Why do interviewers ask why not use vanilla JavaScript instead of React?
They are testing your judgment. A good answer explains that vanilla JavaScript is fine for simple tasks, but React manages complexity, reusability, and stateful UIs as applications grow, which is why it is used in real projects.
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More FAQs in React Inception Concepts Asked in Frontend Interviews
React is a library for building user interfaces by describing the UI as a function of state. It solves the complexity of manual DOM manipulation in interactive, stateful apps by letting developers describe the desired UI while React handles DOM updates.
JSX is syntax that compiles to React.createElement calls. It looks like HTML but is JavaScript, with differences like using className instead of class. A build step or Babel converts JSX into regular JavaScript.
React is the core library that defines components and elements. ReactDOM is the package that connects React to the real DOM. This separation allows React to target other renderers beyond the browser.
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