Development
React
React is an open-source JavaScript library for building interfaces, maintained by Meta. It splits the screen into reusable components that update with the data. It is used to build web apps, SaaS products and design systems.
React is a JavaScript library for building web interfaces. It splits a screen into reusable components that update when the data changes. Our React agency uses it with Next.js for SaaS product interfaces and design systems.
What is React?
React is a free, open-source library released by Meta in 2013 under the MIT license. It only handles the interface. Routing, server rendering and data loading come from tools you add, such as Next.js.
- Components: a screen is built from reusable blocks, from buttons to data tables.
- JSX: markup is written inside the JavaScript or TypeScript code, next to the logic.
- Reactive updates: the display follows the application state without reloading the page.
- Ecosystem: libraries for components, forms and tables exist around React.
Meta maintains React with the community. The official documentation is on react.dev.
React and SEO
A React app that builds its pages in the browser first sends an almost empty HTML file. Some bots, including most AI bots, then read nothing. With server-side rendering, React delivers complete HTML, readable by Google and AI. Our guide to SEO for LLMs covers this point, and a Screaming Frog crawl with JavaScript disabled checks it page by page.
React alone remains a valid choice for an app behind a login, where search visibility does not matter. For a public site, we go through Next.js.
React, Vue, Svelte or Angular?
| Criterion | React | Vue | Svelte | Angular |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Interface library | Progressive framework | Interface compiler | Full framework |
| Maintained by | Meta and the community | Open-source community | Open-source community | |
| Language | JavaScript or TypeScript | JavaScript or TypeScript | JavaScript or TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Companion site framework | Next.js | Nuxt | SvelteKit | Built in |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free |
The choice depends on the team and the product. React leaves a lot of freedom on the rest of the stack, which calls for architecture decisions. For a B2B site run by marketing, Webflow avoids that choice.
Our review of React
React suits an interface that behaves like software: client portal, dashboard, SaaS product. For a B2B site where content is the core, Webflow takes less work. We build React with Next.js, on a design system made of components.
Strengths
- Reusable components, at the heart of a design system.
- A well-documented ecosystem and a large community.
- A free library with no license fee.
- A shared foundation with Next.js for server rendering.
Limits
- A library on its own: routing, data and server rendering must be added.
- Search visibility that depends on the rendering mode chosen.
- Reliance on a development team for every change.
React compared with Next.js, Astro, JavaScript and Webflow
- Next.js organizes a complete React application: pages, server rendering and deployment.
- Astro focuses on content sites and accepts React components where interaction requires them.
- JavaScript is the language React relies on.
- Webflow remains better suited to a B2B site run by marketing.
FAQ: frequently asked questions about React
What is React?
An open-source JavaScript library maintained by Meta. It builds interfaces from reusable components that update with the data.
Is React free?
Yes. React is open source under the MIT license, with no license fee. Costs come from development, hosting and third-party services.
What is the difference between React and Next.js?
React is a library for building interfaces. Next.js is a framework built on React that adds routing, server-side rendering and deployment.
Do you need React for a company website?
Rarely. A B2B content site gains autonomy and simplicity on Webflow. React makes sense when the screen behaves like software, with accounts and live data.
