What is React JS?

Web development once required creating everything from scratch at the front-end, but then libraries came to the rescue of developers. No more do they have to write code for different elements of the front-end, instead, they can use libraries to include those on the go.

ReactJS is one of those JavaScript-based libraries used in web development and building interactive elements on the website. JavaScript is used to build and control dynamic website content like animated graphics, slideshows, photos, and interactive forms.

It’s a collection of pre-written code in JS that saves a developer’s time by providing built-in features that they can use by simply calling them anywhere in the code.

Web Before ReactJS

Let me take you back to the technology space for a while. Imagine you are in 2015 and still relying on scripting and rendering. The best front-end web technologies available are HTML and CSS.

Web development is quite easy. All you have to do is put static HTML pages in some folders and render them using PHP. And voila! You can now establish a two-way connection between client and server.

And then all of a sudden a library called ReactJS comes to change the web landscape completely. Using SSR (Server-Side Rendering), now you can build web applications much faster and in an easier way than before. React changed the development landscape just like smartphones replace traditional phones.

Why is ReactJS the Best Library Around?

1. Faster Development && Reusable Components

It is because of React JS that we are seeing an increase in the popularity of Single Page Websites. Though they are hard to rank on Google, the user experience and to-the-point information result in higher conversion rates.

With independent, isolated, and reusable components, the front-end development process goes at a swift pace without the usual complexities associated with the web process.

And by no means these components are ordinary, the JS library combines different components to build a complex and comprehensive user interface. Moreover, there’s a tree-like hierarchy of components that keeps everything streamlined.

2. Simplified Architecture

All front-end developers can relate to the problems associated with the hard syntax of a programming language. The more difficult it is to understand the syntax and structure, the more complex it gets to design logic.

But that’s not a problem associated with ReactJS. Its declarative programming style enables programmers to express the logic of a computation without describing its control flow.

This way, you don’t have to scratch your head every now and then when you get stuck, but simplified coding reduces the surface area for bugs dramatically.

3. ReactJS is Easy to Learn and Understand

Front-end development technologies having a shorter learning curve are quickly embraced by the developers’ community. The thing is nobody has enough time to learn new technology from scratch. So the steeper the learning curve is, the less likely developers will move to it.

If you are a front-end developer, you can learn ReactJS in a little span of time. It’s easier to understand for developers (as often all the developers are familiar with JavaScript). The syntax is quite much similar and the concepts are pretty exactly the same.

It’s just that you can get more done by writing less code. Ease of learning and implementation is the reason why so many fresh developers are preferring React over other frameworks.

4. React Has an Active Ecosystem of Developer Tools

React’s rich and active ecosystem is another reason why ReactJS is everywhere today. Developers get dozens of ready-made and customizable charts and graphics to use at the front end.

Besides that, there’s thorough documentation available for the new developers. You can look into every feature associated with the library and interact with its fast-growing community.

Where Can You Use React?

When it comes to the use cases of Reactjs, the possibilities are endless. React is a versatile library that can be used for varying industries. Here are just a few of those:

- Blogs

- Company websites

- Personal advanced Portfolios

- General Forums such as hashnode and dev.to

- Flipkart affiliate website

- Membership sites such as Netflix, Hulu, and much more

- eLearning portals such as Udemy, LinkedIn Learning

- Job and freelancing websites

- Public directories

- Q&A websites like Quora

- Non-profit websites for collecting feedback and donations

- Personal projects

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter

If you find it useful, like this blog, and don't forget to hit the follow button.