Why use React?

Several popular websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Uber, WhatsApp, Venmo, PayPal, and Airbnb are developed using React.

So, what makes React so popular, and why have these companies chosen it for their development needs? Let’s break it down by looking at React’s definition and its key properties.

React is a declarative, component-based, and extensible JavaScript library.

React is Declarative

React’s declarative nature simplifies the process of creating interactive user interfaces. It allows you to design simple views for each state in your application. When your data changes, React efficiently updates and renders only the components that need to change. This approach makes your code more predictable and easier to debug.

React is Easy to Learn

Simplicity is a key reason for React's popularity. It focuses on building front-end user interfaces and works well with vanilla JavaScript and HTML. If you’re familiar with these technologies, you'll find React easy to pick up. Developers can use popular tools like Visual Studio Code to develop React apps, making the transition smooth for those coming from other web technologies.

React is Faster to Render

In React, elements are the basic building blocks of your application. Think of an element as a variable that holds a value. Here’s an example of a React element:

const hello = <h1>Hello React App</h1>;

Creating elements is straightforward, and they are inexpensive to render. Unlike the traditional browser DOM, where rendering manages the entire web page, React manages rendering through React DOM. The function ReactDOM.render() is used to render these elements efficiently.

React is Powerful

One of the standout features of React is JSX, a syntax extension for JavaScript that allows you to write HTML-like code directly in your JavaScript files. JSX makes it easier to create and manipulate HTML. For example:

const hello = <h1>My React App</h1>;

Here, you can see that this isn’t just plain HTML; it’s JSX that facilitates storing HTML elements in a JavaScript variable. While JSX is not required for writing React applications, it’s highly recommended as it serves as an effective template language.

• JSX resembles XML, making it easy to read and write.
• JSX can be viewed as a template language.
• JSX represents objects in React.
• JSX is an expression in JavaScript, which allows for dynamic content.
• JSX helps prevent injection attacks, enhancing security.

React Supports Components

React promotes building encapsulated components that manage their own state. You can compose these components to create complex user interfaces. Each component operates independently, meaning that refreshing one component doesn’t affect the others. Since component logic is written in JavaScript, data can be passed through your app without relying on the DOM.

What’s more, components in React are reusable, which means you can use them in different parts of your application. Each component comes with its own code and state, allowing for organized and efficient development.

React is Extensible

Another advantage of React is its compatibility with other libraries and frameworks. You can easily integrate React into an existing web application without significant restructuring.

React Supports Server-Side Rendering

React also offers the capability for server-side rendering using Node.js, a popular backend framework for JavaScript. This allows for improved performance and SEO by rendering components on the server before sending them to the client.

React Supports Native Mobile Development

React Native has gained traction as a top choice for building native mobile applications. Developers proficient with React can leverage their skills to develop mobile apps efficiently.

Creating a Simple React App

So, how easy is it to create a React app? Let’s explore the basic steps to get started.

To create a new React app, you can use tools like Create React App which simplifies the initial setup process.