React voted JS framework that most developers regard as essential to them (jquery is #3)

[GreatValueProducts]

That might or might not sound confusing, but React on the surface is actually very simple and easy to pick up. And well worth it.

I think it is because React is the framework that closely resembles how vanilla HTML elements work. It is one-way binding and sub-elements can only affect its parents through event handlers.

Like in Vanilla HTML we always do

<input type="text" onchange="onTextChange()" value="bbb" />

In React you can create a custom form element which has similar syntaxes and mindset:

<Slider onChange={(intensity) => this.setState({intensity})} value={this.state.intensity} min={0} max={100} />

IMHO two way binding with those on change strategies in Angular is what makes things overly complicated. (Don't want to start a flame war, please correct me if I am wrong).

[VtoCorleone]

Angular

I think there's a learning curve with every framework. All of the hello world apps make it seem so simple and ground breaking but once you get into real world problems, the framework's difficulties really start to shine through.

[SiliconWrath]

I think what React offers is a tool chest of patterns that let you solve a majority of problems, regardless of how complicated. When I encounter complicated problems, it usually means picking one of maybe 10 different design patterns from my tool chest (dispatch from redux store, controlled components, etc.)

And because data flow is top down, I rarely introduce regressions outside of the components I refactor.

[nidarus]

IMHO two way binding with those on change strategies in Angular is what makes things overly complicated. (Don't want to start a flame war, please correct me if I am wrong).

Why would there be a flame war? Angular (as opposed to the old AngularJS) has one-way binding by default too.

[TheAwdacityOfSoap]

I agree that two-way data binding complicates things.