How to hire Knockout developers in 2023 [and beyond]

One of the superior frameworks in the market today, KnockoutJS, is used by the most innovative and brightest minds. However, with every great technology comes a reasonable degree of complexity.

And since most developers aren't crazy about spending hours debugging your application, we have put together this ultimate list of features you should consider when searching for Knockout developers in 2023 and beyond.

But let's first get down to the basics…

What is Knockout?

If you don't already know what KnockoutJS is, let's start with some background information.

KnockoutJS is a JavaScript library that makes creating rich, responsive applications more accessible. It's lightweight and unobtrusive, which means it doesn't require all the extra code that other frameworks like AngularJS or jQuery need.

It is an MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) framework that lets you bind data to your HTML elements. You can also use it to implement two-way data binding, which allows you to automatically update the view whenever the model changes and vice versa.

This is an essential feature for any web application because it reduces the need for manual updates. By using KnockoutJS, you can build apps with better user experiences and fewer bugs.

It has been around for a decade and has certainly made its mark in the world of web programming. Suppose you're considering hiring developers to create websites, mobile applications, or even other enterprise solutions with KnockoutJS. In that case, there are a few factors you'll want to consider as you weigh your options.

Longevity

KnockoutJS has been around for over ten years and is only growing in popularity. Because of its strong following and open-source nature, there is a high probability that the framework will remain an essential part of the larger web development ecosystem for years to come. This longevity makes it an excellent choice for companies looking for long-term solutions.

Simplicity

Because KnockoutJS helps you work with models more efficiently, it can simplify your codebase significantly. By doing so, developers will spend less time writing and debugging code and more time doing the things only they can do: creating unique designs and applications that users love!

Practicality

One of its most significant selling points for web developers is that it speeds up development time by providing a single place to store all of your JavaScript code. This enables them to do away with heavy frameworks like AngularJS and EmberJS, which have gained popularity recently due to their speed and capacity for more complex use cases.

What’s the average salary for a top Knockout.js developer?

The average salary for a Knockout.js developer is between $70,000 and $90,000 per year and can be much higher based on their expertise.

Top Knockout developers are usually experienced and have worked in the field for at least five years. They also have a strong understanding of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. They typically work in a team environment on engagements that range from small websites to large applications.

These developers often start as freelancers, but companies or agencies can hire them for development work on specific engagements.

Benefits of using Knockout

Gregory Garcia, a full stack developer with experience in Knockout, says it has several benefits.

“You can easily associate DOM elements with model data – when your data model's state changes, your UI updates automatically. Knockout.js allows you to quickly generate sophisticated, nested UIs as a function of your model data. It supports all mainstream browsers, even ancient ones. The framework is also pure JavaScript – works with any web framework.”

Gregory Garcia

Other benefits:

• Knockout.js is ideal for creating web apps because of its simplicity and flexibility.
• It's lightweight but doesn't lack anything that's needed to create a fully functional app.
• It doesn't have too many or too few of the features that are common in other frameworks.
• Knockout.js works well with JavaScript MV* frameworks like AngularJS and ReactJS – you'll find that these frameworks complement each other nicely and can help you take full advantage of their respective benefits.
• It has features that allow you to separate your frontend code from your backend code to use the same code on both sides.

Rashied Aslam, a Full Stack Developer with experience in Knockout, added about its benefits:

“It provides two-way binding of data between View and View-Model. Storing data in Models provides better handling of data models and can act as an isolation layer.”

Rashid Aslam

So, why is Knockout such a great skill to have?

Rashid states, “It is a framework with MVVM design pattern different to MVC. Learning Knockout.js opens new doors of possibilities in your projects. It resembles the design pattern with Angular.js, so it becomes straightforward to learn and adapt to Angular.js projects.”

If you're still unsure whether or not hiring KnockoutJS developers are right for your business, here are two more reasons why it might be:

1. Increasing demand for KnockoutJS developers

In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for KnockoutJS developers as more companies are adopting this technology. This means that there are more opportunities for developers who know how to use KnockoutJS, which makes it easier for companies to hire someone who can help them get their projects off the ground quickly and efficiently.

2. Better performance than AngularJS

KnockoutJS has outperformed AngularJS in terms of speed and efficiency when working with large data sets. This makes it a great option if you need something quick and easy while still being able to handle large amounts of data without slowing down your website or app significantly during high-traffic times like holidays or sales seasons when lots of people come online at once!

Required skills

The skills required to become a Knockout developer depend on the level of work you want to do.

• A junior-level developer should be able to write basic code using KnockoutJS but may not have experience with other frameworks like AngularJS or React.

• A mid-level developer might have more experience with other frameworks but might not be familiar with version 2 of KnockoutJS or its new features.

