React Development is What Startups Should Be Looking for these Days!

Startups, It’s Time to Look No Further than React Development

Roy Daniel
9 min readJul 30, 2020

· Define React
· Now, let’s Meet React v16.9?
1. Async Act ()
2. Renaming unsafe lifecycle methods
3. Factory Components
· Pros of the React framework
Component reuse
Enhanced Performance
Facilitates further maintenance by boosting productivity
The Virtual DOM
Redux: convenient state container
Never that Simple search engine optimization
The high pace of development
ReactJS is Moving Fast
· Why should Business Owners go for React apps?

Are you ready to get acquainted with one of the finest JavaScript libraries mainly used to build user interfaces? Conceived in 2011 by Jordan Walke (Facebook software engineer), React.js is now highly appreciated by the world including prominent companies such as Netflix, Yahoo, and Dropbox.

Define React

The popular JavaScript library acts as a solid view layer for web applications. A self-contained molecule named component is at the core of any React.js development project that renders effective output. In simple words, interface elements such as buttons or any input field can be considered as a React component. One of the most interesting aspects of these components is that they are compostable.

React components eventually correspond to various interface elements, so after writing them when React.js developers happen to define the structure of the application by organizing these components inside higher-level ones.

Have you ever taken a closer look at a form? If so, you must have observed that it comprises numerous elements such as input fields, labels, or buttons. Each can be considered as a React component. For higher-level performance, the foam itself can be considered as a component. Another interesting aspect of React is restricted and planned for giving us the devices to have the option to foresee how our application will look with a given situation.

To understand its working, React does not operate directly on the browsers Document Object Model (DOM) on an instant basis but it does on a Virtual DOM. If simply put, React resolves changes on a DOM built and run thoroughly on memory instead of manipulating the document in the browser. The technology itself determines as soon as this virtual updating is done. And this is what changes to make to the actual browser’s DOM.

The React Virtual DOM exists entirely in-memory and is considered as a quick representation of the web browser’s DOM. As a result, when we write a React component; it means you aren’t writing directly to the DOM but in a virtual component that the technology itself turns into the DOM.

Now, let’s Meet React v16.9?

Since we have limited time I won’t get into the details of React all these years. Instead, I would like to introduce React v16.9 featuring interesting functionalities, bug fixes, and depreciation. Let us delve into the details for a while.

1. Async Act ()

A new testing utility was shipped popularly known as act(). Mainly created to assist React Developers all around the world to write tests that match the various browser behaviors in a better manner.

Before synchronous functions were the only support and a couple of warnings showed up while using it. With the emergence of new 16.9, you will be overjoyed to know that it offers support for asynchronous functions so one can await calls.

Another interesting thing here is that the React team has created resources to assist budding developers fully understand the concept of how to write tests with act () (new testing recipes guide).

2. Renaming unsafe lifecycle methods

Another interesting feature here is changing the names of lifecycle methods that were deemed unsafe.

  • componentWillMount → UNSAFE_componentWillMount
  • componentWillReceiveProps → UNSAFE_componentWillReceiveProps
  • componentWillUpdate → UNSAFE_componentWillUpdate

Are you scared that your old applications might break with this particular update? Well not really because whenever they are in use there will be a warning given in your terminal. These warnings will send you connects to assets for pertinent choices when managing these hazardous techniques. All things considered, you should simply run a basic codemod script that goes into your application and naturally renames all the unsafe lifecycle strategies.

3. Factory Components

Ultimately, this won’t influence a mess of individuals as it has not been broadly utilized yet just during React compilation, factory components returning an object with a render method.

Because of its entirely confounding example, it can be used in place of function components that return a template value instead Additionally, it is being deteriorated as it is likewise answerable for the gradualness React experiences during compilation.

Pros of the React framework

Over the years, I have realized the fact that React is quite old enough to be mature and now has a huge number of contributions right from the community. By gaining widespread acceptance, the future for this framework looks bright. If you are getting started with front-end, JavaScript frameworks, startups, and developers who enjoy flexibility, scalability, and robustness. Further below I would like to mention certain advantages of using React.js for your upcoming development project.

Component reuse

If given a choice would you reinvent the wheel and spend ample time and money so that you can reuse the code that has been already written as well as tested by other fellows? With the so-called components present in React.js, splitting the UI into independent, reusable pieces becomes easy. And consider each piece in isolation. Chartify can be used, a lightweight and customizable chart component, Halogen — a collection of highly customizable loading spinner animations and material-UI — a rare collection of components implementing Google’s material design.

