What is React?

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces, particularly single-page applications. It was developed by Facebook (now Meta) and released in 2013.

Understanding React

React is designed to make it easy to create interactive UIs by breaking them down into reusable components. Think of React as a way to build complex user interfaces using small, manageable pieces.

Key Features of React

1. Component-Based Architecture

React applications are built using components - reusable pieces of UI that can be combined to create complex interfaces.

2. Virtual DOM

React uses a virtual representation of the DOM to optimize rendering performance. It only updates the parts of the actual DOM that have changed.

3. JSX

JSX is a syntax extension for JavaScript that allows you to write HTML-like code within JavaScript.

4. Unidirectional Data Flow

Data flows down from parent components to child components, making it easier to track changes and debug applications.

Basic React Component Example

import React from 'react';

function Welcome(props) {
  return <h1>Hello, {props.name}!</h1>;
}

export default Welcome;

Why Use React?

Common Use Cases

React has become one of the most popular frontend technologies, powering applications for companies like Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Airbnb, and many others.