This is a very general introduction to MV* Javascript frameworks. This card won't tell you anything new if you are already familiar with the products mentioned in the title.

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As web applications move farther into the client, Javascript frameworks have sprung up that operate on a higher level of abstraction than DOM manipulation frameworks like jQuery and Prototype. Such high-level frameworks typically offer support for client-side view rendering, routing, data bindings, etc. This is useful, and when you write a moderately complex Javascript application with jQuery alone, you'll often either implement these features yourself, or end up with a mess of events and callbacks.

For a long time there has been no clear winner between the various high-level Javascript frameworks (sometimes called MV* frameworks). In 2011 Backbone.js Show archive.org snapshot gained a lot of popularity. It has recently been challenged by Yehudo Katz' Ember.js Show archive.org snapshot . Both frameworks are leightweight, but they have very different philosophies and tastes in design. I recommend reading Backbone and Ember Show archive.org snapshot by Boris Smus for a very reflected comparison between the two.

Even though Ember and Backbone are receiving a lot of attention currently, there are other frameworks with interesting approaches such as Knockout Show archive.org snapshot . You will probably need to take them for a ride in a sample project in order to decide which style fits you best.

A nice way to compare different MV* frameworks is TodoMVC Show archive.org snapshot , which shows different implementations of the same sample project in different MV* frameworks. If you are looking for an article that compares frameworks, I recommend Rich Javascript applications: The seven frameworks Show archive.org snapshot .