React vs Preact: Choose the Right JavaScript Library for Your Project in 4

When building modern web applications, selecting the right JavaScript library can make all the difference in performance, scalability, and maintainability.

Currently, So many JavaScript libraries available, choosing the right one can be little difficult and The wrong choice can lead to performance issues, increased complexity, and wasted development time.

Amoung all the Javascript Libraries React is more popular and developer friendly. But wait, There is another library as look like react, Its called Preact. Another confusion.?

Then what we can do. Choose React or Preact ?? ??

So, in this article, we'll delve into the differences between React and Preact, exploring their strengths, weaknesses, and use cases. By the end, you'll able to take decision about which library best suits your project.

Light ?, Camera ?, Action ? and Let's get started.

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Brief Overview of React & Preact

React and Preact are two popular JavaScript libraries used for building user interfaces. While React is a well-established leader and Preact has gained popularity as a lightweight alternative. Both libraries share similarities, but their differences can significantly impact your project.

What is the Key Differences

We'll compare React and Preact with all the areas, including:

• Size and performance
• API and compatibility
• Ecosystem and community
• Learning curve

Not enough for you? Let's time travel and going back to see history of the both libraries.

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History of React

React was developed by Facebook and released in 2013. Initially, it was used for Facebook's News Feed and later open-sourced. React's primary goal is to provide an efficient and scalable way to build complex user interfaces.

Milestones of React

• 2013: Initial release
• 2015: React Native launch (for mobile app development)
• 2017: React Fiber release (rewrite of React's core algorithm)
• 2020: React 17 release (improved performance and concurrency)

And still evolving.....

History of Preact

Preact is created by Jason Miller and it was released in 2015. Preact aims to provide a lightweight, compatible, and performant alternative to React.

Milestones of Preact

• 2015: Initial release
• 2016: Preact 2 release (improved compatibility with React)
• 2018: Preact 8 release (enhanced performance and debugging)
• 2020: Preact 10 release (further performance optimizations)

And still evolving or not. I don't know. Because I am React Lover ???

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Key Characteristics

Let's see some of the cool things of both libraries.

Feature

React

Preact

Feature	React	Preact
Initial Release	2013	2015
Size	~30KB	~3KB
Performance	Optimized	Enhanced
Community	Large	Growing
Compatibility	Wide support	Most React libraries
Learning Curve	Moderate	Easy
Ecosystem	Robust	Emerging
License	MIT	MIT

Initial Release

2013

2015

Size

~30KB

~3KB

Performance

Optimized

Enhanced

Community

Large

Growing

Compatibility

Wide support

Most React libraries

Learning Curve

Moderate

Easy

Ecosystem

Robust

Emerging

License

MIT

MIT

Now that we've explored the backgrounds and key characteristics of React and Preact, let's dive into their key features and compare them.

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Key Features

React and Preact share many key features, but there are some differences in their implementation and focus. let's see.

React Key Features

• Components: Building blocks of React applications
• Virtual DOM: Efficient rendering and updating
• JSX: Syntax extension for HTML-like code
• State and Props: Manage component data
• Lifecycle Methods: Hooks for component initialization, update, and destruction
• Context API: Share data between components without props
• Hooks: Reusable functions for state and side effects

Preact Key Features

• Components: Similar to React, but with a smaller footprint
• Virtual DOM: Optimized for performance
• JSX: Compatible with React's JSX syntax
• State and Props: Similar to React, but with some differences
• Lifecycle Methods: Similar to React, but with some variations
• Compat: Compatibility layer for React libraries
• PRPL: Performance-focused architecture

Main Differences

• Size: Preact's smaller size (~3KB) vs. React's (~30KB)
• Performance: Preact's optimized Virtual DOM and PRPL architecture
• Complexity: React's more comprehensive feature set vs. Preact's simplicity

Now that we've explored the key features of React and Preact, let's compare their ecosystems and communities.

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Ecosystem and Community

A strong ecosystem and active community are crucial for a JavaScript library's success. But as per my research i got few of things, Pardon me.

