Which is better React JS or React Native?

In the App Development Industry many people looking to develop Mobile Applications have a lack of knowledge about the technology used for developing Mobile applications. React JS and React Native are among popular technologies mostly chosen by people. Their Names are almost similar just and addition of extra words makes the whole change. React JS and React Native have gained fame in a very short period of time developed by Facebook. Many people have confusion of different things having similar names. If you are also having the same confusion you have landed at the right place for sending all the confusions far away.

What is React JS?

React is a JavaScript library for building web applications that run on a web browser. It allows developers to create reusable components that can render dynamic data and handle user interactions. To refresh the UI efficiently and with minimal performance effect, React utilizes a virtual DOM.

What is React Native?

React Native is a framework for building cross-platform mobile applications that run on iOS, Android, and other devices. It allows developers to use the same React components and syntax to create native apps that can access device features and have a native look and feel. React Native uses a bridge to communicate with the native modules and render the UI using native components.

Common things between React JS and React Native?

The following are some of the similarities between React and React Native are:

• They both use JavaScript as the programming language and JSX as the syntax extension.
• They both follow the same component-based architecture and use props and states to manage data flow.
• They both support hooks, which are functions that let you use state and other React features without writing a class component.
• They both use the same tools and libraries, such as Redux, React Router, Axios, etc.

Difference between React JS and React Native (h2)

Some of the differences between React and React Native are:

• React is used for web App development, while React Native is used for Cross platform mobile  App development.
• React uses HTML and CSS for styling and layout, while React Native uses a subset of CSS and a custom layout engine called Yoga.
• React uses the browser’s DOM to render the UI, while React Native uses native components to render the UI.
• React can run on any browser that supports JavaScript, while React Native can only run on specific platforms that have a native bridge.

Benefits of React JS

Some of the advantages of using React are:

• It is easy to learn and use, especially if you are familiar with JavaScript and HTML.
• It has a large and active community that provides support and resources.
• It has a high performance and scalability due to its virtual DOM and diffing algorithm.
• It has a rich ecosystem of tools and libraries that enhance its functionality.

Benefits of React Native

Some of the advantages of using React Native are:

• It allows you to create native apps with a single codebase, saving time and resources.
• It gives you access to device features, such as camera, GPS, push notifications, etc.
• It has a hot reloading and live reloading feature that lets you see the changes in your app instantly without rebuilding it.
• It has a modular structure that makes it easy to reuse code and integrate with other native modules.

Disadvantages of React JS?

• React uses Javascript XML. This is an extension which allows developers to Write HTML Code in React.
• Almost every developer who does app development is concerned about the high speed blocked because of frequent changes in React JS library. React Improvements are now almost reserved for libraries and other updates.
• As React offers multiple third-party plugins, React JS has a few native models with which developers can combine  HTML and CSS code into Javascript with its complexity.

Disadvantages of React Native?

• React Native has a Shortage of Custom Modules so it is more dependent on third-party libraries.
• React native brings the Frequent updates which tend developers to constantly work for better development.
• React Native Developer has to face the problem of Mobile Application loading time, this is because the thread of Javascript takes a lot of time to deploy.

How does React JS work?

React is a JavaScript library used for building user interfaces (UIs) in web applications. It follows a component-based approach, which allows developers to build reusable UI components that update dynamically in response to changes in data.

Here’s a high-level overview of how React works:

Components: React applications are built using components. A component represents a reusable piece of the user interface, which can be a small element like a button or a larger element like a form. Components can be nested within each other to create complex UI structures.

Virtual DOM: React uses a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) to efficiently update the UI. The virtual DOM is a lightweight representation of the actual DOM. When a component’s state or props change, React creates a new virtual DOM tree by reconciling the differences between the previous and new states.

Render: React provides a render() method that describes what the UI should look like at any given time. Developers define the UI structure using JSX (a syntax extension for JavaScript), which allows mixing of HTML-like code within JavaScript. React compile JSX into JavaScript function calls.

Reconciliation: When a component’s state or props change, React performs a process called reconciliation. It compares the previous and new virtual DOM trees, identifies the differences, and updates only the necessary parts of the actual DOM to reflect the changes. This approach optimizes performance by minimizing direct manipulations of the DOM.

One-Way Data Flow: React enforces a one-way data flow, where data flows from parent components to child components. Parent components pass data and behavior down to their children through props (properties), which are immutable. If a child component needs to communicate with its parent, it can do so by invoking callback functions passed as props.

Lifecycle Methods: React components have lifecycle methods that allow developers to perform actions at specific stages of a component’s life cycle. For example, componentDidMount() is called after a component is rendered for the first time, and componentWillUnmount() is called before a component is removed from the DOM.

React Hooks: React introduced hooks in version 16.8 to provide a way to use state and other React features in functional components. Hooks allow developers to use state and lifecycle methods without writing a class component. Common hooks include useState() for managing state and useEffect() for handling side effects.

By combining these principles, React efficiently updates the UI in response to changes and provides a smooth and interactive user experience. It is widely used in web development due to its performance, reusability, and ecosystem of libraries and tools.