Why is React.js the Best for Building the Front-End?

Javascript is the one technology that can’t be done without in the world of programming.

With JavaScript being so popular and important, a number of libraries and frameworks are being made that are changing the way that modern, dynamic UI for the web are made. ReactJS is a library that is often used to build web user interfaces that people want.

ReactJS is a JavaScript library for making websites and web apps with interactive user interfaces. Facebook released this technology in 2011, and it is known and liked for making it faster to change a website’s DOM using the virtual DOM.

Popularity, Community, and Usage of ReactJS

• In the 2018 StackOverflow Developer Survey, 69.4% of developers chose React as one of their favourite JS libraries for making apps.
• As of August 2018, 109,313 people had starred in React on Github, and 1,227 people had contributed to it.
• Similar Tech says that more than 334,251 websites are built with ReactJS. The library for building user interfaces has a community of more than 1200 active contributors who push updates to the library regularly to make it better.

Why is React.js the Best for Building the Front-End?

1. Development goes faster with reusable parts

ReactJS lets you make a Single Page Website (SPA) or a web app with separate, reusable, and independent parts. In React, a piece of UI is called a “component.” When you put these parts together, you get a complex and complete user interface. In every ReactJS-built app, there is at least one “root” component that holds other components, making a tree-like structure.

For an app like Facebook, the parts are Profile, Feeds, Status Updates, Photos, etc. A Status Update can also include things like “Like,” “Comment,” or “Share.” Once these parts are built, they can be used on other pages of an application. This speeds up the development process. ReactJS is different from other front-end development tools because it has the idea of Reusable Components.

2. Use Virtual DOM to make reactive apps

Every ReactJS component has a State method and a Render method. The State method takes care of the information that will be shown on the screen, and the Render method says how the UI should look. In React, the Render method returns a JS object that is the same as the DOM element.

Real DOM is represented by a JavaScript object called Virtual DOM. This object is a small, in-memory copy of real DOM. When an element’s State changes, the user interface is redrawn in a virtual DOM. The changes to the elements are then compared, and the real DOM is updated so that everything stays in sync. ReactJS makes websites and web apps run much faster because it updates the virtual DOM instead of the real DOM.

3. Declarative programming makes it easier to write code.

The declarative style of programming is another benefit of building apps with ReactJS. This lets programmers say the logic of a computation (What to do) without saying how it works (How to do it). This makes it easier for developers to code and makes it much harder for bugs to happen.

Here’s an example of how imperative programming is different from declarative programming. Let’s say that an application needs a UI part (like a “Like” button) to be built. If the button is grey, when the user taps it, it should turn blue, and vice versa.

4. Make creative user interfaces with JavaScript

Javascript is the key to building UIs with ReactJS that are made up of different parts. ReactJS can be used to start making web apps by any front-end developer who knows how to use JavaScript. Since there isn’t much to learn about building UI for the web, it’s easy to get started with ReactJS application development.

5. ReactJS is easy to add to existing code

By adding React components to the existing code, ReactJS makes it possible to scale an application. Also, developers can scale an application by combining ReactJS with external libraries or frameworks like jQuery or Backbone.

6. A strong group of people to help with development

There are millions of developers who work with ReactJS. There are popular forums for developers like Stackoverflow where they can ask questions about code or get help with specific errors. Then, there are popular online forums where people talk about the best ways to use React, its application architecture, and its future. Some of the communities are React Discuss, Spectrum’s React Community, Reddit’s React Community, DEV’s React Community, etc. With so much help from the community, it’s easy for developers to get started with React application development and build complex UI components.

7. Big brands trust ReactJS for its easy-to-use interface

Some of the most well-known brands that use ReactJS to build their websites and web apps are AirBnB, Dropbox, Flipboard, Netflix, Tesla, and Facebook. These brands are very popular online, and ReactJS is helping them make their websites more interactive.

8. Rendering at a Fast Speed

The Virtual Document Object Model, or V-DOM, in ReactJS makes the rendering process go much faster and saves a lot of time. ReactJS gives developers a better way to interact with their app’s users and improves the app’s performance. This makes it perfect for building complex and dynamic apps.

9. Efficient Development Tools

ReactJS comes with a lot of tools, including tools for designing, developing, and debugging that work well and are easy to use. These developer tools from ReactJS work with browsers like Chrome and Firefox. They let developers look at their code in the V-DOM and track the hierarchy of different components.

10. It’s easy to learn

Developers like to use ReactJS because it is easy to learn. This is one of the most important reasons why. Because this technology is easy to learn, it lets developers start building with it quickly. ReactJS is easy to learn because it is a very simple library and there are a lot of easy-to-understand tutorials for this technology online.

Are you going to use ReactJS to build your next web app?

As you can see from the above, ReactJS is a powerful front-end development library that makes it easier to make dynamic, user-friendly web apps.

Due to the many benefits of ReactJS, we at VirtualHeight have built and scaled a number of web apps using the technology. If you want to start developing ReactJS applications for your next project, too, get in touch with our team of experts.