{"id":11817,"date":"2022-06-22T18:19:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T15:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatlogic.com\/blog\/?p=11817"},"modified":"2022-11-14T00:19:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T21:19:15","slug":"is-react-a-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatlogic.com\/blog\/is-react-a-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"Is React a Framework? Interview with Software Engineers [FAQ]"},"content":{"rendered":"

By definition – React is one of the most popular JavaScript<\/a> UI libraries nowadays. It comes in second place after jQuery among all web frameworks! React’s popularity has grown rapidly thanks to a simple and declarative API that allows you to build high-performance applications, and that momentum keeps growing. Still, there is often discussion and questioning that React is a framework or library.<\/p>

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Is React<\/a> a Framework?<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Firstly, let’s look what the difference between a framework and a library. <\/h2>

The framework belongs to the main()<\/code> function. It executes some functions, e.g. controlling a collection of windows on the screen. The framework can, in principle, work even if you have not set it up in any way. It does something, e.g. it places an empty window with default widgets. The framework defines the general nature of the program, and your code provides a specific setting. These settings can be very significant, as both a word processor and a spreadsheet can be created using the same framework.<\/p>

The library is the set of tools used by your code. Your code belongs to the main() and provides the overall structure of the program. A library performs some specific task, such as sending traffic over a network, drawing charts, or something else. The library can do big things, like draw a view of a three-dimensional space full of objects, but only after you tell it about those objects.<\/p>

The framework can call your code, which in turn calls the library. But your code never calls the framework, except perhaps for system()<\/code> or exec()<\/code> functions.<\/p>

But, is React a Framework? <\/h2>

We asked our Software Engineers Team for their opinion and they were split into two parts: some maintain the view that React<\/a> is a library, and others assign it as a Framework. Here are the most outstanding opinions:<\/p>

From my point of view, React is not a framework, it’s just a library with no specific requirements for project structure. It’s about describing the abstractions of your application, logic, routing, data exchange, and so on. And React simplifies the work with this data, and optimizes the work with it<\/p>

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Anton M. – Software Engineer at Flatlogic.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div> \"Professional <\/a>

From my point of view, React is not a framework, it’s just a library with no specific requirements for project structure. It’s about describing the abstractions of your application, logic, routing, data exchange, and so on. And React simplifies the work with this data, and optimizes the work with it<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div>

I know that react calls itself a “library”, and a lot of developers prefer to react to the home page with the title “library”. However, I think that React is more like a framework now, with different targets like web, react native, etc. And the foundation of React is JSX, which is crucial for proper developer experience, and requires a build step, so you can’t just slap a bunch of JSX files into a browser and call it a day. Nowadays when you say “I built this app with React” you don’t mean that you used it on one page or as a modern jquery alternative. You mean that you built everything around react, with its ecosystem, its best practices, etc. And with all those points in mind, I’d rather call react the framework, than a library<\/em><\/p><\/div>

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Viktor S. – Staff Engineer at Flatlogic.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>

We also conducted research among others software engineers and would like to share with you the most impressive arguments on this point. <\/p>

So, is React a Framework or a Library?<\/h2>

React is a Library<\/h3>

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is maintained by Facebook and a community of individual developers and companies. React can be used as a base in the development of single-page or mobile applications.<\/p>

Now Why Library, not a Framework?<\/strong><\/h4>

different definitions for library<\/em> and framework<\/em>:<\/p>