React

React is the most widely used JavaScript library for building web interfaces. Created by Meta for its own products, it rests on a simple idea: break the interface into reusable components that update themselves when the underlying data changes.

What is React used for?

React handles an application's visual layer: you describe what the screen should show based on state, and React updates the DOM efficiently. Its component-based approach has become a standard adopted everywhere. Around it, a huge ecosystem provides routing, state management, and testing tools like Jest. For a full production application, it's often paired with a framework like Next.js.

React or an alternative?

Compared to Vue or SvelteKit, React isn't always the simplest or the fastest, but it dominates on community size, number of libraries, and job market demand. Choosing React means choosing the richest and best-documented ecosystem.

What are React's limitations?

React is only an interface layer: routing, data, structure, all of it must be chosen and assembled separately, which can confuse beginners. Recent additions like Server Components have added complexity. It works very well in VS Code, but a serious React project requires putting several pieces together.