Introduction to React

Source: Dev.to

What is React?

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It was developed by Facebook (Meta) and is now open‑source, widely used in web development.

Why Use React?

• Component‑Based Architecture – Build reusable UI components.
• Virtual DOM – Efficient updates for better performance.
• Declarative Syntax – Write cleaner and more readable code.
• Strong Community & Ecosystem – Large support with many libraries.
• Fast Learning Curve – Easy to get started, especially for JavaScript developers.

How React Works

React uses a Virtual DOM to optimize updates. It breaks the UI into components, which manage their own state. React re‑renders only the changed parts of the UI, improving performance.

Basic Example of a React Component

import React from "react";

function Greeting() {
  return (
    <h2>Hello, React!</h2>
  );
}

export default Greeting;

When to Use React?

• Single Page Applications (SPA)
• Dynamic UI Updates (e.g., dashboards, social media feeds)
• Reusable UI Components (e.g., design systems)