Learning a programming language is similar to learning any other languages that we speak. Words that we use that require verbs, rules, nouns and etc.
Here I have provided the most essential vocabulary words that are used in React.
1. Library
We have seen hundreds of comparison about which frontend is the best. But just know that React is a library. A library by definition is an open-source, front end best used for building user interfaces or UI components. 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.
2. Components
React components are similar to functions. Components accept input, in the form of props, and then produce some output. The output defines what will appear on the screen. Components are great to build UIs, because they let you define independent pieces of it, and you can use and adjust them to however you want.
A component can be either a class component, which means it is basically a class which will return something to render on the screen or a function. Which has the same purpose of describing the UI, but with difference wheb using lifecycle methods or hooks.
3. State
A component needs state when it requires some way to store local data, which you can also change the state over time. The biggest difference between state and props is where they come from. Props come from a parent component, while state is managed by the component you’re defining itself. Props can’t be changed, but the state can.
4. Props
Props are arguments passed into React components. Props are passed to components via HTML attributes.
5. ES6
ES6 stands for ECMAScript Language Specification standard, which by definition means that it is a JavaScript language is an implementation. The new version included many new changes such as let and const, arrow functions, and template literals.
6. Lifecycle Methods
Lifycycle and components can be considered just like living creatures. They go through stages of their lives, and we can access these stages via lifecycle methods. Take an example, when a component is born, we call it mounting and use the componentDidMount() method to manage this part of its lifecycle. Or when it changes, we say it updates, and so we use the componentDidUpdate().
7. Javascript Complier
A Javascript compiler takes in the Javascript code, transforms it, and returns it under a different format. The most common case is when you want to use the newest ES6 features, but not supported by older browsers. Babel is the compiler most commonly used with React.
