What is the difference between React.js and React native?

React.js and React Native both are quite popular today in the industry, but due to their similar names, they are often interchanged in conversations. This creates a lot of confusion among new programmers regarding what to use and when to use them.

Let us first have a brief introduction regarding both these terms.

React.js:

React.js is a javascript runtime developed at Facebook by John Walke and his team. React.js is a library of components that can be used and reused as and when required in your system. It is mainly focused on rendering UI components and views for your web applications and pages.

React Native:

As the name suggests, React Native is a framework using which you can develop native apps. Native apps are those applications that can be run on different platforms from a single codebase. React Native usually compiles its components into platform-supported app components and then renders them according to the platform.

Having a clear understanding of these technologies makes a developer fit for companies looking to hire dedicated React Native developers. Let’s understand the difference between these two technologies more deeply.

Code Reusability:

When working with React.js, you can easily reuse your code wherever and whenever you like. You can reuse whole components in React.js which will save you huge chunks of time while building large projects. Whereas React Native does not fully support code reusability in its projects.

Rendering:

While working with React Native, you’ll have to render your components through different native APIs that are supported by the platforms. Moreover, React Native also does not support CSS for styling your applications, so you’ll have to rely on the animated API that comes along with the framework.

React.js, on the other hand, uses a method known as Virtual DOM. A virtual DOM is a smarter version of DOM which refreshes only those parts of the page which have been changed, thus making React.js faster in terms of detecting changes in the code and its styling. Moreover, React also uses HTML so you can use CSS as per your preference for styling your web app.

Easier to learn:

If you are someone who is a complete frontend developer with a good grasp of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can easily transition into React.js development. To begin with React.js, all you need to know is the latest advancements in the JavaScript language and good knowledge of UI and UX. The learning curve for React.js is fairly simple.

But when it comes to learning React Native, it requires you to have a good grasp on React.js too, as React.js lies at the core of this framework. Moreover, React Native also requires you to have a good knowledge regarding Native UI components, APIs, as well as design patterns related to all the platforms.

Navigation between Screens:

Using React.js, you can develop websites and web applications, and while developing websites and web applications, you use a router. A router is basically a component that tells the system what to do when a specific hyperlink or button is clicked. React.js comes with a powerful router component which is highly useful in the creation of web applications. Using the react-router you can easily create routes that will take the user from one place to another.

Whereas when you work on native applications using React Native, you use the Navigator component of the framework. This navigator component is somewhat identical to the react-router, but instead, this is solely focused on native mobile applications.

Coming to an end, both of these technologies are the best in their areas. If your goal is to build superfast and smooth websites and web apps that can also be scaled easily, you should proceed with React.js. Though if you want to develop a mobile application and want it to be functional cross-platform, React Native is the right pick for you. Both of these technologies are infused with JavaScript, which is an added benefit for the business owners, as they can easily employ frontend engineers on working with such projects.