In the ever-evolving world of web development, software developers will surely relate to the fact that there are so many frameworks now that it's impossible to learn them all. In this article, we'll discuss the React JS library. React JS has emerged as one of the most popular and respected libraries.
What is React JS, and why do so many web developers choose it as their primary tool? In this article, we'll explore five reasons why React JS deserves the title of best web development library today. So, before we delve into the discussion, let's first discuss what React JS is.
What is React JS?
React JS, or React, is a popular open-source JavaScript library for building interactive User Interfaces (UIs) for web and mobile applications. React JS enables developers to create responsive, dynamic, and efficient web applications.
One of its key features is the concept of reusable components, where developers can create independent components that can be reused across different parts of the application. React JS uses JSX, a syntax that allows writing HTML code directly in JavaScript, to simplify the creation of views. With support from a large and diverse developer community, React JS has become one of the most popular and reliable JavaScript libraries in web development.
How React JS Works?
From its initial development by the Facebook development team, React was designed as a solution to slow DOM performance. It works by implementing a virtual DOM in storage for browser DOM updates. This virtual DOM searches for the most efficient way to update the browser DOM. Every time a change occurs, React's virtual DOM is immediately reloaded to reflect the new changes.
Following this, React compares the virtual DOM with the actual DOM to determine the exact changes. Then, React searches for the easiest way to add updates to the DOM without causing any delays. As a result, React components and the UI reflect changes very quickly. So, in essence, React JS delivers faster performance because it doesn't have to reload the entire page every time an update occurs.
React JS Features
React JS is equipped with many features that make it faster and production-ready. Here are some of React's main features:
1. JSX (JavaScript Syntax Extension)
JSX is a React extension that makes it easier for developers to modify the DOM using HTML-style code. As a combination of HTML and JavaScript, JSX makes code easier to understand. If you already have a basic understanding of HTML and JavaScript, learning JSX won't be difficult.
2. Virtual DOM
The DOM (Document Object Model) is the most crucial part of a website, divided into modules and executing code. Meanwhile, the virtual DOM is a copy of the actual DOM. React uses this copy to check for parts of the actual DOM that need to be changed whenever a modification occurs.
For example, a website visitor writes a comment and clicks the Comment button. Without React, the entire DOM would have to update to reflect the change. This would require a longer process. Meanwhile, React scans the virtual DOM to check for changes. It then selectively updates specific parts of the DOM. This makes the update process faster and more streamlined.
Why should you use ReactJS for web development?
You should use ReactJS for web development because of its efficient performance thanks to the Virtual DOM, the flexibility to build complex and reusable user interfaces (UIs), and the ease of development thanks to its modular components and extensive ecosystem. Its advantages also include better SEO optimization through server-side rendering and high performance for responsive single-page applications (SPAs). Here are some reviews.
1. Easy to Learn and Use
One of the main reasons why React JS is easy to learn is because it's based on JavaScript, a programming language commonly used and understood by many programmers. One of React JS's main advantages is its simplicity. Built using simple, easy-to-understand JavaScript, React JS utilizes JSX, a syntax that allows developers to write HTML code directly in JavaScript. This makes web development easier, especially for those just learning the basics of JavaScript.
Not only is React JS easy to learn, it's also easy to use in web application development. The React JS framework's component-based pattern also makes it easy to write and maintain code. Each part of your application can be broken down into separate components, which can then be reused in other projects. This not only improves development efficiency but also allows for more structured and easier-to-understand applications.
Furthermore, React JS comes with a variety of developer tools that simplify web application development. For example, React Router enables responsive navigation in single-page applications (SPAs), while Material-UI provides a variety of ready-to-use UI components for use in React JS projects, while Redux helps with efficient application state management. By using these tools, developers can quickly and easily develop high-quality web applications.
2. Reusable Components
One of the features that makes React JS stand out is its ability to create encapsulated, reusable components. This means you can create components independently of each other and then combine them to create larger, more complex applications.
This allows developers to create components such as buttons, forms, or even more complex components like lists or cards, and then use these components in other projects without rewriting them. The React JS framework pattern is based on components. Making each component have its own logic and view makes the code more structured and easier to understand.
3. High Performance
High performance is one of the reasons React JS is a popular choice for web development. By using the virtual document object model (DOM), it is a key component. The DOM is a representation of the structure of an HTML document loaded in a browser, and changes to the DOM often trigger a rerun of the browser's rendering process.
React JS can dynamically update the user interface only when changes occur, without having to reload the entire page. This results in a more responsive and faster user experience, especially in complex web applications.
React JS's high performance applies not only to small applications but also to large, complex ones. By utilizing available optimization techniques, such as lazy loading and code splitting, developers can optimize their applications to ensure consistent performance even at scale.
4. SEO-Friendly
While similar to other JavaScript frameworks, React JS has advantages when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). Because React JS renders views server-side before sending them to the browser, search engines like Google can easily index your site's content. This means your site's content is easier for search engines to find and index, improving your visibility and SEO ranking.
One of React JS's main advantages in terms of SEO is its server-side rendering (SSR) capability. In SSR, the initial view of a web application is rendered on the server and sent to the browser as static HTML. This allows search engines to easily index page content and improve your site's visibility in search results. React JS supports SSR through frameworks like Next.js or Gatsby.js.
In addition to SSR, React JS also supports better content indexing through lazy loading and pre-rendering features. With lazy loading, content that isn't visible when the page first loads, such as images or videos below the fold, can be dynamically loaded when needed, speeding up page load times and improving the user experience. Pre-rendering, on the other hand, allows developers to render web pages during the build process, allowing static content to be served to search engines without waiting for user interaction. This helps improve page speed and ensures that your site's content is properly indexed by search engines.
5. Large Community Support
One of the key factors in assessing a development library is its community support. With React JS, you can rest assured that there are plenty of additional resources, tutorials, and links to conferences available to assist developers in developing their applications.
Furthermore, many large companies like Facebook, Netflix, and American Express have used React JS in their products, demonstrating their confidence in its superiority in web development.
Therefore, for developers looking for a web development library that's easy to learn, reusable, high-performance, SEO-friendly, and supported by a large community, there's no better choice than React JS. So, try React JS now and experience the advantages it offers in web development for your applications.
Conclusion
Why ReactJS? In my opinion, it's because many front-end web job openings require ReactJS proficiency. ReactJS is very useful for modern web applications, as it's well-suited for large projects like Fleet Management Systems or real-time applications. The learning curve is quite steep, so you have to be patient and try to rework the website to suit ReactJS.
If you're focused on back-end development, ReactJS isn't essential, in fact, it's probably unnecessary. But if you want both, namely full-stack, and you're already proficient in JavaScript, I recommend learning NextJS.
So, in conclusion, many companies require expertise in ReactJS, and its community is large, so you might want to give it a try...
