Introduction to React
What is React?
-
React is a JavaScript library developed by Facebook.
-
It’s used for building interactive user interfaces (UIs), especially single-page applications.
-
React lets you create reusable components that manage their own state and efficiently update the UI when data changes.
Why Use React?
-
Component-based architecture: Build encapsulated components that manage their own state.
-
Declarative: Describe what you want your UI to look like; React handles updates efficiently.
-
Virtual DOM: React uses a lightweight copy of the actual DOM to minimize slow updates.
-
Large ecosystem: Huge community, many libraries, and tools support React development.
React Concepts
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Components | Reusable UI building blocks |
| JSX | JavaScript XML syntax for writing HTML-like code inside JavaScript |
| Props | Inputs to components to pass data |
| State | Internal data managed by components |
| Lifecycle | Special methods to hook into component creation, update, and removal |
Simple React Component Example
Or using a class:
JSX Example
JSX looks like HTML but is actually JavaScript — you can embed variables, expressions, and components:
Rendering Components
React renders components into the real DOM using:
Summary
-
React helps build dynamic, interactive UIs with reusable components.
-
Uses JSX to blend JavaScript and HTML-like code.
-
Handles UI updates efficiently with a virtual DOM.
-
Has a rich ecosystem and community support.
