React is a relatively recent progression in the history of development languages, but has quickly become one of the most popular and widely-used tools used by programmers around the world. Originally developed by Facebook as a way to make developing web and mobile apps simpler and more efficient, it’s now the the most popular programming language for high-volume applications. Geared towards high traffic sites by virtue of its relatively light load, rapid response times, and wide compatibility, here are five reasons why your software development agency is talking about React.
- It’s easy! One of the main benefits of React is that it’s easy to use, straight from the off. By using a system of component-based options, React makes adjusting individual aspects of your UI so much easier – components can be changed or swapped out without requiring extensive rewrites, which not only gives a wide range of easily-changed options, but also makes bugs and errors that much easier to find. It also gives a great range of scalability – what might start as a relatively small app with only a few components can easily be added to, secure in the knowledge that compatibility is guaranteed.
- It’s great for SEO. Search engine optimization is big business these days, with the vast majority of new products requiring search engine visibility to gain any toeholds in the market. Because React renders elements as a regular web page, search engines will include their content in any results they throw out. And because it’s component-based, changes will be propagated across all iterations that use the same elements.
- It works across various platforms and legacy operating systems. By automatically updating on-page apps, React ensures that compatibility between operating systems and legacy hardware is maximized. The same page should work just as well on any platform, regardless of the capabilities of the hardware. Because the app will be front-loaded, components can be implemented correctly for the platform they will run on.
- Virtual DOM. One of the most innovative functions of React is the use of a virtual DOM – in simple terms, a copy of the server-side software recreated in the browser memory. By front-loading the software, far less strain is placed on server-side processes and bandwidth, which is often a huge bottleneck with online apps. Using a virtual DOM is a lightweight and elegant solution to that problem. Also, because the virtual DOM is modified and adjusted for the platform at launch, compatibility is far more stable – because there isn’t a constant back-and-forth between the browser and the server, precise limits can be set on how much platform-side resources will be used.
- React is fully-functional JavaScript. Unlike previous languages, React is a way to give full JavaScript programming in an HTML-based environment. It’s a significant difference: with fewer restrictions on programming syntax and language, the customisation possible far surpasses what might be done with a purely HTML-based program. Not only does it open up a huge developing language for your use, but it’s also widely compatible with many other tools that work with JavaScript as well.
You can easily see why React is fast becoming one of the most important developing languages used today. Because it’s maintained by Facebook and already has a vast user base, there’s no danger of React disappearing any time soon, so software development agencies around the world are getting on-board with it.