The Pros and Cons of React JS and React Native
Both ReactJS and React Native are two new technologies for both web and mobile development that were introduced by Facebook that were made to make the coding life much simpler.
React JS is a known JavaScript library that works by combining JavaScript’s speed and a new way of webpage rendering. React Native, on the other hand, is an open-source mobile application framework that is used to develop apps for Android and iOS along with other platforms like Windows and UWP by allowing developers to use React right along with different native platform capabilities.
The difference between React JS and React Native is that Reactjs is a virtual DOM that is used to help render browser code in the known Reactjs. React Native, on the other hand, uses native APIs to render the components in mobile. All the apps developed with the known Reactjs renders the HTML in UI while the React Native still uses JSX for rendering its UI, which is actually nothing but simple javascript.
What are the pros and cons of ReactJS and React Native?
Like everything else, ReactJS and React Native is not perfect and still works on a pros and cons basis. Some people would prefer using these due to its pros while others are unable to stand the cons and would prefer using something else like Angular, which is React’s direct competition.
Here are a few of ReactJS and React Native pros:
Virtual DOM helps smoothen things
Document Object Model or DOM’s most common concert is the way that it processes changes but React has been able to increase the speed of its updates with the use of a virtual DOM. This is quite unlike other frameworks that all work with the use of a Real DOM.
Basically, ReactJS uses an abstract copy to update even the smallest changes while not affecting other parts of the known interface.
Reusing React components with permission saves time
A huge advantage that Facebook brings with its React is the main ability to reuse different code components even of different levels at any time. This is a huge time-saving effort designed to make things more efficient.
The isolation of React components make it easy for developers to change certain aspects without affecting others.
ReactJS provides a stable code
React allows the use of direct work with different components and makes use of downward data binding resulting in a more stable code and ensuring that child structures won’t affect the parent structures.
Instead of making use of the explicit data binding, ReactJR makes use of one-direction data flow.
Open-source Facebook library
By being one of Facebook’s first JavaScript-connected projects that was released as an open-source, ReactJS gets all the advantages of free access along with a lot of useful applications as well as additional tools from different off-company developers.
ReactJS is currently the 5th Trending on GitHub with a total of over 152,000 stars. It also has over 1,400 open-source contributors all working with its library.
Redux: convenient state container
Although it’s obvious, the probability of React users that know Redux is quite high so it’s still pretty much worth mentioning. Redux works by simplifying both the storing and managing component states in gigantic applications along with a number of dynamic elements where it actually becomes quite difficult.
Redux bypasses the need to deal with child components or callbacks in order to access single objects and also allows every particular component to access the application state.
React Hooks: better state management
The best thing that the Hook API can do is to allow sharing state logic between different components even without rearchitecting the entire code block. Hook also allows the reuse of logic between different elements without the need to change its structure.
Huge Redux and React toolset
There’s no way better way to say this but both React and Redux come equipped with a pretty decent set of related tools that simply make the developer’s life much easier.
Here are a few of React JS and React Native cons:
Development pace
The environment is said to constantly change which results in developers having to relearn new processes on a regular basis. The constant evolution makes it hard for some to keep up at that pace. Although alterations are made to improve, they can sometimes be quite taxing to relearn.
Poor documentation
The speedy update and release of new tools make it hard for developers to integrate these tools with ReactJS. There are even some members of the community that agree that React is updating as well as accelerating way too fast leaving no time to even write down proper instructions.
This leaves developers to write down their own documentation for the different tools they use on their current projects.
JSX as a barrier
Although JSX is equipped with its own benefits like protecting codes, some developers and designers are complaining about the complexity of JSX and its consequent hard learning curve.
SEO hassle
Although SEO is very possible with React, this could add additional effort requiring developers to set up server-side rendering and other efforts that require not just time but additional expertise.
Of course, in the end, it still really depends on how the developer makes the most out of React. It could either be a tool that makes things easier or if done incorrectly, could make things harder.
There are already a lot of developers using React due to its simple and efficient platform but of course, the decision is entirely up to whether or not the developer takes advantage of the pros or gets overwhelmed by the cons.
