React is a JavaScript library that helps you build user interfaces for web applications. It's especially popular because of its approach to creating UIs, which focuses on being both declarative and component-based.
Some of the key features of react are as follows:
Component-Based: React lets you break down your user interface into smaller, reusable parts called components. Each component manages its own logic and user interface elements, making it easier to build and maintain complex interfaces.
Declarative: React allows you to describe how your user interface should look based on the current application state. Instead of manually updating the DOM to match the desired UI state, React handles these updates for you.
Virtual DOM: React uses a virtual representation of the DOM to improve performance. Changes to the virtual DOM are compared with the actual DOM, and only the necessary updates are applied, reducing the number of DOM manipulations and improving performance.
JSX: JSX is a syntax extension for JavaScript that lets you write HTML-like code directly in your JavaScript files. This makes it easier to define the structure and behaviour of your React components.
Unidirectional Data Flow: React follows a unidirectional data flow, where data flows from parent to child components. This makes it easier to understand and debug how data changes affect the user interface.
React Hooks: Introduced in React 16.8, hooks are functions that allow you to use state and other React features in functional components. Hooks provides a more flexible way to manage component state and lifecycle methods without using class components.
In summary, React provides a powerful and efficient way to build dynamic and interactive user interfaces for web applications. Its component-based architecture, along with features like the virtual DOM and JSX, make it a popular choice among developers.
Let us look at some of the common interview questions in React:
- What is React?
- React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, developed by Facebook.
- What are the key features of React?
- Virtual DOM, JSX, Components, One-way data binding, and Declarative views are key features of React.
- What is JSX?
- JSX is a syntax extension for JavaScript that allows you to write HTML-like code in your React components.
- What is the difference between React and React Native?
- React is a library for building web applications, while React Native is a framework for building native mobile applications using React.
- What are the main advantages of using React?
- Some advantages of using React include its performance optimizations, reusable components, and a strong community.
- What is a component in React?
- A component in React is a reusable piece of UI that can contain its own state and props.
- What is the purpose of state in React?
- State in React is used to store and manage component-specific data that may change over time.
- What is the difference between state and props in React?
- State is internal to a component and can be changed over time, while props are external inputs to a component that are passed in from its parent component and cannot be changed by the component itself.
- What is a functional component?
- A functional component in React is a simple JavaScript function that takes props as an argument and returns JSX.
- What is a class component?
- A class component in React is a JavaScript class that extends the React.Component class and has its own state and lifecycle methods.
- What are controlled components in React?
- Controlled components in React are components whose value is controlled by React and not by the DOM.
- What are higher-order components (HOC) in React?
- Higher-order components (HOC) in React are functions that take a component and return a new component with enhanced functionality.
- What is the purpose of keys in React lists?
- Keys in React lists are used to uniquely identify elements and help React identify which items have changed, been added, or been removed.
- What is the context API in React?
- The context API in React allows you to pass data through the component tree without having to pass props down manually at every level.
- What is the purpose of refs in React?
- Refs in React are used to access the underlying DOM nodes or React elements created in the render method.
- What is the difference between createElement and JSX?
- createElement is a method used to create React elements programmatically, while JSX is a syntax extension for JavaScript that allows you to write HTML-like code in your React components.
- What is the useEffect hook in React?
- The useEffect hook in React is used to perform side effects in function components, such as data fetching, subscriptions, or manually changing the DOM.
- What is the useState hook in React?
- The useState hook in React is used to add state management to functional components.
- What is the difference between class components and functional components in React?
- Class components are ES6 classes that extend React.Component and have their own state and lifecycle methods, while functional components are simple JavaScript functions that take props as an argument and return JSX.
- What are the lifecycle methods in React?
- Lifecycle methods in React are methods that are called at different stages of a component's life, such as componentDidMount, componentDidUpdate, and componentWillUnmount.
- What is the purpose of PureComponent in React?
- PureComponent in React is a class component that implements a shouldComponentUpdate method with a shallow prop and state comparison, which can improve performance by preventing unnecessary re-renders.
- What is React Router?
- React Router is a library for routing in React applications, allowing you to define different routes and render different components based on the current URL.
- What is Redux?
- Redux is a state management library for JavaScript applications, commonly used with React to manage the application's state in a predictable way.
- What are the key principles of Redux?
- The key principles of Redux include maintaining a single source of truth, state is read-only, changes are made with pure functions, and using actions to describe state changes.
- What is the purpose of the connect function in React-Redux?
- The connect function in React-Redux is used to connect a React component to the Redux store, allowing the component to access the store's state and dispatch actions.
- What is the useMemo hook in React?
- The useMemo hook in React is used to memoize a value, preventing expensive calculations from being re-executed on every render.
- What is the useCallback hook in React?
- The useCallback hook in React is used to memoize a callback function, preventing it from being recreated on every render.
- What is the useReducer hook in React?
- The useReducer hook in React is used to manage state in functional components, similar to how reducers are used in Redux.
- What is the useContext hook in React?
- The useContext hook in React is used to consume values from the React context API, allowing components to access context without having to use a consumer component.
- What is server-side rendering in React?
- Server-side rendering in React is the process of rendering React components on the server and sending the pre-rendered HTML to the client, which can improve performance and SEO.