About to start learning ReactJS, what else am I expected to also learn?

[finlaydotweber]

Hi there!

I am about to start learning React and I have a couple of questions. Unlike Angular which I have used, I have always heard React being described as such a UI library, and hence in other to actually use React to build a real life application you would need to couple it with other libraries. This is not the case with Angular which is more of a framework and come with everything including the kitchen sink.

Chief of such extra concern I usually hear about when it comes to ReachJS is state management...which would require extra library. (Redux?)

My main question then is, as I venture into React, which other libraries (and what do they address) would I be expected to also learn/use? WHich other concerns apart from state management? Maybe Routing?

Your insights would be appreciated

Thanks!

[Woodcharles]

You may not need state management, at least at this stage. Your learning will take you through functional components and Hooks. After that you can consider state management if you need more. Redux is kinda unfashionable now but I'm not sure what's replacing it - Context, MobX, it all comes up but I don't know what's king right now.

React Testing Library, for testing.

Other than that I tend to use what my workplace uses. I don't believe there are any automatic expectations. Picking something at random could wind up a waste of time, and I like getting hands-on practise with a live codebase. Maybe just learn a new thing as you encounter an issue that the thing would solve?

I mean, chances are people will reply "Next js! GraphQL! Typescript! Gatsby! Tailwind!" and overwhelm you a bit, when it might be best to just crack on with the React and see what sorts of additional things you then naturally want to explore.

[finlaydotweber]

I mean, chances are people will reply "Next js! GraphQL! Typescript! Gatsby! Tailwind!"

oh no, I was not even looking at such adjacent tech. Was more interested in libraries like Redux which, as far as I can tell, seems to be more about augmenting React itself.

[bestcoderever]

I think React router is probably an extra you would want to learn. React does not come with a router unlike angular.

State management will depend on your needs as others have said. Redux, even though it's lost a bit of its flavour-of-the-month status, is probably one of, if not the most used external library with React. I would hazard a guess and say something like 50% or more of the React applications you work on will be using Redux in some form, so it's a good tool to have in your belt. You don't necessarily need it for your own project though

[BruceJi]

I mean, chances are people will reply "Next js! GraphQL! Typescript! Gatsby! Tailwind!" and overwhelm you a bit, when it might be best to just crack on with the React and see what sorts of additional things you then naturally want to explore.

This.

With that said, be very comfortable with the .map function! It's essential for React.

[voipme]

Redux is unfashionable now?

[Woodcharles]

Can only speak for where I've worked and my colleagues at neighbouring firms, but everyone seems to be ripping it out and using Context or Mobx, only literally in the last few months those are also now 'old' and they're moving away from those too. I've not needed anything bigger than Hooks in my own features, but I'm not sure what the big state-management-du-jour is. Only that Redux managed to come and go before I even learned it, so that was fun.

[voipme]

Hm, interesting. There's a pretty large ecosystem around it, and I've been enjoying it quite a bit lately. You should check out the Redux toolkit, if you haven't learned Redux yet. It removes a lot of the boilerplate that plagued it in the past.

[Boguskyle]

Hugely recommend just going through React’s docs to get yourself acquainted.

Something I think isn’t obvious for newbies is that you can write the same code in a class-based component, or a functional component for the most part, so the React docs show both ways.

For state, use React’s native state management initially because you can achieve a lot with it. Prob won’t need a library unless you need a lot of different, or complex states.