When it comes to efficient web app development, ReactJS is a name that turns up most of the time. It is an open-source JavaScript (JS) library developed by a Facebook (now Meta) engineer Jordan Walke. His primary objective in creating ReactJS is to introduce a tool to build mobile and web systems user interfaces.
Before releasing it for public use in 2013, the development team at Facebook tested it in FB’s newsfeed (2011) and Instagram (2012). Today, many business owners worldwide understand the popularity of this library and hire ReactJS developers to get their web app developed.
This article will introduce ReactJS and some of the features that distinguish it from other traditional frameworks. So, let’s get started!
ReactJS: What and Why?
As already mentioned above, ReactJS is a free, front-end JS library used to build interactive UIs for both mobile and web apps. It is a product from Facebook, and that’s one of the reasons for its massive popularity.
ReactJS is one of the best solutions for apps prone to dynamic and rapid changes in their UI data. React can simply render the changing sections of the user interface without interfering with the entire page. As a result, the users get a smooth and comprehensive experience with the web app content.
React Vs Traditional Frameworks
In the traditional frameworks, the basis of UI rendering is Document Object Model (DOM). It means whatever we see, the program in the system represents it as an object and renders it in the browser. This approach is okay with small or medium-scale applications that do not have much of a load. However, when it comes to large apps, it can not be much of a help as the data in those apps changes constantly. Due to this, the traditional frameworks rendered the speed and performance, which was not up to the mark.
However, React quickly gets rid of this issue as it follows the approach of Virtual DOM. In virtual DOM, the system creates a copy of the original DOM. Whenever you make changes in the UI data, it renders the data from the virtual DOM and only changes the parts that require modifications. The UI delivers content extremely fast since the changes are only in the necessary portion, not the entire DOM. The reason behind this is unidirectional data flow, following which the state management becomes precise and free of ambiguity.
Distinguished Features of ReactJS That Makes It Popular
Virtual DOM
We have already explained the concept of virtual DOM in the above section. In a regular Document Object Model, the entire system with all the nodes requires updation, which involves a lot of resources and time. However, in virtual DOM, ReactJS makes the browser render only those parts that need immediate changes. With this, one will require minimal updation with just a few resources. It will make the rendering super fast, in less time and effort.
Unidirectional Data Flow
Reacts has a good grip on the state of the flow of the data. It avoids using two-way data binding techniques (heavily used by Model, View, Controller – MVC models). It means the data will not get automatically updated when you make changes to the data model. You have to write the code separately to update the modification every time you do. It offers to React with authority over state management compared to other JS models.
Learning Curve
When it comes to learning and understanding, ReactJS remains in the top slots. The learning curve is shallow in React. It is also written in plain JS, making the developers quickly implement it for web app development projects. All you need is a basic-level knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Usage of JSX
ReactJS uses JSX syntax which stands for JavaScript XML. It enables React to use the combination of JS with HTML by which you can embed it (HTML) into the code. This helps in speeding up the rendering process and also enhances the performance of the web app.
Testing Friendly
In ReactJS, every element is treated as a separate component. It means you can break multiple elements present on a page into independent parts. Testing of these independent blocks is accessible and helps in reducing the development time.
Final Thoughts
This blog has provided you with a basic introduction to ReactJS and its features. Along with this, we also come across the differences between a traditional framework and the ReactJS library. This library has many more features that make it more prevalent than other JS platforms for building web apps. If you are a business owner seeking to develop an app using ReactJS, you need to hire dedicated ReactJS developers. The benefits of ReactJS and the skills of proficient developers will make a deadly combination to build a robust app!
