Top 10 React Components You Must Know & How to Use Them

React is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. As a developer, familiarizing yourself with some of the most widely used React components can help you create more efficient and dynamic applications. In this article, we'll explore the top 10 React components you must know and provide tips on how to use them effectively.

1. Material-UI

Material-UI is a popular React UI framework that implements Google's Material Design principles. With over 50 pre-built components, it's easy to create consistent and responsive user interfaces.

npm install @material-ui/core

import { Button } from '@material-ui/core';

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <Button variant="contained" color="primary">
      Click me
    </Button>
  );
}

2. React-Router

React-Router is a powerful routing library for React applications. It allows you to create Single Page Applications (SPAs) with easy-to-navigate URLs.

npm install react-router-dom

import { BrowserRouter as Router, Route, Switch, Link } from 'react-router-dom';

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <Router>
      <nav>
        <Link to="/">Home</Link>
        <Link to="/about">About</Link>
      </nav>
      <Switch>
        <Route exact path="/" component={Home} />
        <Route path="/about" component={About} />
      </Switch>
    </Router>
  );
}

3. Redux

Redux is a popular state management library for React applications. It helps you manage the global state of your application, making it easier to maintain and scale.

npm install redux react-redux

import { createStore } from 'redux';
import { Provider } from 'react-redux';

const rootReducer = (state = {}, action) => state;
const store = createStore(rootReducer);

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <Provider store={store}>
      <App />
    </Provider>
  );
}

4. React-Select

React-Select is a highly customizable and flexible select component for React. It supports searching, filtering, and more.

npm install react-select

import Select from 'react-select';

const options = [
  { value: 'option1', label: 'Option 1' },
  { value: 'option2', label: 'Option 2' },
];

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <Select options={options} />
  );
}

5. Axios

Axios is a popular HTTP client for JavaScript that works well with React. It simplifies making AJAX requests and handling responses.

npm install axios

import axios from 'axios';

async function fetchData() {
  const response = await axios.get('https://api.example.com/data');
  console.log(response.data);
}

6. Formik

Formik is a powerful form library for React that simplifies form handling, validation, and submission.

npm install formik

import { useFormik } from 'formik';

function MyForm() {
  const formik = useFormik({
    initialValues: { email: '' },
    onSubmit: values => {
      console.log(values);
    },
  });

  return (
    <form onSubmit={formik.handleSubmit}>
      <input name="email" value={formik.values.email} onChange={formik.handleChange} />
      <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </form>
  );
}

7. React-Table

React-Table is a lightweight and extensible table library for React. It allows you to create tables with sorting, filtering, and pagination.

npm install react-table

import { useTable } from 'react-table';

const data = [
  { firstName: 'John', lastName: 'Doe' },
  { firstName: 'Jane', lastName: 'Doe' },
];

const columns = [
  { Header: 'First Name', accessor: 'firstName' },
  { Header: 'Last Name', accessor: 'lastName' },
];

function MyTable() {
  const { getTableProps, getTableBodyProps, headerGroups, rows, prepareRow } = useTable({ columns, data });

  return (
    <table {...getTableProps()}>
      <thead>
        {headerGroups.map(headerGroup => (
          <tr {...headerGroup.getHeaderGroupProps()}>
            {headerGroup.headers.map(column => (
              <th {...column.getHeaderProps()}>{column.render('Header')}</th>
            ))}
          </tr>
        ))}
      </thead>
      <tbody {...getTableBodyProps()}>
        {rows.map(row => {
          prepareRow(row);
          return (
            <tr {...row.getRowProps()}>
              {row.cells.map(cell => (
                <td {...cell.getCellProps()}>{cell.render('Cell')}</td>
              ))}
            </tr>
          );
        })}
      </tbody>
    </table>
  );
}

8. React-Intl

React-Intl simplifies internationalization and localization in your React applications.

npm install react-intl

import { IntlProvider, FormattedMessage } from 'react-intl';

const messages = {
  en: { welcome: 'Welcome' },
  es: { welcome: 'Bienvenido' },
};

function MyApp() {
  const locale = 'en';

  return (
    <IntlProvider locale={locale} messages={messages[locale]}>
      <FormattedMessage id="welcome" />
    </IntlProvider>
  );
}

9. React-Bootstrap

React-Bootstrap is a popular UI library that provides Bootstrap components for React.

npm install react-bootstrap bootstrap

import { Button } from 'react-bootstrap';

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <Button variant="primary">
      Click me
    </Button>
  );
}

10. Styled-Components

Styled-Components is a powerful CSS-in-JS library for styling React components.

npm install styled-components

import styled from 'styled-components';

const StyledButton = styled.button`
  background-color: blue;
  color: white;
  padding: 8px 16px;
  border: none;
  cursor: pointer;
`;

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <StyledButton>
      Click me
    </StyledButton>
  );
}

By familiarizing yourself with these essential React components, you'll be well-equipped to create more efficient and dynamic applications. Happy coding!