Enhanced Performance

Due to the presence of virtual DOM, a cross-platform, and programming API dealing with HTML, XML, or XHTML. Recently when the DOM was updated, developers often faced problems of slowed-down performance of the application. By introducing virtual DOM, a representation of the web browser’s DOM — react solved the issue. Now whenever a React component is written, React.js developers no longer need to write directly to the DOM. Instead, we are writing virtual components that react will turn into the DOM, leading to smoother and faster performance.

Facilitates further maintenance by boosting productivity

There are times when updates turn into a severe headache just because the application has a complex logic and a slight change in any component can affect others adversely. So as a solution, Facebook has supplemented React with a rare ability to reuse system components. Now how is that possible, you might ask? Well, a component comprises an internal logic making manipulation a way easier. I hope the following points even answer why one must use React — the ability to reuse components comes in handy and it’s moving towards npm registry.

The Virtual DOM

As I mentioned before, virtual DOM will remain at the core of any React.js development project. Now when you develop an app there are a lot of user interaction and data updates available which must be carefully considered as it will directly impact the app’s performance. With the rise of fast client platforms and Javascript engines, extensive DOM manipulation can itself act as a bottleneck leading to annoying user experience. In the worst scenario, DOM can cause huge ripples to the user interface.

And that’s where React comes into the picture like I said it is just a virtual representation which means any changes are first performed on the virtual DOM and live in memory and not on the screen. The efficient algorithm determines significant changes made to the virtual DOM to identify potential changes that need to be made in the real one. This being the most effective way guarantees a minimum update time to the real DOM, providing higher performance and a cleaner user experience all around.

Redux: convenient state container

Before getting into the details let us first understand that Redux is a framework-agnostic that can be used with Vue and Angular which means it isn’t exclusive to React. Redux is one such tool that is considered to be every React-developer’s must-learn instrument applied in almost every React application. Moreover, it simplifies storing and managing components states in large applications with many dynamic elements. It mainly stores application state in a single object allowing every component to access application state without dealing with child components or even using callbacks. It basically provides a centralized data store object allowing components to directly access it.

Never that Simple search engine optimization

With digitalization happening all-around Search engine optimization has become the core for any web application to succeed. Attracting traffic and attracting new customers has become a norm these days and that’s why it has become more challenging to make your React.js app SEO friendly. But before we go deeper, it is crucial to understand how Google’s ranking works? How the search engine indexes web pages.

Bots are mainly being used to index web pages. Now what they do is scan content of a web page and store relevant information about it in the Google index. Although, these bots can easily index HTML pages somehow they fail to work so smoothly with JavaScript pages. So as a solution all JavaScript pages including those built with React.js must be indexed with these bots procedure and it should be complicated in comparison to those static web pages. It may quite interest you to know that there are several ways such as pre-rendering and server-rendering which can be used to make React.js development project SEO-friendly.

The high pace of development

If you want to make things work here it is very important for you to know that you match up with the high pace of development when dealing with React. The technology is always in the state of flux with old features being depreciated and the new ones being introduced on a regular basis. So make sure that you choose a reliable React.js development company that has a team of professionals who are well-versed with such a high pace of development.

ReactJS is Moving Fast

Well, I won’t glorify this point as it is true. With the great pace of development comes great changes creating noise to programmers as they have to relearn a new way of doing the same things. There are times when adopting new changes turn hard developers as the changes will continue to get updates. This also means developers require to keep up their skills updated at regular intervals. For example, choose a team of React.js developers who know other technologies as well.

Why should Business Owners go for React apps?

Another interesting question is how React.js development technology is beneficial for business owners? Well, with 100000 websites being built with React, without a shadow of a doubt it seems to be the next big thing in the JavaScript library. But still to answer the question, here I would like to mention a few reasons. Take a look!

  • Cost-effective — Price has always been a major factor considered while developing apps. Due to the implementation of boilerplates facilitating code reuse (saving time and resources) React is available for less in comparison to other libraries.
  • Don’t ignore the user experience — React comprises an excellent bunch of features resulting in the creation of applications with exceptional user experience. All thanks to virtual DOM and server-side rendering creating high performance and fast apps.
  • Cross-platform — By supporting development frameworks like React Native, professionals all have to switch between React Native and Reactjs to achieve optimal benefits of either framework.

So, that’s all for now!

React is one such technology that can be made most out to get scalable projects for the business niche. All you require is to find the right Reactjs development company that can assist in creating simple as well as comprehensive projects.

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Roy Daniel

Writer | Loves to write articles on Technology. Technical Blogger | Contributor | Designer | Entrepreneur | Reading is my Passion.