What is ReactJs and How it Works?
When deciding which technology is needed at the front end of a new project, we face a critical and important choice, which will considerably affect our application’s future. So, it is crucial to choose technologies to support and promote progress. Here we look at what React JS is and how it works?
What is React Js?
React is a JavaScript library that is intended to build fast and immersive user interfaces for web and smartphone applications. It is a component-driven open-source library that is only responsible for the view layer of the application. The View layer is responsible for the way the application looks and sounds in Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. React was developed by Jordan Walke, a software developer at Facebook.
Features of ReactJs
- JSX
JSX is the JavaScript syntax extension. It is used with React to define the look of the UI. We can write the structures of HTML into the same JavaScript code file using JSX. This promotes easy interpretation and debugging of JavaScript code, as dynamic JavaScript constructs are avoided.
Eg: const name = 'React';
const greet = <h1>Hello, {name}</h1>;
The above code illustrates how JSX is illustrated in React. It is not a string, not is it HTML. Rather, it incorporates HTML in JavaScript code.
- Components
ReactJS is everything about components. ReactJs framework consists of several components and has its logic and controls for each component. These modules can be re-used to help you retain the technology in larger-scale projects.
- Simplicity
ReactJs uses a JSX file that makes it easy to simplify the application and understand the code. We know that ReactJs is an approach focused on components that makes JavaScript code reusable for you. This makes it easy to use and read.
How does it Work?
A team of Facebook developers found that the DOM is slow when developing client-side applications. This describes the functional structure of documents and the access and use of a document. To make this easier, React uses a Virtual DOM, which is essentially a JavaScript DOM tree representation. The Virtual DOM is only a digital representation of the DOM. Whenever we change our application’s status, the simulated DOM is changed instead of the actual DOM. This is because Virtual DOM is much quicker and most powerful. In React, each UI element is a component, and each component includes a state. React follows the observed trend and listens to shifts in condition. React updates the Virtual DOM tree as the state of a component changes. After upgrading the virtual DOM, React compares the new virtual DOM version with that of the previous virtual DOM version. This method is called “diffing.” When React learns which of the virtual DOM objects are modified, only those objects will be restored in the actual DOM. This increases the efficiency far compared to the direct handling of the traditional DOM. This makes React stand-out as a Javascript library with good performance.
Conclusion
Effective web development ensures the use of proper tools to render the code as powerful and efficient as possible. And when it comes to developing user interfaces- React, JS is a platform you need to know.
Other useful articles:
- What is ReactJs and How it Works
- React.js vs. React Native
- React JS Interview Questions
- React JS Tutorial For Beginners
- React JS Code Examples
- React JS Routing Explained