# React

> JavaScript library for building user interfaces

**Wikidata**: [Q19399674](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19399674)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/React_(software))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/react

## Summary
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, primarily for web and mobile applications. Developed by Meta (formerly Facebook) and the open-source community, it was created by Jordan Walke and first released in 2013. React utilizes a syntax extension called JSX and is widely used for developing single-page applications and component-based architectures.

## Key Facts
- **Definition:** React is a JavaScript library, web framework, and widget toolkit used for building user interfaces.
- **Developer:** The library is developed by Meta (formerly Facebook), along with key contributors including Dan Abramov, Andrew Clark, Sebastian Markbåge, Rachel Nabors, and Harshil Patel.
- **Creator:** Jordan Walke is identified as the creator of the React JavaScript library.
- **Initial Release:** React was published and inception occurred on May 29, 2013.
- **License:** It is distributed under the MIT License, a status confirmed on September 26, 2017.
- **Programming Languages:** It uses JavaScript (specifically Q2005) and JSX.
- **Official Website:** The primary official website is `https://react.dev/`.
- **Competitors:** Direct competitors in the frontend market include Vue.js.
- **Package Management:** The library is available as the npm package `react` and the Ubuntu package `node-react`.

## FAQs
### Q: Who created React?
A: React was created by Jordan Walke, a software developer. It is developed and maintained by Meta (Facebook) and a community of individual developers and corporations.

### Q: What is React used for?
A: React is used for building user interfaces (UI) for web applications and mobile apps. It handles the view layer for web and mobile apps, allowing developers to create reusable UI components.

### Q: When was React first released?
A: React was first published in 2013, with a specific inception date of May 29, 2013.

### Q: What license does React use?
A: React is licensed under the MIT License. It switched to this license in September 2017.

## Why It Matters
React is a dominant force in modern software engineering, fundamentally changing how user interfaces are constructed for the web. By introducing concepts like the Virtual DOM (implied by its classification and performance context, though not explicitly detailed in the raw snippets, the source focuses on the "component" aspect via JSX) and component-based architecture, it enabled developers to build large-scale applications with data that changes over time without reloading the page.

Its significance is underscored by its backing from Meta (Facebook), ensuring long-term support and enterprise adoption. The library's ecosystem, including frameworks like Next.js (which is built on React), has become the standard for a vast portion of the modern web, influencing the development of other frameworks and setting industry standards for frontend development. With over 660,000 social media followers (as of 2023) and usage by major platforms, React serves as a critical skill for developers and a foundational technology for the interactive web.

## Notable For
- **JSX Syntax:** It extends JavaScript syntax, allowing developers to write UI structures using a language close to HTML within JavaScript.
- **Meta Backing:** Created internally at Facebook (now Meta) and used in their products, ensuring robust engineering support.
- **Ecosystem:** It powers secondary frameworks like Next.js, expanding its capabilities to server-side rendering and static generation.
- **MIT License:** Transitioned to an open-source MIT license in 2017, removing previous patent clauses and broadening corporate adoption.
- **Cross-Platform Capabilities:** While a web library, its principles extend to mobile app development (referenced by the 'mobile app' use case).

## Body

### Development and History
React was created by Jordan Walke, a programmer at Facebook. The project's inception date is recorded as May 29, 2013. Following its internal development at Facebook, it was released as open-source software. The development is now led by Meta, with significant contributions from a team comprising Harshil Patel, Sebastian Markbåge, Dan Abramov, Rachel Nabors, and Andrew Clark.

The library was inspired by XHP, an HTML component library for PHP. Early versions, such as 0.14 (released October 7, 2015), established the foundation for the component-based architecture. The codebase is managed in a repository hosted at `https://github.com/facebook/react`.

### Technical Specifications
React is written in JavaScript and utilizes JSX, a syntax extension that allows for the combination of JavaScript and markup. Key technical dependencies include `loose-envify`, `object-assign`, `prop-types`, and `react-dom`.

**Versions:**
Historical release data points include:
- **0.14:** October 7, 2015
- **15.0.1:** April 8, 2016
- **15.4.0:** November 16, 2016
- **15.4.2:** January 6, 2017

The library is cross-platform compatible and is available for installation via the `npm` package manager under the name `react`.

### Ecosystem and Integration
React serves as the foundation for other technologies in the web development stack.
- **Next.js:** A JavaScript framework for creating web applications that runs on top of React, released on October 25, 2016.
- **Easybase:** A cloud computing platform that integrates with React projects.
- **Platforms Code:** An open-source design system related to the React environment.

The library competes directly with Vue.js in the frontend framework market.

### Licensing
On September 26, 2017, React version 16.0 was released under the MIT License. This change was implemented to alleviate concerns regarding patent rights, solidifying its position as a truly open-source project.

## References

1. [Source](https://opensource.fb.com/projects/react/)
2. [React v16.0](https://facebook.github.io/react/blog/2017/09/26/react-v16.0.html)
3. [Change license and remove references to PATENTS](https://github.com/facebook/react/commit/b765fb25ebc6e53bb8de2496d2828d9d01c2774b)
4. [Source](https://facebook.github.io/react/blog/2015/10/07/react-v0.14.html)
5. [2015](https://facebook.github.io/react/blog/2015/11/18/react-v0.14.3.html)
6. [Release 0.14.3. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.3)
7. [2016](https://facebook.github.io/react/blog/2016/04/08/react-v15.0.1.html)
8. [Release 15.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.0.1)
9. [Release 15.4.2. 2017](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.4.2)
10. [Release 15.4.1. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.4.1)
11. [Release 15.4.0. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.4.0)
12. [Release 15.3.2. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.3.2)
13. [Release 15.3.1. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.3.1)
14. [Release 15.3.0. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.3.0)
15. [Release 15.2.1. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.2.1)
16. [Release 15.2.0. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.2.0)
17. [Release 15.1.0. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.1.0)
18. [Release 15.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.0.2)
19. [Release 15.0.0. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v15.0.0)
20. [Release 0.14.8. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.8)
21. [Release 0.14.7. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.7)
22. [Release 0.14.4. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.4)
23. [Release 0.14.5. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.5)
24. [Release 0.14.6. 2016](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.6)
25. [Release 0.14.2. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.2)
26. [Release 0.14.1. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.1)
27. [Release 0.14.0. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.14.0)
28. [Release 0.13.3. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.13.3)
29. [Release 0.9.0. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.9.0)
30. [Release 0.9.0. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.9.0-rc1)
31. [Release 0.10.0. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.10.0)
32. [Release 0.10.0. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.10.0-rc1)
33. [Release 0.11.0. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.11.0)
34. [Release 0.11.0. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.11.0-rc1)
35. [Release 0.13.0. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.13.0)
36. [Release 0.13.1. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.13.1)
37. [Release 0.13.2. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.13.2)
38. [Release 0.12.2. 2015](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.12.2)
39. [Release 0.12.1. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.12.1)
40. [Release 0.12.0. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.12.0)
41. [Release 0.11.2. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.11.2)
42. [Release 0.11.1. 2014](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.11.1)
43. [Release 0.8.0. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.8.0)
44. [Release 0.5.2. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.5.2)
45. [Release 0.4.2. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.4.2)
46. [Release 0.5.1. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.5.1)
47. [Release 0.5.0. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.5.0)
48. [Release 0.4.1. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.4.1)
49. [Release 0.4.0. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.4.0)
50. [Release 0.3.0. 2013](https://github.com/facebook/react/releases/tag/v0.3.0)