Reasons to become a React Developer

29 aug. 2022
Beginner
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27 min read  

Reasons to Become a React Developer

The latest tools are getting released daily. With so many frameworks and libraries to select from, it has become challenging for business owners to make the appropriate choice. One of the best and most popular libraries is React JS. It is a JavaScript library extensively used for building user interfaces. The particular library is being maintained by Facebook and several individual companies and developers. Essentially, it is an open-source, front-end JavaScript library extensively famous in the web development domain, exclusively for single-page applications. Furthermore, it is widely used for developing responsive and interactive UI elements for web and mobile apps.

Reasons to Become a React Developer:

Let’s go through the key reasons for becoming a React developer that justify why it stands out from other front-end development frameworks.

Speed:

React enables developers to use individual parts of their application on the client-side as well as server-side. Ultimately, this enhances the speed of the development procedure. Various developers can write distinct parts and the changes done won’t create the logic of the application.

Flexibility:

As compared to other frontend frameworks, the coding of React is easier to maintain and is flexible because of its modular structure. Consequently, this flexibility saves a significant amount of time and expenses for the business. After you have learned it thoroughly, you can use it on a wide range of platforms to create quality user interfaces. React is not a framework but a library. The library approach has enabled React to advance into such an extraordinary tool.
Primarily, React was created with a key focus on developing components for web applications. In your web application, a React component can be a text or button or grid, or label. Since React’s fame is grown, the corresponding ecosystem has also evolved to cover different use cases.
It is possible to create a static site with React through tools like Gatsby. For building mobile apps, React Native can be used. Moreover, you can develop Desktop applications with the help of a tool like Electron. This tool can operate on Windows and Mac with React.js technology.
React also supports server rendering of the components through tools like Next.js. React.js can also be used to develop VR (virtual reality) websites and 360 experiences with the help of React VR.
It is possible to use React in an existing app as well. You can modify a tiny part of your application using React and if the modification works, you can begin transforming your entire application into React.js. Note that Facebook implemented this same approach.

Performance:

One of the key purposes behind the design of React JS is to let it provide high performance. Its core provides a virtual DOM program as well as server-side rendering that expedites the operation of complex apps. Moreover, React library assists developers to enhance their work productivity.
It would not be an overstatement to state that using a tool or two competent enhance their work productivity. React.js library can improve the performance of developers and is known to be highly comparable with Angular when it comes to performance. The capabilities and possibilities which React provides can boost the work productivity of developers.
Frequent updates usually prove to be headaches when an app contains a complex logic and when a single alteration in one component can significantly influence other components. However, to resolve this issue, Facebook has amplified React through the component reusability functionality.
React’s component reusability enables developers to redeploy similar digital objects. For example, developers can start adding simple components like text fields, buttons, and checkboxes and subsequently move them to wrapper components that are eventually advanced to the root component.
The aforementioned approach offers improved code maintenance and development because each component in React possesses its own internal logic. This logic is easy to manipulate and therefore it aids in boosting the application developer’s productivity.

JavaScript, TypeScript, and JSX:

For software development, time is a very precious resource. The use of React in a project significantly saves time for developers. Also, it leads to faster product delivery and assists a business to yield profit without delay.
This benefit is sourced in React’s capability to work together with JSX, JavaScript, and TypeScript. By writing on JSX or JavaScript or TypeScript, fewer bugs and enhanced safety are guaranteed. Also, it allows the creation of reusable components. This code reuse approach boosts the work productivity of developers.

DevTools:

Apart from the component reusability functionality, React provides a collection of valuable React Developer Tools that can boost one’s work productivity. Such DevTools are available as browser extensions that can be installed on Edge, Chrome, and Firefox browsers.
They facilitate testing of React component trees, supervising and testing component states, and more. Moreover, they improve the developer experience by equipping them with practical built-in debugging tools. Therefore, as an alternative to writing console logs, it is better to use specialized debugging instruments or manually add dev print statements. The reason is it can unlock React DevTools and check whether everything about a component is appropriate or not.
The React team felt that the speed of JavaScript is fast; however, the updating process of the DOM makes it sluggish. React reduces DOM changes. Moreover, it has discovered the most intellectual and efficient way to update DOM. Before the introduction of React, most libraries and frameworks were updating the DOM indecisively to showcase a new state. Consequently, it led to changes to a considerable part of the page.
 React supervises the values of state of every component with the Virtual DOM. Whenever the state of a component alters, React would compare the prevailing DOM state with that what the latest DOM must look like. Subsequently, it discovers the cost-effective approach to updating the DOM. Though this doesn’t seem too easy, React manages it well. One of the prominent benefits it provides is it avoids layout trashing which occurs whenever the browser needs to re-calculate the location of everything whenever the DOM element modifies. Because the majority of applications are used on mobile devices, they must be highly efficient. Hence, it is significant to save CPU and battery power.
The typical programming model of React enables it to automatically change state whenever data gets updated. Since this occurs in the memory, it is speedy. The size of React’s library is tiny i.e. less than 6 kb. This size is considerably smaller than that of its competitors.

