What do Netflix, Airbnb, and Facebook have in common apart from being some of the largest and most successful companies online? They all use React, the component-based, open-source JavaScript library for front-end development to power their websites and apps. And, if React could make it there, it could make it anywhere. To developers, React means convenience, efficiency, and versatility. For clients, React is all about speed, aesthetics, and user experience.
Imagine a sleek website or app with dynamic graphics and content that load instantly. It grabs your attention and takes browsing to a new level. That’s precisely what React does and why it’s so appreciated worldwide. What’s more remarkable is its swift ascent to the top of front-end developers’ preferences. At Digitize Everything, we’re no different. We love React and the endless possibilities it brings to our clients.
In this article, we want to show you why React is so special and popular, but first, let’s take a short trip into the not-so-distant past and see how it emerged from a mundane necessity.
Facebook – the birthplace of React
In 2011, Facebook was fast approaching the one billion users milestone. Already packed with tons of features, the social media network had been struggling with code maintenance and updates – a real headache for developers who urgently needed a breakthrough. Step forward, Jordan Walke. The software engineer took matters into his own hands and created FAXJS, the first version of the ReactJS JavaScript library, which supported composite components.
When Facebook acquired Instagram one year later, ReactJS became the catalyst that propelled the photo-sharing platform to its current popularity. Since Instagram wanted to adopt Facebook’s latest technologies, Facebook made React open-sourceable. On May 29, 2013, Jordan Walke introduced React, but as it’s often the case with everything new, the audience was skeptical.
It took React just a couple of years to gain traction and prove doubters wrong. In 2015, Netflix chose React to optimize its online streaming platform and praised the new JS library on its blog. Here’s the conclusion:
“React has exceeded our requirements and enabled us to build a tremendous foundation on which to innovate the Netflix experience.”
So what exactly are the benefits of using React? How did it improve the front-end development? Stay tuned as we uncover its unique features and capabilities.
React – where simplicity meets unlimited potential
Ask any developer why they love React, and you’ll hear the usual buzzwords. It’s scalable, it offers fast rendering, and it quickly deploys dynamic user interfaces. But above all, React is simple yet highly flexible. If you want to build an innovative website with an outstanding user experience, React is an easy pick. Here are the main advantages of using React:
Reusable components that enhance productivity
Facebook built React to ease the burden on their developers, who were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of code maintenance and cascading updates. When it became open-source, React inadvertently streamlined the entire front-end development process by allowing coders to work with individual components and reuse them in different areas of the website or app. The elements range from simple sign-up buttons to complex wrapper components, contributing to more efficient, cost-effective, and uniform development across the project.
Virtual DOM and fast rendering
A DOM (Document Object Model) defines the hierarchy and logical arrangement of HTML and XML files. Browsers use the DOM to convert the coding syntax into the web pages that we all view when accessing them. The more complex the website is, the more time and resources are necessary to update the DOM. One of the main reasons why React websites and apps are lightning-fast is the Virtual DOM feature.
According to React’s official documentation, the virtual DOM (VDOM) is a programming concept where an ideal or virtual representation of a UI is kept in memory and synced with the real DOM by a library such as ReactDOM. In layman’s terms, the Virtual DOM uses abstract copies of the original DOM files when performing updates, letting users enjoy a responsive and dynamic user interface.
Better code stability
React follows unidirectional data flow to ensure that the parent structure remains intact when developers work with the child structure. This concept means that data has only one way to be transferred to other parts of the application. The data flow and structure provide better code stability and performance. Since there’s more control over data, the application is less error-prone and easier to debug.
It’s SEO Friendly
Page speed is one of the most critical ranking signals today. You may have the most amazing service and content, but if your website is slow, you’re losing clients and money. With React, page speed is never an issue. Due to fast rendering, React websites perform flawlessly on any browser and device, keeping your SEO score high.
Strong support and backward compatible updates
React is maintained by Facebook, a global powerhouse with a large pool of talent. Although it’s now extremely popular, this JavaScript library is still in its infancy and has enormous potential to become even better.
With strong community support and stable releases, React has all the ingredients to offer simple and practical answers to the most challenging projects. And with backward-compatible updates, React eliminates a developer’s worst nightmare – inspecting their codebase and updating it every time a new version is released.
React Native – a mobile development paradise
Mobile app development is at an all-time high. With almost everyone having a smartphone in their pocket, reaching potential customers is so much easier when businesses have a smooth and engaging app. But with so many apps out there, how do you build the perfect application? Enter React Native – a ReactJS framework for cross-platform mobile app development.
React Native allows you to build iOS and Android apps by using the same codebase as you would do with native iOS and Android applications. Here’s what it brings to the table:
Saves time and money – the benefit every business wants to hear.
By being compatible with iOS and Android, React Native significantly reduces the time and money necessary to create a standout app. Developers build one app, and you receive two, one for iOS and another for Android. Best of all, maintenance and updates on both apps run simultaneously, saving more costs in the process.
Stunning performance
React apps run just as fast as the native apps built on specific iOS or Android platforms. They leverage GPU (graphics processing units) and optimized programming languages to deliver an effortless UI/UX experience.
Enhanced flexibility
React Native has an intuitive interface that facilitates the entire coding process by allowing developers to continue the work left by their colleagues without any ambiguity. Developers can also run testing scenarios more efficiently and update the app in no time.
Movable code
One of the biggest benefits of React Native is the ability to transfer the code to another development framework. There’s no need to start over. All you have to do is export the app from React Native and import it into another development environment. This feature alone saves hours of time and serious money.
Live reloading
React Native comes with a neat feature called “Live Reloading,” which lets developers simultaneously view the changes they make in a live preview window. While “Live Reloading” refreshes the whole app, another useful option – “Hot Reloading” refreshes only the file that has been edited. Together, these additions provide real-time feedback and contribute to a better UI/UX experience.
Some of the most popular apps are built on React Native. Here are just a few of them:
- Discord
- Skype
- Walmart
- Uber Eats
- Tesla
- Bloomberg
- Wix
How we use React at Digitize Everything
React gives us the tools to create beautiful websites and apps that perform above customers’ expectations. We’ve always been crazy about innovation and new technology and believed in React’s potential before it became mainstream. With years of experience in using React, our portfolio is a testament to React’s versatility and our developers’ talent to harness its huge power.
From designing an interactive Covid Spending Tracker with large amounts of data to creating a revolutionary gig job aggregator, we use React for various projects with different goals and budgets. React is the ideal solution for apps and websites that want to stay ahead of the competition and impress visitors from the get-go.
Final words
React is the perfect example of how necessity is the mother of all inventions. If Facebook didn’t grow so fast and had maintenance problems, who knows, maybe, we wouldn’t be writing this article now. But it’s in human nature to always look for simple answers to complex issues, and thanks to Jordan Walke, millions of developers worldwide create gorgeous apps and websites today. React simplified coding and improved performance, making both developers and clients happy. It’s this harmony that keeps React so attractive and popular.