React is one of the most popular technologies used in the frontend. This is a Javascript library for creating user interface (UI). React is used to create isolated components that support their own state, and that can be linked and nested. The programmer make components in a declarative way (describing their target operation and interactions). React creates the so-called Virtual DOM (Document Object Model), on which all operations are performed. The “real” DOM is created in the rendering process and this process takes place once, but after each change of the component state, the proper document element is rendered again. Thanks to the Babel transpiler, you can use the JSX (JavaScript XML) notation in Virtual Dom, which is based on XML. Babel transpiles (rewrites) the JSX code to Javascript, as well as the newer Javascript syntax to the older one to support more browsers.

Basic React assumptions:

• Working on Virtual DOM, i.e. declarative rather than imperative programming.
• Building applications from components that are reusable and hermetic.
• One-way data flow from parent to child components.
• React is only up to the UI, the rest is up to you - we build the application using React + any chosen libraries.

Benefits of using React:

• Better code predictability.
• Easier testing.
• Easier application maintenance and more stability.
• Reusability of components.
• Application scalability.
• Open ecosystem.
• Constantly developed and used by Facebook development team, with a huge user community.

Hence, React is a great tool for creating both large and small web applications. It facilitates building the so-called SPA (Single Page Application), this means literally a one-page web application. Such an application does not reload the page during use. React is often used with additional libraries such as React Redux, which allows you to manage the state of the application according to the FLUX architecture. React works regardless of the environment in which it is used, so using the React DOM library we create an application in a browser environment. With the help of Electron we can create a desktop application (PC), and thanks to React Native, an application mobile.

React Homepage