Understanding the Difference Between Element and Component in React
Tags: webdev, react, programming
Published: 2023-03-21 04:58:27

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It allows you to create reusable UI elements using components, and to render those elements to the screen using elements. While these two concepts may sound similar, they are actually quite different in terms of their purpose and usage.

## What is a React element?
In React, an element represents a single UI element that can be rendered to the screen. An element is created by invoking a React component with some props (short for "properties"). It can be either a DOM element like `<div>`, `<h1>`, or a custom component created by the developer.

Here's an example of a React element that renders a simple heading:

`const element = <h1>Hello, world!</h1>;
`

In this example, the `h1` element is a React element that represents a heading with the text `"Hello, world!"`.

## What is a React component?

A component, on the other hand, is a reusable piece of code that can generate one or more elements. In other words, a component is a JavaScript class or function that defines how a UI element should behave, what props it should accept, and how it should render.

To create a component, you define a new JavaScript class or function that extends the `React.Component` class (class-based components) or use a function that returns a React element (functional components). Then, you can use the component in your application by rendering it as an element.

Here's an example of a simple functional component in React:

`function Greeting(props) {
  return <h1>Hello, {props.name}!</h1>;
}
`

In this example, the Greeting component is a function that accepts a props object and returns a React element that displays a greeting with the name passed in the props object.

You can use this component in your application like this:

`<Greeting name="Ashish Patel" />
`
Sure, here's a blog post that explains the difference between element and component in React in more detail.

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It allows you to create reusable UI elements using components, and to render those elements to the screen using elements. While these two concepts may sound similar, they are actually quite different in terms of their purpose and usage.

## What is a React element?
In React, an element represents a single UI element that can be rendered to the screen. An element is created by invoking a React component with some props (short for "properties"). It can be either a DOM element like `<div>`, `<h1>`, or a custom component created by the developer.

Here's an example of a React element that renders a simple heading:


`const element = <h1>Hello, world!</h1>;`

In this example, the h1 element is a React element that represents a heading with the text `"Hello, world!"`.

## What is a React component?
A component, on the other hand, is a reusable piece of code that can generate one or more elements. In other words, a component is a JavaScript class or function that defines how a UI element should behave, what props it should accept, and how it should render.

To create a component, you define a new JavaScript class or function that extends the `React.Component` class (class-based components) or use a function that returns a React element (functional components). Then, you can use the component in your application by rendering it as an element.

**Note: Class Based Component is still supported in react but React team not recommend to using it**

Here's an example of a simple functional component in React:

`function Greeting(props) {
  return <h1>Hello, {props.name}!</h1>;
}
`
In this example, the Greeting component is a function that accepts a props object and returns a React element that displays a greeting with the name passed in the props object.

You can use this component in your application like this:

`<Greeting name="Ashish Patel" />`

This will create a new element that renders the greeting `"Hello, Ashish Patel!"` to the screen.

## Key Differences between React Element and Component

- An element represents a single UI element, while a component is a reusable piece of code that can generate one or more elements.
- An element is created by invoking a React component with some props, while a component is created by defining a JavaScript class or function.
- An element can be a DOM element or a custom component, while a component is always a JavaScript class or function.
- An element can be rendered directly to the screen, while a component needs to be rendered as an element in order to be displayed.

## Conclusion
In summary, while elements and components are both essential concepts in React, they serve different purposes. Elements represent the UI elements that are rendered to the screen, while components are reusable pieces of code that generate those UI elements. Understanding the difference between these two concepts is crucial for writing effective and maintainable React applications. 

`Happy Hacking 💻`