Glossary
What is React?
In depth
React was written in 2013 by Jordan Walke at Facebook (an evolution of the XHP project). 2015 — open-source. 2019 — hooks (useState, useEffect) revolutionised the component model. 2024 — React 19 (Server Components production-ready, Server Actions, useFormState).
Philosophy: declarative UI, component-based, unidirectional data flow. UI = f(state). Components: pure functions that take state and return a virtual DOM. The React Reconciler diffs and applies minimum DOM updates.
React 2026 ecosystem: (1) **Next.js 15** — most popular full-stack React framework (App Router, RSC, Server Actions). (2) **Remix** — web fundamentals focus, edge-first. (3) **Gatsby** — static SSG (declining 2025+). (4) **Vite + React** — bundler-based SPA, faster dev. (5) **React Native** — mobile cross-platform (iOS + Android same codebase).
State management 2026: (1) **useState + useReducer** — local state, 80% of cases. (2) **Context** — cross-component, theme/auth. (3) **Zustand** — lightweight, 95% of global-state cases, $0-cost. (4) **TanStack Query / SWR** — server state, caching, mutations. (5) **Redux Toolkit** — large enterprise (declining for new projects). Recoil + Jotai — emerging atom-based.
React 19 highlights: (1) **Server Components** — render at server, ship 0 JS to client. (2) **Server Actions** — type-safe form submission RPC. (3) **use() hook** — async resource consumption. (4) **useFormStatus + useOptimistic** — better UX patterns. (5) **Asset Loading API** — native preload/preinit.
Craftwebstudio uses React 19 + Next.js 15 by default for new builds. Migration from Vue/Angular → React: 4-12 weeks depending on complexity.
Examples
- 1Server Component + Server Action: form submit without JS bundle to client
- 2Zustand global state: 5 lines of code, replace a 200-line Redux setup
- 3TanStack Query: useQuery({ queryKey, queryFn }) → automatic caching + revalidation
- 4React 19 use() hook: const data = use(promise) — async resource directly in component
- 5Performance: useMemo + useCallback strategic, not blanket — unnecessary in 80% of cases
Related terms
Next.js
Next.js is a React-based full-stack framework covering server-side rendering, static generation, file-based routing, edg…
TypeScript
TypeScript is a statically-typed superset of JavaScript — released by Microsoft in 2012. Compile-time type checking + ID…
JavaScript
JavaScript is the main programming language of the web browser, used to add interactivity to pages. It runs on both the …
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Frequently asked questions
React vs Vue in 2026 — which is better?▾
React: ecosystem 5× bigger, jobs market 4× larger, Next.js dominance. Vue: simpler learning curve, single-file components elegant. Georgian market 80% React, 15% Vue.
Is React 19 production-ready?▾
Yes — stable since December 2024. Server Components production-ready in Next.js 15. Server Actions stable. Migration React 18 → 19: minor breaking changes, 2-8 hours typical project.
React Native vs Native iOS/Android?▾
React Native: 80% code shared iOS+Android, 50% dev time saved, 95% native UX. Native: best performance + platform features. Decision: most apps RN suffice, gaming/AR/heavy graphics need native.
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