ReactJS is a simple, feature rich, component based JavaScript UI library. It can be used to develop small applications as well as big, complex applications. ReactJS provides minimal and solid feature set to kick-start a web application. React community compliments React library by providing large set of ready-made components to develop web application in a record time. React community also provides advanced concept like state management, routing, etc., on top of the React library.

React versions

The initial version, 0.3.0 of React is released on May, 2013 and the latest version, 17.0.1 is released on October, 2020. The major version introduces breaking changes and the minor version introduces new feature without breaking the existing functionality. Bug fixes are released as and when necessary. React follows the Sematic Versioning (semver) principle.

Features

The salient features of React library are as follows −

• Solid base architecture

• Extensible architecture

• Component based library

• JSX based design architecture

• Declarative UI library

Benefits

Few benefits of using React library are as follows −

• Easy to learn

• Easy to adept in modern as well as legacy application

• Faster way to code a functionality

• Availability of large number of ready-made component

• Large and active community

Applications

Few popular websites powered by React library are listed below −

• Facebook, popular social media application

• Instagram, popular photo sharing application

• Netflix, popular media streaming application

• Code Academy, popular online training application

• Reddit, popular content sharing application