Reusable Components:

One of the prominent advantages of using React JS is its capability to reuse components. It significantly saves time for developers because they need not have to write different codes for similar features. Moreover, if any modifications take place in any specific portion, it will not influence other portions of the application.
React offers a component based structure and components are nothing but your lego pieces. Basically, you begin working with small components like checkbox, button, dropdown, etc. and then you develop wrapper components that are made up of those smaller components. Subsequently, you write higher-level wrapper components. This process continues until you possess this one root component and the particular component in your app.
Each component determines the way it must be rendered. Moreover, each component comes with its unique internal logic. The particular approach allows reusing components wherever you want. Consequently, your app boasts a consistent look and feel, simplifies developing your app, and code reusability makes it simpler to maintain and develop your codebase.

React features a steep learning curve:

Most developers admire React.js due to it being efficient, flexible, and declarative. Compared to other JavaScript frameworks, its learning curve is easier. Essentially, React is a library and a comprehensive solution that is built around a single main concept. This concept is nothing but to provide you more freedom when it comes to using the library to compose and systematize your component-based architecture.
You see, the harder it is to learn a particular technology or framework, the more time it will take to begin the development process. And we, as human beings, often tend to avoid things that are difficult to learn.
But, since React is a simple framework that is easy to learn and get started, businesses and big brands are more inclined toward using it.
However, the relative simplicity of React doesn’t entirely rely on its component model and file structure. It is easy to understand and launch the code. React.js makes sure developers need not manage a lot of things. Usually, it has a simple file tree as well as a flexible component model. But React attempts to have a considerably shorter dependency list. Although Angular’s dependencies create a dizzying set that is challenging to track, React targets to streamline developer’s life by significantly abbreviating the equivalent lists.
If technology is more difficult to learn, it takes longer to begin the development process.
Thus, a steep learning curve is found to be one of the key reasons why React has attained great traction in quite a short time. Considering React’s simplicity, businesses prevalent today are more focused on its use. Thus, it results in faster development of their projects.
When compared to other libraries and famous frontend frameworks (like Vue and Angular), React feature an easier learning curve. This is one of the key reasons why React has attained excessive traction in quite less time. It assists businesses in rapidly building their projects. For learning React JS, developers need not spend much time learning the programming languages. Essentially, React is built on what developers are previously familiar with i.e. JavaScript.
Once you have learned React JS, it becomes simpler to learn React Native (an open-source mobile app framework for developing applications for iOS, Android, UWP, and Web. With thorough knowledge of React Native, an individual can effortlessly switch to mobile app development.

It’s Just JavaScript:

A great portion of the code that is written in a React application is just plain JavaScript. This framework contains a big API that is intended to save time in the development process. If you are dealing with developers who already know JavaScript, their knowledge will be instantly implemented instead of spending time learning how to use new software.
Although a developer might not possess extensive knowledge of React, they can typically choose tickets. This is the reason some tasks only need general JavaScript knowledge. Moreover, they can learn the React concepts as they move forward and become productive comparatively quickly.
A distinct but associated point concerns frameworks that don’t use JavaScript, but rather compile to JavaScript. The greatest famous example of the same is TypeScript. It is a programming language with some valuable features but comes with some learning curve.
Several teams may feel it daunting to learn a new framework and new language simultaneously. Since these languages are being used by a subset of JavaScript developers, it is possible that they could restrict the pool of developers available to rapidly step in when there is revenue on your team.

Versatile:

Do you know what one of the most thrilling aspects of React is? Well, it is versatile, so you can use it to build apps over multiple platforms like mobile, web, desktop, and other devices. It is also possible to reuse the React Native code for publishing your apps as both Android and iOS apps. It is obviously fascinating to have a team of developers with the flexibility to transit from building a web app to building a mobile app. Being a developer, it is equally exciting to be capable to move into a new area of development without beginning from scratch.
A few years, it was allowed to write hybrid mobile apps through web technologies and different helper frameworks. However, they usually presented restricted functionality and the performance was poor. But React Native for mobile app development is different. It enables you to build an app that is equivalent to those built-in Java, Objective-C, or Swift.

