The React Element is a small piece of code representing a part of the User Interface in a React Application. Every React element is a JavaScript Object at the end.
It is a plain JavaScript object that represents a virtual representation of a DOM element. It is the fundamental building block of React applications and describes what should be rendered on the screen. React elements are not actual DOM elements but are used by React to create and manage the real DOM elements efficiently.
Example of React Element
const element = <h1>Hello, React!</h1>;This example element represents a virtual DOM element that will be rendered as an <h1> element with the text "Hello, React!" on the actual web page.
React elements can be created using JSX (JavaScript XML) syntax, which provides a more declarative way of defining the UI structure. It’s important to note that React elements are immutable, which means they cannot be modified after they are created. If you want to change what’s displayed on the screen, you create a new element and re-render the component using React’s reconciliation process.
Here’s a simple example of rendering a React element to the DOM:
const element = <h1>Hello, React!</h1>;
const container = document.getElementById('root');
ReactDOM.render(element, container);In this example, the ReactDOM.render function takes the React element and renders it into the DOM element with the ID "root."
React elements are a core concept in React’s virtual DOM system and are used to efficiently update the actual DOM when there are changes in the application’s state.
Sounds too complicated? Read the Simplified Versions
- Pass by Value & Pass by Reference — Simplified
- JavaScript Code Execution — Simplified
- React Element — Simplified
Read more about React & JavaScript
- Understanding Callbacks in JavaScript
- Call Stack in JavaScript
- What is React
- Datatypes in JavaScript
- Variables in JavaScript
- Scope in JavaScript
- Hoisting in JavaScript
- Working of JavaScript
