Mastering Web Development with React.js

A leading front-end framework, versatile, popular, component-based, extensive ecosystem

In the modern era of front-end development, React.js stands out as a giant. This is an open-source library based on JavaScript developed by Facebook (Meta). In this article we will dive into the basics of React.js, exploring its key features, comparing it to its rivals such as Angular.js and Vue.js. Beginners are encouraged to stay with us to get the rough idea about your React journey. 

Content

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  Introduction - What is React.js

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  Similarities and Differences Compared to Angular.js and Vue.js

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  React Frameworks

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  Pros and Cons

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  Useful Third-Party Libraries

What is React.js?

Unlike the pretty old vanilla JavaScript (vanilla - raw JavaScript without using any framework), React.js has been developed to design interactive user interfaces more efficiently. While JavaScript follows the imperative programming paradigm, which emphasizes writing explicit sequences of commands to instruct the computer, React.js adopts the declarative programming paradigm, focusing on specifying the desired outcome. 

The main role of the React js is to handle the view layer of the application, following the MVC pattern (model-view-controller). It also encourages the developers to create reusable components rather than including the whole UI in a single code. This approach is more efficient in manipulating the DOM (Document Object Model), resulting in faster rendering and highly dynamic, responsive web applications.

Similarities and Differences Compared to Angular.js and Vue.js

React, Angular.js, and Vue.js are popular JavaScript frameworks to build interactive front-ends for web applications.

Similarities:

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  Component-Based: React, Angular.js, and Vue.js all follow component-based architecture, allowing developers to create self-contained, reusable components.

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  Virtual DOM: All of them have a virtual DOM to optimize rendering performance by minimizing actual DOM manipulations.

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  Data Binding: All support reactive data binding, making it easier to keep the UI in sync with underlying data changes.

Differences:

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  Type: React is considered as a library, while the other two are known as frameworks.

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  Routing: Angular and Vue have their own built-in router modules, but React requires external libraries (eg: React Router)

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  Language: React primarily uses JavaScript (TypeScript) and JSX (TSX), while Angular.js uses TypeScript, and Vue.js uses a combination of JavaScript and template syntax.

React Frameworks

There are several frameworks built on top of React to enhance its capability of web development while being more user-friendly.

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  Gatsby.js: 

Gatsby is known as a static site generator that is designed to deliver high performance, making it an ideal tool for developers who want to create fast-loading websites. You can create a website without having to worry about complex server-side setups or database management. Also it is possible to connect to different data sources (CMSs and APIs) and populate the website with dynamic data. If Search Engine Optimization is a critical requirement for your application, Gatsby can help you there too. 

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  Next.js: 

This framework is similar to the Gatsby.js, but it gives the user more benefits other than building static sites. Next.js supports server-side rendering (SSR).Next.js supports server-side rendering (SSR). Although it may be slower in performance compared to Gatsby.js, it offers greater flexibility for server-side data handling without the need for a separate server.

Pros and Cons

Pros of React.js:

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  Simplicity: Anyone with the knowledge of HTML, CSS and Javascript can write react code. So React has a gentle learning curve compared to Angular and Vue.

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  Virtual DOM: Document Object Model represents  the logical structure of the document (HTML). Virtual DOM is a lightweight copy of the actual DOM. Any state change in the updates the virtual DOM. React compares the updated virtual DOM with the real DOM and updates only the relevant nodes. The updated DOM is rendered on the screen. This methodology helps the React app to update fast and efficiently.

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  Large Community: Any other frontend framework does not have this much community support. There are millions of React developers in this community who are keen to help. In case of emergency please find support in Stack Overflow, DEV’s React community, Reddit’s React community and other tech forums. In your React journey you are not alone.

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  Mobile App Development: React developers can build mobile apps without having to learn a new tool or language. There are two ways of doing this. Progressive Web Applications (PWA) delivers the cross platform experience, while React Native focuses on native-like experiences utilizing platform-specific components and APIs.  

Cons of React.js:

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  The high pace of development: With new updates and version changes, some developers are arguing that they are constantly learning new things, which is difficult to keep up with. The impact of this feature depends on your preferences, as this ever-evolving framework is becoming more stable with these changes.

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  Poor Documentation: This could be the main reason that ties developers' concerns with the high pace of development. When React is developing so quickly, it is not easy to keep up with proper documentation.

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  Not SEO-friendly: Search engine optimization is a major concern in a web application. SEO supports only for content-filled applications not for single page applications. But there are a couple of ways to make a React app SEO-friendly, by creating an isomorphic React app or by using prerendering. Implementing these techniques can be challenging. If you have no specific reason to stick with plain React, consider using Gatsby.js or Next.js to simplify your development process.

Useful Third-Party Libraries

Since React is an open source library, anyone can develop a third party library to enhance the user experience. Currently there are millions of libraries and packages. Some noteworthy libraries include:

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  Axios: A promise-based HTTP client for making network requests.

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  Redux: For robust state management in larger applications.

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  React Router: For handling routing within React applications.

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  Tailwind: Replaces the CSS code with inline predefined css classes.

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  React-Icons:  Includes popular icons in your React projects easily

Conclusion

React is an exceptional tool for crafting interactive applications across a diverse range of platforms, including mobile and web environments. Its burgeoning popularity is well-deserved, and for good reason.

Working with React not only allows you to build impressive user interfaces but also enhances your JavaScript skills—a language that plays a pivotal role in nearly 90% of today's web development landscape.