After seeing the code along and doing your first lab, discuss these ideas with your friends:
- From your understanding, what is React?
- What concept stood out to you about React?
- How different is coding React apps from coding with pure JS?
- What benefits do you anticipate from using React?
- How would React help you towards having a more structured project management experience?
After discussing this, one member of the team should write down what the group reached in the comment sections.
ROOM 3
what is React?
React is an open-source JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It was developed by Facebook and is widely used for creating interactive web applications. React follows a component-based architecture, which means that the user interface is divided into reusable and self-contained components.
What concept stood out to you about React?
the virtual DOM.
The virtual DOM is a representation of the actual DOM (Document Object Model) in memory. When changes occur in a React component, instead of directly manipulating the real DOM, React first updates the virtual DOM to reflect those changes. React then compares the updated virtual DOM with the previous version to determine the minimal set of changes needed to be made to the real DOM. This process is known as "reconciliation."
The component-based architecture and virtual DOM are key concepts that stand out in React.
Coding React apps differs from coding with pure JavaScript in several ways:
Component-based architecture: React organizes the UI into reusable components, making it easier to manage complex interfaces.
Virtual DOM: React uses a lightweight copy of the DOM in memory to efficiently update the actual DOM, improving performance.
JSX syntax: React introduces JSX, allowing HTML-like syntax within JavaScript for defining UI elements.
Reactive updates: React automatically updates components when their data or state changes, reducing manual UI manipulation.
Ecosystem and tooling: React has a rich ecosystem with libraries and tools specifically designed for UI development.
Using React offers several benefits for web development:
Improved performance: React's virtual DOM and efficient diffing algorithm enable optimized updates to the actual DOM, resulting in faster rendering and a smoother user experience.
Component reusability: React promotes a modular approach, allowing developers to create reusable UI components. This reduces code duplication, enhances maintainability, and speeds up development.
Declarative syntax: React's JSX syntax enables a more intuitive and declarative way of describing UI components. This makes the code easier to read, understand, and maintain.
Efficient updates: React's reactive updates ensure that only the necessary components are re-rendered when there are changes in the data or state. This minimizes unnecessary updates, leading to better performance.