Why React?

JavaScript frameworks and libraries abound for building frontend and full-stack applications. However, the abundance of options can lead to feelings of overwhelm. Each developer has their own preferences and often advocates for their preferred tools.

My purpose is not to debate the superiority of frameworks or libraries. Instead, I intend to explore why I consistently return to React, even after exploring other notable frameworks. I aim to elucidate why React remains my preferred choice.

What distinguishes React for me when embarking on a new project? One reason is its familiarity and comfort in writing in React. It is the framework I use professionally and the first JavaScript framework I learned. Over the past six years, React has become an integral part of my workflow. While I acknowledge its shortcomings, I also appreciate its advantages.

Advantages of React

• Component-Based Architecture: React, like other popular JavaScript frameworks, enables the division of the UI into components, facilitating improved readability, maintenance, and testing. This approach is not exclusive to React; frameworks such as Svelte, Solid, and Vue also adopt this model.

• Vast Community and Ecosystem: React’s extensive ecosystem and tooling are a compelling factor in its adoption. Numerous libraries are available for React applications, and the large community provides readily accessible assistance when encountering challenges.

• Production Use by Leading Companies: React is widely adopted by numerous leading companies and tech startups. Consequently, it is a prudent choice for aspiring front-end developers seeking employment, given its widespread adoption.

• JSX: JSX, the JavaScript Expression Language, has garnered diverse opinions among developers. While some express dislikes, others appreciate its merits. Personally, I am an advocate for JSX, and it is one of my preferred aspects of using React.

Virtual DOM The virtual DOM enables React to update only the modified sections of the real DOM, rather than rendering the entire page or large sections. This selective updating is achieved through a process called “diffing” and reconciliation, which compares the new virtual DOM with the previous one and applies only the necessary changes. Direct manipulation of the real DOM can be slow, especially for complex, interactive applications. The virtual DOM minimizes direct DOM operations, reducing costly browser reflows and repaints, thereby improving performance for dynamic UIs. Developers can describe the desired UI for a given state, and React ensures that the DOM matches that state. This abstraction simplifies development, reduces bugs, and makes code more predictable and maintainable.

• Performance and Reusability: React’s virtual DOM and component-based approach not only improve performance but also encourage the creation of reusable UI elements. This reusability accelerates development and helps maintain consistency across large applications.

• Flexibility: React can be integrated with various other libraries and frameworks, such as Redux for state management or GraphQL for data fetching, allowing teams to tailor their tech stack to specific project needs.

• Best Practices and Maintainability: React’s popularity has led to the development of many best practices around code organization, component structure, and state management. Following these practices makes scaling and maintaining large codebases more manageable.

React’s Evolution: React has evolved significantly since its introduction. The shift from class-based components to functional components with hooks has made React code more concise and readable, while also reducing boilerplate. Hooks like useState and useEffect have become standard for managing state and side effects, further simplifying component logic.

Areas for Improvement in React

• Steep Learning Curve: While React is powerful, it can present a steep learning curve for newcomers, especially with concepts like JSX, hooks, and state management. Understanding the nuances of props, state, and component lifecycles is essential but can be overwhelming at first.

• Ambiguous State Management: The current state of React is somewhat ambiguous. The community appears divided on various topics, particularly regarding server components. Developers are largely limited to two meta-frameworks—Next.js or Waku—if they wish to utilize these components. Established frameworks like React Router and TanStack have not yet implemented server components, as separating the server bundle from the client bundle presents challenges. This creates distinct mental models when writing React in Next.js compared to React Router.

• Absence of Conventions: While this can be both a positive and negative aspect. While I appreciate that React is solely responsible for rendering the UI, the selection of a router or styling framework remains the developer’s responsibility. This can make decision-making overwhelming. Other frameworks, such as Vue.js, provide built-in options for routing and scoped CSS.

• Virtual DOM Overhead: Maintaining a virtual DOM in memory incurs additional memory usage, as React maintains two representations: the virtual and the actual DOM. While this overhead is typically negligible for small to medium applications, it can become substantial in large, intricate applications. The initial render necessitates React’s creation of a virtual DOM tree, which may be slower than direct DOM rendering. The diffing and reconciliation process, particularly in extensive component trees, can also become a performance bottleneck if not managed effectively.

• State Management Challenges: Managing state in complex applications can be tricky. Issues like prop drilling—passing data through many layers of components—can make code harder to maintain. Solutions such as the Context API or external libraries like Redux help, but they add complexity and require careful design to avoid unnecessary re-renders and maintain state consistency.

• Boilerplate and Frequent Updates: React projects often require significant boilerplate code, especially when integrating with other libraries. Additionally, React’s rapid evolution means developers must keep up with frequent updates and changes, which can be demanding for long-term maintenance.

Best Practices for Maintainable React Code:

• Organize code with a clear folder structure, grouping related components, hooks, and styles for scalability.
• Separate concerns by keeping UI components focused on rendering, while using hooks for business logic and side effects.
• Prefer functional components and hooks over class components for cleaner, more maintainable code.
• Minimize state usage by only storing what is necessary, and consider using global state management solutions when appropriate.
• Use memoization techniques and tools like React.memo to optimize performance and avoid unnecessary re-renders.

Exploring Other Frameworks:

I have experimented with other notable JavaScript frameworks, such as Svelte, Solid, and Vue.js, to gain insights into their rendering, state management, and data fetching approaches. All contemporary frameworks adhere to the component-based principle, enabling developers to construct reusable components, which has become a standard in contemporary UI development.

Vue employs a virtual DOM, akin to React. In contrast, Svelte and Solid adopt distinct methodologies. Svelte compiles components at build time into highly optimized JavaScript code that directly updates the real DOM. It analyzes code during compilation and generates imperative code that precisely identifies the DOM modifications required upon state changes. This eliminates the necessity for runtime diffing and patching associated with virtual DOM frameworks like React or Vue. When a reactive variable modifies, Svelte updates only the affected DOM elements, resulting in enhanced performance and reduced bundle sizes.

SolidJS also avoids utilizing a virtual DOM. Instead, it employs a granular reactivity system that directly updates the real DOM. SolidJS utilizes reactive primitives known as “signals” to track dependencies. When a signal undergoes a change, only the specific DOM nodes reliant on that signal are updated, rather than re-rendering entire components or employing a diffing algorithm. SolidJS leverages compile-time optimizations and a runtime reactive system, ensuring rapid updates and minimizing performance overhead.

Summary and Advice

Occasionally, I perceive React as my primary framework due to its exceptional tooling, libraries, and vibrant community. Nevertheless, I consistently find myself drawn back to React. While exploring alternative frameworks and tools can be rewarding, I encounter recurring frustrations. Although these frameworks and tools may offer advantages, they often come with trade-offs. Even if a new framework asserts its superiority in terms of speed and efficiency, it may introduce unforeseen challenges and limitations.

If you’re considering React for your next project:

• Embrace its component model and vast ecosystem.
• Follow best practices for code organization and state management to keep your project maintainable and scalable.
• Stay updated with new features and improvements, such as hooks and server components.
• Don’t hesitate to explore other frameworks, but weigh their trade-offs carefully in the context of your project’s needs.

React may not be perfect, but its flexibility, community, and ongoing evolution make it a reliable choice for building modern web applications.

References

• React Documentation
• Svelte Documentation
• SolidJS Documentation
• Vue.js Documentation