• Senior developers should have deep knowledge of all aspects of KnockoutJS and familiarity with other frameworks that could be used in conjunction with it (like AngularJS).

These are just the most common skills and how they are used to create KnockoutJS applications.

• HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript knowledge
• KnockoutJS knowledge
• Working knowledge of jQuery

For a developer to be successful in this role, Gregory suggested:

“The developer should know the key concepts around MVVM. Javascript experience is a must-have, and it would be great if they have unit test experience.” The best way [to assess the skill] is to ask to the developer to build an application with Knockout.js and explain how they built it.”

Gregory Garcia

How to find the best Knockout.js developers for your business

When it comes time to hire Knockout.js developers or any other kind of web developer, you have the luxury of being able to choose from a variety of highly skilled individuals depending on your needs.

You can hire full-time employees who work in the office or freelance Knockout.js team members who work remotely. Either way, you will be able to get the job done quickly if you hire someone familiar with Knockout.js because they will already know how the framework works most efficiently and can adapt quickly when changes are made.

Proxify makes hiring developers easy and can pair you with a skilled, reputable developer within days. Get in touch with us to find out more.

Know how to evaluate Knockout.js developers (with screening questions)

To hire Knockout developers, you need to know how to evaluate their skills and experience. Here are some screening questions you can ask potential candidates:

1. What is KnockoutJS?

Expected answer: KnockoutJS is a JavaScript library that helps you to bind your HTML to a model. It enables you to create rich, responsive UI's that update automatically when the underlying data changes.

2. Why is KnockoutJS useful?

Expected answer: It is easy to learn—it doesn't take long before you can start writing Knockout code. It makes it easier to build complex UIs that respond to changes in their data models and because it helps you manage your UI state more intuitively than the traditional approach of writing lots of JavaScript code.

3. What is dependency tracking?

Expected answer: Dependency tracking means that if you change the value of one property, then all related properties are automatically updated. For example, let's say you have a list of products, and each product has a "stock level" property. If you change the stock level for one product in your list, then all products with that same stock level will be changed too. This can be useful if you want to quickly update your data without writing extra code or thinking about it too much!

4. What are the most prominent features of Knockout JS?

Expected answer: The most prominent features of Knockout JS include: a Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) framework, two-way data binding, declarative event handling, dependency tracking, and automatic DOM updates.

5. What is two-way data binding?

Expected answer: Two-way data binding is when the value of one variable automatically updates whenever another variable change. KnockoutJS makes this possible through its observable and computed properties, which are methods that allow you to define dependencies between different parts of your application.

6. Describe a Knockout View Model.

Expected answer: A view model is an object containing the HTML DOM elements and values displayed on a page. It has two parts: the observable part and the computed part.

The observable part stores all of the values associated with the DOM elements. In contrast, the computed part holds functions that calculate new values based on other observable values.

7. What is the purpose of a mapping plugin?

Expected answer: The purpose of the mapping plugin is to map one observable property into another observable property without writing any JavaScript code by hand.

8. How can we activate a Knockout JS Model?

Expected answer: To activate a Knockout model, we need to call ko.applyBindings() function. This function applies the bindings on an HTML element with the specified ID or element selector.

9. What is the use of templates in Knockout, and how are they coded?

Expected answer: Templates are used for creating HTML elements dynamically from a string literal during runtime. They are handy when we want to create dynamic content or just display some data from an array in our application without writing any markup manually.

10. What is your preferred method for getting started with Knockout?

Provide a detailed description of how you choose to get started with Knockout.

11. What's your favorite feature of Knockout? Why?

Talk about why you enjoy using Knockout.

Now, for the question that’s on everybody’s lips. Should every company use Knockout.js?

“Every project has different requirements and also the company owning it. Knockout.js can certainly handle a large-scale project if depended upon. The two-way binding is like a double-edged sword. If you don’t handle it with care, then you can end up hurting yourself.”

Rashid Aslam

Gregory considers it a futile decision.

“No, even though Knockout.js is a great library that can be used to build quick web apps, right now, there are few developers learning Knockout, so the company will be out of support, especially because Knockout is out-to-date (last release 11/2019).”

Gregory Garcia

Conclusion

It is no surprise why Knockout has managed to gain so much traction and attention from the development community. It is a robust framework that is easy to learn and use with its simple syntax and intuitive model binding system.

Choosing the right candidate for your project is important for developing your product. Making sure you have a team capable of delivering on the goals you set for them is more critical to the success of your project than any other factor. Look for developers who have a keen understanding of what problems haven't been solved with frameworks like Knockout and devise a way to solve them.

So, if you want to hire the best talent in KnockoutJS, consider hiring your developers through Proxify!