7 Essential React Libraries for Front-End Web Development
Tags: react, webdev, beginners, javascript
Published: 2023-02-23 11:30:00

## Introduction

There is no doubt that React is the most popular frontend framework. New web applications are made using React or its frameworks such as NextJS and Gatsby. The success of any framework is not entirely dependent on its performance but also on the libraries of others.

There are tons of JavaScript and React libraries. They support npm, yarn, and pnpm package managers. I have been using React and NextJS for a long time. Right now, I have some sets of libraries that I installed along with installing React.

Today, I am going to list down some of the libraries that I installed along with React. Now, let's get started.

## [React Router](https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-router)

![React Router](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/m2bqt0eimq9u7anh9rpu.png)

It is one of the most installed libraries for React. There are around 8 million installs every week. This library provides a routing facility for React. It has now become a core for React. 

It is quite easy to use the React router. You can dynamically render different components per route. 

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## [Redux](https://www.npmjs.com/package/redux)

![Redux](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/rr4ougk1xjqj47w1eua0.png)

Redux is a popular open-source JavaScript library that is used for managing the state of web applications. It is a predictable state container for JavaScript apps. This helps to manage the state of an application in a more organized and centralized way, making it easier to debug and maintain.

I have not used it that much but sure it is one such library to you must install with any React project for managing state. It has support for other frameworks too.

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## [Chakra UI](https://chakra-ui.com/getting-started/cra-guide)

![Chakra UI](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/rqj29c5t7emqzh5df7ro.png)

Chakra UI is my goto library for getting customizable react components. It uses a flexible theme system based on the Styled System library, which allows you to create consistent and reusable styles for your components.

Few features that I like
- Easy to use
- Many Components
- Easily Customizable as per UI 
- Can help build frontend in much less time

It also has excellent documentation and an active community, which makes it easy to get started and find help when you need it.

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## [Axios](https://www.npmjs.com/package/axios)

![Axios](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ru1ajq78619gopylww3p.png)

Axios is a popular JavaScript library that is used to make HTTP requests from web browsers or Node.js. This library is not restricted to the frontend but extends its reach to my backend too. Requesting either backend or external API is quite easy with Axios. By default, we have to fetch but Axios feels more simple and more reliable in my sense.

With Axios, you can easily set headers, query parameters, and request data. It also supports various authentication mechanisms such as basic authentication, token authentication, and OAuth2.

---

## [React Helmet](https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-helmet)


![React Helmet](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/b2nl3kqy8jgcbbmm96rl.png)

React Helmet is a popular open-source library for React that provides a simple way to manage the head of your web pages. SEO is a crucial part of a website apart from web development. Adding relevant information to it will increase SEO ranking.

With React Helmet you can dynamically change the content of the head, including the title, meta tags, stylesheets, and scripts. 

---

## [React Testing Library](https://testing-library.com/docs/react-testing-library/intro/)

![React Testing Library](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/g3ccs9jh0p2fl9ewqx2r.png)

React Testing Library is an open-source testing library for React applications that focuses on testing user behavior rather than implementation details. It is designed to encourage developers to write tests that are more readable, maintainable, and resilient to changes.

React Testing Library is a powerful and flexible library that can help you write more effective and maintainable tests for your React applications. Its focus on testing user behavior rather than implementation details, coupled with its accessibility testing tools and testing guidelines, make it a popular choice for developers who want to improve the quality and reliability of their code.

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## [Framer Motion](https://www.framer.com/motion/)

![Framer Motion](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/rncqvuji2898kzb4jzx5.png)

When it comes to adding animation to my React components then Framer motion is my first choice. It helps to create stunning and fluid animations for your web applications. It gives a lot of control to animation.

One of the key features of Framer Motion is its support for variants. Variants are reusable animation states that define a set of properties and values for a component.

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## Conclusion

React is a popular and powerful JavaScript library for building dynamic and interactive user interfaces. However, to take your React-based front-end web development to the next level, it's essential to utilize other libraries that enhance React's functionality and simplify common tasks. The above articles highlight such libraries that give more power to react.

I hope the article has helped in knowing some libraries of React. This is just 7 but there are others too that are equally important. If you got any other library then mention it in the discussion section. Thanks for reading the article.