Online, Office 365, and on-premises SharePoint.

SharePoint Framework is only limited to SharePoint development, but also it is supported with extensibility platforms development like Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva connectors to extend the customizations. It is supported in both SharePoint Online and SharePoint on-premises. We can develop highly customized web parts and pages with full support of the SharePoint client-side model.

In this article, we will delve into SharePoint Framework and its potential features. Furthermore, we will explore the history of SharePoint and how it has reached this level. The overview of this article is given below:

The history of SharePoint

Let’s get into the history of SharePoint evolution. Initially, SharePoint was announced in 2001 as an on-premises product and over the years till date it has been improved and enriched with powerful features. Now, we are in SharePoint Server 2019 and SharePoint Online with modern UI and experiences.


https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/sharepoint-20-years-young/ba-p/2238955

SharePoint has evolved significantly over the period, with several powerful features to cater to limitless requirements. Highlights of SharePoint over 20 years are listed below:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/sharepoint-20-years-young/ba-p/2238955

SharePoint Development Options

We have several development options that vary from SharePoint Online to On-premises, and then based on classical and modern sites.

SharePoint On-Premises

SharePoint Online

If we observe carefully from the above, development options for SharePoint Developers, then we are left with few options. Considering the pain of SharePoint Developers, we need a trustful development platform that is compatible with SharePoint Online as well as SharePoint On-premises. Further, we need a stable development toolchain for classic SharePoint and Modern designs. We, in addition, need strong community support to sustain long term development plans, i.e., SharePoint Framework.

Therefore, SharePoint Framework is considered one of most recommended SharePoint Development platforms with strong community support, well-suited for both SharePoint Online and on-premises, compatible in both classic and modern design.

SharePoint Framework Key Highlights

In this section, we will discuss some key features of SharePoint Framework.

Why SharePoint Framework is recommended

Taking into the consideration above key highlights, it is obvious that SharePoint Framework is a prudent option to do the SharePoint Development. Let’s delve into it.

Compatibility consideration

SharePoint Framework works perfectly with both SharePoint Online and On-premises. Then again, it is compatible with both classic and modern portals. It is compatible with all the plans

SharePoint Versions compatibility with SharePoint Framework

SharePoint Version SharePoint Framework (SPFx) Version Features Compatible
SharePoint 2013 Not Supported Not Supported
SharePoint 2016 Feature Pack 2 v 1.1 SPFx client-side web parts hosted in classic SharePoint pages.
SharePoint Server 2019. v1.4.1 or lower SPFx client-side web parts in classic and modern pages, and extensions in modern pages.
SharePoint Online All versions All features

Note: SharePoint Framework (SPFx) is not supported for SharePoint 2013.

Modern Development Methodology

SharePoint Framework is built on modern technologies such as NPM (Node.js), TypeScript, Yeoman and gulp and webpack which are purely open source. Furthermore, SPFx solutions can be developed using any JavaScript Framework. In other words, we can use any modern and choice of front-End Frameworks but not limited to like Angular, Vue.Js, React, knockout etc. This results in huge opportunities for developers to develop and customize SharePoint with modern technologies and tools.

Strong Community Support

If we see the SharePoint developments other than SharePoint Framework, we were missing strong communities and the dedicated Microsoft team was not working or building solutions based on those dev tools. Because of this, the Microsoft team couldn’t understand the pains and difficulties faced by the SharePoint developers.

However, we have strong community support for SharePoint Framework and Microsoft developers also use SPFx for their development, consequently, they understand the complexities and provide frequent updates and roadmap to the platform. Furthermore, we have a strong community with active forums where we can post our queries, and several experts and even Microsoft core product team will assist for resolution. Because Microsoft Dev team is using this platform, they will face problems we do and will fix the issues by releasing new versions with fixes.

Highly Customizable

SPFx provides developers with great options to customize and add new features to SharePoint. Now, we can use the latest stacks and technologies to optimize the experience of SharePoint. This adds another advantageous attribute to SharePoint Developers. Microsoft always recommends adding such enhanced features to SharePoint.

Supported Extensibility Platforms

As it is already supported in both SharePoint Online and On-premises which I have shared details in compatibility consideration. Additional to that, it is extended to use as development of Microsoft Teams applications and Microsoft Viva connections customization. SPFx can be used in development of Viva connections and add features to it.

Considering the above benefits and key features, it is obvious to use SPFx for SharePoint development. SPFx Rocks!!

Conclusion

To sum up, seeing the complexity and history of SharePoint and its development approaches, SPFx is considered as one of the best selections. In this article, I have delved into SharePoint Development approaches and challenges faced by a developer. I have also shared the history of SharePoint with its features and improvement over the years. SharePoint has improved a lot and is equipped with several valuable features. Furthermore, I have highlighted the key features of SPFx with example use cases. Lastly, I have pointed out why SPFx is a recommended development approach with several supporting facts.