React

When I learned that we were learning React, and what it was, it didn’t really seem necessary. It seemed like anything you could do with React, you could do without it. just using JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

While as far as I can tell I was technically correct, now that I’ve been introduced to React I can hardly imagine wanting to create an app without it (or something similar).

The ability to combine your JS and HTML makes manipulating the DOM a breeze. Instead of having to create your HTML elements and then use JS to find the elements on the page and update them when you want to, the logic of the updates is effectively coded directly into the element (or at least into the React component, which functions as the HTML component).

Another great advantage is how naturally it lends itself to modularisation and DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) code. Without React you might find yourself writing a long page of HTML and copy-pasting elements that you’re using multiple times. With React each component can have its own file and you simply use your components when you need multiple similar elements.

Overall I’ve enjoyed learning React and am looking forward to incorporating it into a larger full-stack project.