Powerful and Innovative:

React assisted to popularize various software patterns and techniques. The same includes the usage of a virtual DOM, declarative programming style, component-based architecture, CSS-in-JS HTML-in-JS, and functional programming. When React was first released, the use of JSX (a kind of an HTML-in-JS approach) brought a surprise. But gradually, these have gone way when people finally realized the capability of component-based architectures.
There has been a lot of discussion about functional programming in JavaScript. It is nothing but a programming approach to which JavaScript is pertinent and React has assisted to fuel interest. One of the significant libraries in the React ecosystem is Redux. It has hastened up that interest to the level that React development currently inclines towards functional programming approaches.

Aids in building rich user interfaces:

In recent times, the quality of the user interface of an application plays a vital role. If the user interface is inappropriately designed, it can reduce the odds of the application succeeding. However, if an application boasts superior quality UI then there are more odds that users will admire and use that app. Therefore, building rich user interfaces is imperative for an application to sustain and succeed. In this regard, the good news is that React enables building these types of superior quality, rich user interfaces via its declarative components.
React JS allows noteworthy data changes to automatically transform specific UI elements. Owing to this contemporary feature, you don’t require anything else to update the UI.
React makes it simpler to develop a clean architecture that is convenient for testing. If you are working with React, there is no need to do any additional configuration of UI tests. As an alternative, you can use Jest. It is Facebook’s JS test runner which is configured right out of the box and seamlessly works with React.js applications. If you intend to develop a new app through Create React App then Jest will be applicable by default. Hence, you can rapidly execute tests.
Specifically, Jest is a Node-based runner. So, when it comes to testing a React JS app, unit tests can be executed in a Node environment (instead of a real browser) by simulating components under test. Typically, traditional UI test execution was slow. However, with React, the UI tests run very fast. To avoid hassles while UI testing, you can separately test single React components within a Node environment. Doing this will prevent flakiness and ensure the reliability of test results. The reason is, that by adopting this approach, you can test pure functions which result in saving time, both in terms of maintenance and testing.
If you are executing unit tests using React, certainly, it wouldn’t be a great challenge to rapidly write such tests and effortlessly update them.

Allows writing custom components:

React comes along with JSX (an optional syntax extension) that streamlines writing your components. Such components accept HTML quoting and also streamline the process of all subcomponent rendering for developers.
A lot of debate existed around JSX. However, it is extensively used for writing custom components, developing high-volume applications, and transforming HTML mockups into ReactElement trees.

Offers fast rendering:

When you are involved in building a high-load, complex app, it becomes compulsory to delineate the structure of the app at the start. This is because it can influence the performance of the app. DOM model comes in the tree structure. Hence, a small modification at a higher level layer could extremely influence the user interface of an app. For resolving this, Facebook has presented a virtual DOM feature.
As suggested by the name, Virtual DOM depicts the virtual representation of DOM that permits testing all modifications to the virtual DOM first to compute the risks involved with each modification. Consequently, this approach assists to maintain high app performance and assures a rich user experience.
When you work on developing React apps, the aforementioned solution proves to be effective and straightforward. Essentially, Virtual DOM by React works as a layer amid how things are thought to look and the exact processes occurring to render all such things over the page.
You may wonder how React is more beneficial than other frameworks? Well, it prepares Virtual DOM as a replica of the Real DOM. Whenever state change occurs in React, it once more renders the Virtual DOM and contrasts the old version with the newer one. Ultimately, only the requisite minimum is altered in the Real DOM rather than re-rendering the whole UI.

SEO-friendly:

SEO (search engine optimization) is the opportunity for success for any online business. As per Moz, the faster the rendering page and the lower the page load time, the app would rank higher on Google.
Due to faster rendering in React compared to other frameworks, there is a considerable reduction in the page load time. This considerably assists businesses in attaining the first rank on the search engine result page of Google.

Comes with a useful developer toolset:

Learning cutting-edge technologies and implementing them in your projects can be both advantageous and amusing. These are possible only if they are used properly. Facebook comprehends this and therefore they have added many required React Dev tools as well as Chrome dev tools in React JS framework.
Such React tools assist developers to determine child and parent components, monitoring component hierarchies, and scrutinizing the present state and props of components.

Strong community support:

