There are no silver bullets to improve the performance of your web applications. For example, loading minimal Javascript backed up by server-side rendering works fine for static pages. However, for complex web applications, you need reliable Javascript libraries. React is one such Javascript library that has gained popularity over the years among developers.
Take an example of Netflix’s changes with a frontend that helped them,
- Reduce loading and Time-to-interactive for logged-out desktop app pages on Netflix by 50%.
- Minimize the Javascript bundle to 200KB by using vanilla Javascript and React on the server-side.
- Further reduction in the TIme-to-interactive by 30% through prefetching of HTML, CSS, and React elements.
Here you can see the difference between payloads before and after the removal of React on the client-side and using it on the server-side with Vanilla Javascript. React hasn’t only worked for Netflix, It has been phenomenal for several giants like Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, and even for developers looking to redevelop our favorite games(2048).
Even for a non-tech person, the question that pops out is why? What’s so special about React? Well, there is no doubt that React is the superstar! And here, I am going to explain precisely why.
Let’s start with the introduction to our superstar!
What is React?
React was born out of XHP- a new syntax introduced by Facebook for PHP to understand XML documents. However, the FaxJS from Jordan Walkie at Facebook can be called the first prototype of React.
In the years to follow, FaxJS evolved into full-fledged React by Jordan Walkie, especially as Facebook needed a solution for their ads which became difficult to manage. 2013 was the year when it finally arrived for developers with Facebook’s strategy of decoupling React into an open-source technology just after the Instagram acquisition.
A fun fact about React’s release was the skepticism around it. When Jordan Walkie announced it, most of the early adopters and experts deemed it to be a regressive move. However, the success of React has proved them wrong.
Now that you know how a star frontend framework was born, let’s see some of the perks of choosing it!
Why is React the Frontend Superstar?
Real superstars are flexible! For me, the absolute superstar of the tech world has been Elon Musk, as he has shown the versatility and flexibility that no other entrepreneur may have achieved.
But, for the front end, React has the same kind of flexibility and versatility. I know you may say comparing Elon Musk with React is not accurate, but in my defense, both revolutionized the tech world to a great extent.
The Flexible Superstar
First things first- React is a Javascript library and not a framework which makes it more flexible than other frameworks- HOW?
Unlike other frameworks with an opinionated approach to web application building, React comes with easily reusable and flexible components making it an excellent choice for frontend development. A React component can be anything in your web application, from a text field to a button and more.
Here, I have taken an example of input fields for a form. If you create a registration page to cater to multiple input fields, you need an event handler for each field, which can be an enormous task. However, you can leverage a single handler approach for your web application using React with this code:
<input
type="text"
name="number1"
placeholder="Enter a number"
onChange={this.onInputChange}
/>
<input
type="text"
name="number2"
placeholder="Enter a number"
onChange={this.onInputChange}
/>
While you want to avoid duplication of codes due to the different single and multiple handlers methods, React also offers the flexibility of using a single circulation method. Here a single parameter determines the addition or subtraction of a function as the handler. Thus, it allows easier addition or subtraction of a handler function.
A superstar is not just flexible but also high on performance, and React is not different here.
Speed & Performance
React allows you to leverage individual components of the web application both on the server-side and client-side, which helps in boosting development speeds. It means that developers can work parallelly on each component without disturbing the application’s logic, reducing the development time.
React provides the facility of virtual DOM. So, the changes made to the code will reside in the memory and do not automatically reflect on the screen. Next, an intelligent algorithm analyzes the changes on virtual DOM and selects the specific ones to be reflected on the original DOM.
Further, it also determines the most appropriate changes to be implemented on the original DOM with minimum update time. This also improves the performance of your application without disrupting the user experience.
Not just speed and performance, React is a complete package that you can test quickly!
Easy to Test
React apps are easy to test! Well, why do I believe it?
It's because of the React views, which can act as functions of the state. So, you can manipulate all the states and view the output with all the functions, actions, or events to determine the app's performance quickly.
Another benefit of React is its output. A React component will always render the same output irrespective of how many times rendering is done or who does it. So, you don't need complex scaffolding to test them. Not just that, React can enhance your user experience with the capability of real-time changes.
Real-time Changes
React allows you to create new user interface features through JSX. It is a syntax extension of Javascript and helps in the creation of React.createElement() which not only help in writing bug-free code but also create objects like this:
// Note: this structure is simplified
const element = { type: 'h1', props: { className: 'greeting', children: 'Hello, world!' } };
These objects are called “React Elements,” and they are your set of instructions or descriptions for what you want to reflect on the screen. React will read these objects and build the DOM accordingly, keeping it up to date.
Now before I wrap up, here are some stats of React’s Stardom!
- Facebook updates React with new features tested by more than 2.8 million users in real-time.
- React is one of the most used web frameworks in 2021 by developers with 40.14%.
- According to the Stackflow Developer Survey 2021, it is one of the most wanted frameworks worldwide.
- It has more than 175K stars on GitHub.
Conclusion
With all its stardom and technical excellence, React will remain the superstar of web app development. However, one of the most significant aspects of using React is its SEO-friendly attributes. Every business wants more traffic, and React reduces page load times, enhancing SEO. So, you can have more traffic and better search engine rankings. With a convenient learning curve and high flexibility, it is truly a superstar of web app development.