React
The library that changed how UIs are built.
What it is
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It was created at Facebook in 2013 and is now maintained by Meta alongside a large open-source community. The core idea is simple: you build a UI out of components - self-contained pieces of code that each manage their own appearance and behaviour.
A navigation bar, a product card, a contact form - each one is a component. You compose them together to build a page, and React handles updating only the parts of the page that actually need to change when data changes. That's far more efficient than rewriting the entire DOM on every update.
How I use it
React is the foundation of every frontend project I build. It's used through Next.js rather than standalone, which adds server-side rendering, routing, and performance optimisations on top. Components are written in TypeScript, styled with Tailwind CSS, and animated with Framer Motion.
The component model means UI elements built once can be reused consistently across the whole site. A button, a card, a section layout - built once, used everywhere, changed in one place. That keeps the codebase clean and makes updates straightforward.
Why this over the alternatives
React has the largest ecosystem of any frontend library. Vue.js and Svelte are both good options, but React's community size means more maintained libraries, more answered questions, and a much larger pool of developers who can work with the code if you ever need someone else to pick it up.
What it means for your site
- Component-based architecture makes complex UIs manageable and consistent
- Only re-renders what changed, keeping interactions fast
- Massive ecosystem of maintained UI libraries and utilities
- Widely understood - easier to find help, documentation, and developers
Also in Frontend
Want this on your project?
Get in touch and we can talk through what stack makes sense for what you are building.
Start a conversation