ReactJS vs ReactNative

ReactJS and React Native are two distinct frameworks associated with the React ecosystem, but they serve different purposes:

ReactJS:

1. Purpose:

• ReactJS (also known as React) is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It’s mainly used for creating web applications, both single-page and multi-page.

1. Platform:

• ReactJS is designed to work in web browsers and is used for web development.

1. Rendering:

• ReactJS renders UI components to a Virtual DOM, which is then compared to the previous version to efficiently update the actual DOM.

1. Components:

• ReactJS components are typically written in JavaScript (or JSX, which is a syntax extension for JavaScript).

1. Styling:

• Styling in ReactJS is usually done using CSS, CSS modules, or CSS-in-JS libraries like styled-components.

1. Integration:

• It can be integrated with various front-end libraries and frameworks, such as Redux for state management.

React Native:

1. Purpose:

• React Native is a framework for building mobile applications. It allows you to use React to write native mobile apps (iOS and Android) using JavaScript and React.

1. Platform:

• React Native is used for mobile app development, allowing you to build applications for both iOS and Android platforms from a single codebase.

1. Rendering:

• React Native uses native components for rendering. It doesn’t rely on a web view like some other cross-platform frameworks.

1. Components:

• React Native components are different from ReactJS components. They are provided by the framework and map directly to native UI components (e.g., View, Text, Button, etc.).

1. Styling:

• React Native uses a combination of JavaScript and a styling API similar to CSS to style components. It provides a StyleSheet API for defining styles.

1. Integration:

• React Native can integrate with native modules, which allows you to use native code (Java, Objective-C, Swift) for tasks that require low-level device access.

When to Use Which:

• Use ReactJS if:
• You’re building a web application or a web-based user interface.
• You want to create a responsive website that works on all modern web browsers.
• Use React Native if:
• You want to build a mobile application for both iOS and Android platforms.
• You want to leverage a single codebase for cross-platform mobile development.
• You need access to native device features.

In summary, ReactJS is for building web applications, while React Native is for building mobile applications. The choice between them depends on the platform you’re targeting and the nature of the application you’re developing.