If you haven’t heard of React, the flexible JavaScript based library used for building web user interfaces, then you’ve been missing out. This popular JavaScript library, created and maintained by Facebook, was designed for ease of use and has flexible components for developers. And it’s taken off — React is currently the most popular library, topping even Node.js and Spark. What’s driving the love?
It gets out of the way
Since React isn’t a framework in the traditional sense, but a library, it gives developers immense freedom to make anything and everything out of the user interface that they wish. The framework doesn’t assume what the end interface will look like, which opens up the developer to a world of possibilities.
It is reusable
Since all the components of the library’s functions are the same, it’s possible to make larger functions by simply combining smaller ones. Instead of messy strings of HTML and complex code, or limiting templating engines, the React library lets you build web applications with ease. Describe what you want and React essentially builds it on your behalf.
In some circles, it’s called declarative programming, and that means React can translate what you tell it and take care of the rest of the steps itself, all the way up to the end.
It is supportive and supported
The community of React users and developers is constantly growing, and it’s easy to get help and advice from nearly anywhere. There are libraries already built for lots of tasks, which means you can skip some of the grunt work and move on to more sophisticated tasks.
Since React is backed by Facebook and used by other big technology companies like Netflix and Paypal, it’s also likely to remain relevant and useful for a long time to come. This means that getting professional React training is likely to be a smart long-term career move.
It is easy to learn
If you know JavaScript, you’re good to go with React. There are few barriers and not much onboarding necessary to become an efficient React developer. There’s almost no API, and instead of trying to enhance HTML, you use JavaScript to control the HTML.
This also means that React has a dynamic and useful memory that updates the HTML tree only where each state creates a change, rather than requiring a full rewrite of the whole tree. This minimizes side effects and makes the whole thing a lot more fun to use than other codes.
It is easy to integrate
Since React isn’t a framework, it’s not difficult to integrate it with nearly any project. In fact, a project doesn’t even have to be built with React from the ground up: it’s possible to bring React in just to deal with certain portions of the project.
As stated above, it’s not even necessary to write a library in order to bring React in for a targeted portion. There are so many libraries already available for use that there’s a good chance what you need is already written and available.
It allows for more control
React is unidirectional, meaning that data binding only runs one way. Communication and hierarchy are crystal clear, minimizing confusion and the amount of time it takes to trace back issues. React also shares code between sides, meaning that client-side pages render clearly on the server side and give you more precise SEO control.
And if you’re worried that client-side development will ding your search engine rankings, then stop worrying. This is no longer an issue with Google’s constantly maturing search algorithms.
It is popular
Some of the biggest online platforms are using React, including Apple. This makes learning React a highly practical tool for any developer to learn. If you want to keep current, you need to know React. Unlike other libraries such as Angular, you can use it for nearly any application you can imagine. Learning React might just be the last thing you have to learn, and the most useful.
