When to Choose ES6 Class Components vs. Functional Components in React?

When to Leverage ES6 Class vs. Functional React Components

Understanding Component Paradigms in React

React offers two primary paradigms for creating components: ES6 classes and functional components. While both approaches yield similar results, they differ in functionality and implementation.

ES6 Class Components

Class components, defined using extends Component, provide access to:

• State management: Class components can maintain internal state, allowing for dynamic updates and controlled components.
• Lifecycle methods: These methods provide hooks into the component's lifecycle, enabling operations such as fetching data on mount or performing cleanup on unmount.

Functional Components

Functional components, written as arrow functions, offer a more concise and declarative approach:

• Stateless: Functional components typically do not maintain state and operate based solely on props.
• No lifecycle methods: Lifecycle operations are not directly supported, but can be emulated using hooks (introduced in React Hooks).

Choosing the Right Paradigm

The choice between class and functional components depends on the component's functionality:

• Use class components for components that require state management or lifecycle methods.
• Prefer functional components for stateless and presentational components that simply render data.

Example Scenarios

Example: Stateful Form

<code class="js">class Form extends Component {
  state = { value: '' };

  // Lifecycle method to handle form submission
  handleSubmit = (e) => e.preventDefault();

  render() {
    return (
      <form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
        <input value={this.state.value} onChange={(e) => this.setState({ value: e.target.value })} />
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
      </form>
    );
  }
}</code>

In this case, a class component is appropriate due to the need to manage the form's input state and handle submissions via a lifecycle method.

Example: Simple Display

<code class="js">const Display = (props) => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{props.title}</h1>
      <p>{props.body}</p>
    </div>
  );
};</code>

Here, a functional component is suitable as it simply renders data without requiring state or lifecycle operations.

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