React Ecosystem

• Large Community: Over 1 million developers
• Wide Adoption: Used by Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, and more
• Extensive Libraries: Redux, React Router, Material-UI, and many more
• Tools and Integrations: Webpack, Babel, ESLint, and others
• Documentation and Resources: Official docs, tutorials, and blogs

Preact Ecosystem

• Growing Community: Thousands of developers
• Emerging Adoption: Used by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla
• Compat Layer: Supports most React libraries
• Lightweight Alternatives: Preact-Router, Preact-Material, etc.
• Documentation and Resources: Official docs, tutorials, and community support

As per my personal research, Preact grows very well and looks like one day, Preact surpass React.

Community Engagement

• Reactiflux (React community): 100k+ members
• Preact Discord: 5k+ members
• Stack Overflow: React (234k questions), Preact (1.5k questions)

Let's compare their performance and benchmarks.

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Performance and Benchmarks

Performance is a critical aspect of any JavaScript library. But Who Cares ? ?

React Performance

• Virtual DOM: Optimizes rendering and updating
• Batched Updates: Reduces number of DOM mutations
• ShouldComponentUpdate: Optimizes component re-renders
• React Fiber: Improves rendering performance

Preact Performance

• Optimized Virtual DOM: Faster rendering and updating
• Simplified Component Model: Reduced overhead
• PRPL Architecture: Performance-focused design
• Tiny Size: ~3KB gzipped

Benchmarks

Benchmark

React

Preact

Benchmark	React	Preact
Render Time	100-200ms	20-50ms
Update Time	50-100ms	10-30ms
Memory Usage	5-10MB	1-3MB
Page Load Time	1-2s	0.5-1s

Render Time

100-200ms

20-50ms

Update Time

50-100ms

10-30ms

Memory Usage

5-10MB

1-3MB

Page Load Time

1-2s

0.5-1s

Performance Optimisation Support

We all know this is article is all about library performance oriented and it doesn't matter, If we know this techniques or not ?‍♂️. So, don't panic. Because half of the world don't know and We are one of them.

Technique	React	Preact
Code Splitting	✅	✅
Tree Shaking	✅	✅
Lazy Loading	✅	✅
Caching	✅	❌

But, I have surprising news for you.

• Facebook: Uses React for performance-critical applications
• Google: Uses Preact for some performance-oriented applications

We talk so much about features, performance, optimisation and many more unbelievable things. Actually I don't know ? So, instead of spreading cheese on code, Let's see use cases of each libraries.

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Use Cases

Both React and Preact are suitable for various applications, but their differences make them more suitable for specific use cases.

React Use Cases

• Complex Enterprise Applications: Large-scale, complex apps with multiple integrations.
• High-Traffic Websites: High-traffic websites requiring optimised performance.
• Real-Time Applications: Apps requiring real-time updates, such as live analytics.
• Mobile Apps: React Native for cross-platform mobile app development.

Preact Use Cases

• Small to Medium-Sized Applications: Simple, fast, and lightweight apps.
• Progressive Web Apps: Fast, offline-capable web apps.
• Real-Time Updates: Apps requiring fast, efficient updates.
• Server-Side Rendering: Fast, lightweight SSR solutions.

What to Choose React and Preact?

• Consider Complexity: React for complex, Preact for simple.
• Evaluate Performance: Preact for fast, lightweight.
• Assess Scalability: React for large-scale, Preact for small-medium.
• Review Ecosystem: React for extensive libraries, Preact for compatibility.

Understand?? It's Okay, Don't Try!! ?

Finally.... I can write more about this but, I am lazy person, I will share Part 2.

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Conclusion

React and Preact are both powerful JavaScript libraries for building user interfaces. While React ace in scalability, ecosystem, and enterprise applications, Preact shines in performance, simplicity, and small to medium-sized applications.

At the end, Its depends on developer and their perspective. I wrote so much about this libraries (So called Marketing) And What I Got? Like, Share, Subscribe and Respect (Sometimes). ??

I would like to tell you, You won't find comparison like this. This type of comparison need so much time and efforts and Time is Money. And I am looking for that only for support. Also if you have little time and you really want to see something, checkout TechAlgoSpotlight.com. I wrote this article for medium but I love DEV ???

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