What is React?
The short answer
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces from reusable components that update automatically when their data changes.
React, explained
React describes what the UI should look like for a given state and works out the DOM changes. It is the base of frameworks like Next.js and the most common output of AI coding tools.
React itself only handles the view; routing, data and rendering strategy come from the framework around it.
Questions people ask about React
What is React?
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces from reusable components that update automatically when their data changes.
Related terms
A component is a self-contained, reusable piece of interface, like a button, card or navigation bar, with its own structure, style and behaviour.
JSXJSX is a syntax that lets developers write HTML-like markup inside JavaScript, used by React to describe what a component renders.
React HooksHooks are React functions, like useState and useEffect, that let components hold state and run side effects such as fetching data or subscribing to events.
Next.jsNext.js is a React framework for building websites and web apps, adding routing, server rendering, static generation and API routes on top of React.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.