What is the concept of Virtual DOM in React?
In the current web development scenario, building user interfaces is one of the most important goals. A JavaScript library called React has taken the idea of the Virtual DOM to a new level for optimizing and improving the UI rendering performance.
If you are thinking about using React for a future project it is crucial to know the Virtual DOM, its purpose, and features. To increase the speed of your web application development, one can hire React web developers who can help improve the application using this great tool.
What is the Virtual DOM?
The Virtual DOM or the Document Object Model is a simple representation of the actual DOM in memory. Instead of directly updating elements on the real DOM, which can be time-consuming, React updates them using the Virtual DOM.
This makes it possible for React to monitor changes in the component’s state, and update the real DOM in the most efficient way possible.
In layman’s terms, the Virtual DOM works as an intermediary between the real UI and the actual DOM and allows for fast changes without a negative impact on the overall app.
Benefits of Virtual DOM
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Improved Performance
Actual DOM manipulation is slow, particularly when developing large scale applications with many components. Thus, using the Virtual DOM, React reduces the number of operations in the actual DOM, hence making the UI fast and efficient.
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Efficient Updates
The Virtual DOM only updates the part that has changed, within the user interface area of the browser window. This is done through a concept known as reconciliation in which React will compare the current state of the virtual DOM with a previous state and determine what changes are necessary. This makes it possible for updates to be administered properly.
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Smooth User Experience
The Virtual DOM reduces the time spent on updating the real DOM which leads to seamless transitions and interactions in the user interface. This is especially true in the case of web services that are targeting a large number of user visits and have to meet certain performance benchmarks.
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Optimized Rendering
It is only possible with the help of Virtual DOM of React, that users can render the components selectively. In case, a big part of the page is changed, React will repaint only those components that require the update, which contributes to rendering efficiency.
How Does the Virtual DOM Work?
Here is how the React’s Virtual DOM works.
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Rendering the Component
Whenever a React component is called for rendering for the first time, a visual representation of the entire user interface is also created in the memory. This is the Virtual DOM.
React then takes this ‘virtual representation’ and applies it to the actual DOM, and it is the first view users are presented with.
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State Changes
Whenever a component state is altered, due to the user interaction with the application or when the data is received from an API, React builds a new Virtual DOM. This new Virtual DOM is compared with the previous one to make the changes.
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Diffing Algorithm
React has diffing algorithm; it compares the prior version of the Virtual DOM with the latter to identify the changes. The algorithm sees what has been changed between the two versions and calculates what changes need to be applied to the real DOM. This process is called reconciliation.
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Updating the Real DOM
Once React has computed what needs to be done, it then alters the real DOM more efficiently, that is, by applying only the changes rather than redrawing the whole UI. This means that only the sections of the UI that have changed are sent to the client, which is fast and effective.
Conclusion
So, that was all from our side regarding React’s Virtual DOM. Undoubtedly, it is the key feature of React and an efficient tool for building modern web applications. Using the Virtual DOM leads to faster rendering, smoother user experiences, and highly optimized updates.
