React
A JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces out of reusable components.
- Stars
- 252k
- Forks
- 51.6k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. You describe what the screen should look like for each state of your data, and React updates and redraws only the parts that change. It is built around components, small self-contained pieces of UI that you combine into larger screens. The README also says React can render on the server with Node and power mobile apps through React Native.
- Build a interactive web page whose content updates when data changes, as in the README's Hello example
- Compose reusable components into complex screens
- Render pages on the server using Node
- Build mobile apps by pairing React with React Native
Great for
- Developers building interactive web interfaces with JavaScript
- Teams adding React gradually to an existing project, as the README describes
- Developers who want to reuse the same component model for mobile apps via React Native
- Students learning how modern front-end UIs are structured
Not ideal for
- People who want a complete, opinionated framework with routing and data fetching built in, since the README says React makes no assumptions about the rest of your stack and points to a separate toolchain for new projects
- Non-programmers looking for a no-code website builder
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js
Install React and React DOM from npm
npm install react react-dom - 2
Run it
- Install the packages into an existing project or start a new React app using the README's linked guides
- Create a root element in your HTML page with an id such as container
- Import createRoot from react-dom/client and call root.render with your component
- Open the page in a browser to see the rendered output
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Follow the official tutorial at react.dev/learn to build a first project step by step
- Use the API Reference at react.dev/reference/react when you need details on specific features
- Read Thinking in React to understand how to break a UI into components
- Check the Contributing Guide if you want to improve React itself
Downloads
Strengths
- Declarative views make code easier to predict and debug, according to the README
- Adopts incrementally, so it can be added to an existing project without rewriting it
- Large, active project with an MIT license and a documented site at react.dev
Trade-offs
- It is a UI library only, so you must choose and add other tools for routing, data, and build setup
- The README's examples use JSX, a syntax extension that adds a learning step, though the README notes JSX is not strictly required
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| react (this) | 252k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers building interactive web interfaces with JavaScript |
| vue | 212k | Library | intermediate | 2.1 years ago | Maintaining an existing Vue 2 application that cannot yet be upgraded |
| svelte | 88.5k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want to build interactive websites with less boilerplate |
| angular | 101k | Framework | intermediate | 5 days ago | Developers building larger, multi-screen web applications |
| preact | 39k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Web developers who already know React and want a lighter library |
| folding-cell | 10.2k | Library | intermediate | 2.5 years ago | iOS developers building list screens with expandable items |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.