Contrasting to a few other libraries and frameworks, React has a full-time development team that is working every day to enhance this technology. Conventionally, open-source projects were accomplished without full-time developers. They are now being improved with the help of work done by independent contributors dedicated to the project to a certain extent. The commitment of React contributors is quite deeper than that. This lays a direct positive influence on the coding experience of React developers.
Similar to Angular, React also presents powerful community support. This is one of the key reasons behind the widespread adoption of React JS in projects. Each day, a vast number of React developers are significantly contributing towards enhancing this frontend framework. Presently, React JS has obtained 136,079 stars on Github and owns 1,331 regular contributors.
Experts are regularly uploading free React tutorials on the YouTube platform and also detailed React tutorial articles & blogs online. In this regard, for instance, a typical ‘free React tutorial’ search on Google provides 13,00,00,000 results. Furthermore, React experts are regularly resolving doubts on QA sites such as Quora and Stack Overflow. This implies that if you got stuck when using React, you always obtain reliable solutions provided by experts.
React boasts a rich ecosystem to provide benefits or contribute to. Moreover, finding any concept will not be difficult because it is easy to find out the React documentation on the official website.
Since the community is active, you can obtain instant feedback on your inquiry. Presently, on StackOverflow, there are more than 160k questions tagged as ‘react.js’ which have a minimum of one accepted answer. This shows the excellent responsiveness of the community. So, whenever you face any issue, chances are there that somebody else already faced the same problem. The availability of the solution makes sure you just need to copy-paste it from the equivalent discussion thread.
GitHub Repository possesses more than 164k stars. Moreover, it is one of the topmost 5 Repositories on GitHub. NPM Package of React has millions of weekly downloads.
Reactiflux community is solely created for React developers. In this community, more than 110k members are involved to solve and share problems related to React. In certain cases, you need not create your components because there are plenty of free component libraries available online.
The following list demonstrates the active community support from React:
  •       Microsoft has developed the Fluent UI component library which provides you an opportunity to develop your UI.
  •       Material-UI provides React components that execute Google's Material UI guidelines.
  •       React-Bootstrap comprises React components that simplify working with Bootstrap.
  •       Awesome React Components list on GitHub to find more React components.
Other benefits of using React:
  •       Mature-related libraries/projects are available for use with React.
  •       React Router can be used for routing.
  •       If you intend to manage a complex data system then MobX and Redux can be used.
  •       Jest is useful for automated testing
  •       Express.js is useful for the server-side rendering of the React components with node
  •       GraphQL is useful for RESTful API calls
All such tools and libraries are vital because if you want to build out something in React then you get enough assistance and solutions on the web.

Better code stability:

React is following downward data flow to ascertain that the parent structure stays unaffected by any changes in its child structure. Whenever a developer does some modifications to an object, he/she just has to change its state and do appropriate amendments. This is the only way through which a specific component can be updated. Consequently, this structure and data flow offers improved code stability and ensures the smooth performance of the app.

Used by plenty of fortune 500 companies:

The fact that React is being used by various fortune 500 companies clarifies the doubt on whether to use it or not. Thousands of companies including a few Fortune 500 companies have opted for React JS for their mobile apps and websites. For example, Walmart, Tencent QQ, Tesla, and Airbnb are among the leading brands that have built their mobile apps with the help of React Native framework.
React web framework, on the other hand, is currently being utilized by famous companies including Netflix, Paypal, NASA, BBC, Lyft, New York Times, and more. Because a lot of Fortune 500 companies and other successful companies are using React, it is certainly useful for mobile app development and front-end development.

Expert data binding:

React uses a side data binding and flux (an app designer that manages data flow from a single point). Therefore, anyone owns the capability to track all the modifications that are done to modify particular parts of the data. It becomes easier to debug the self-contained components of huge ReactJS apps.

Expand your tools and capacities:

One of the key benefits of React is that it allows developers to write on JavaScript and also o the modem JSX. The corresponding approach allows them to use HTML inserts within code which provides an opportunity for restructuring and boosting productivity.

Ease of testing:

React excels not only in performance but also in terms of testing. It makes it simpler to create a design that is test-friendly. These created designs can be administered from triggered outputs, events, functions, etc. React’s design is found extremely user-friendly for testing.
Conventional UI browser testing is usually time-consuming and difficult to maintain. You can write React tests quickly with the help of tools like Enzyme and Jest. A wide range of JavaScript testing frameworks is accessible on the web which can be used to test React.js. Names of a few of the famous testing frameworks include Jasmine, Mocha, AVA, Tape, and QUnit.

Exceptional abstraction layer:

One of the strong facets of React is that it provides a decent abstraction. This implies it does not showcase any complex internals to the user. React developers should be aware of certain basics and know how to test the internal functionalities.

Simplified template designing:

For beginner and professional developers, template design can save hours dedicated to development. Template designing allows them to promptly write the code of an app after create-react-app finishes deployment of the development environment.

Summary

Right from its release, the React library has constantly been improving. The inclination of React toward functional programming concepts and other exceptional features continues to attract more developers. The React community is vast and supportive. So, it excellently helps React developers in their careers. If you possess some fundamental knowledge of JavaScript, it becomes easy to learn React framework.

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About Author
Girdhar Gopal Singh (Author and Passionate Consultant)

Girdhar Gopal Singh is a well-established and highly experienced trainer. He has done M.Tech with computer science, understandably, therefore he has a strong technical background, However, thanks to his broad variety of interests he has also developed multiple training skills. He successful trained thousands of students for both technical as well as HR interview skills.
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