Last year, react training became the second-most-popular JavaScript framework (just behind Angular), and this fact has left some developers wondering which tools are best for working with the technology. While we don’t think you should use any tool without considering your own needs, here are five that we believe every React developer should have in their toolbox:
Testing
While it’s true that testing is an important skill to have, you should also know that testing your code can be a valuable tool for ensuring your product works as expected. Test-driven development (TDD) is a software development process that relies on the repetition of a very short development cycle: first the developer writes an (initially failing) automated test case that defines a desired improvement or new function, then produces code to pass that test and refactor it later if necessary. The process is repeated throughout the entire lifecycle of the product.[1]
Test-driven development was first introduced by Kent Beck in 1999,[2][3] although other similar techniques were developed since then.[4][5] Some people argue that TDD promotes better design through emphasis on separating concerns,[6] while others say it leads to more maintainable code because small changes require fewer manual adjustments than larger ones.[7][8]
Code linting
Code linting is a process that checks code for errors.
Code linting is done by a program, not a human.
Code linting usually takes place on the developer’s computer, before the code is published.
Accessibility
Accessibility is a product of making sure that your app or website can be used by everyone, including people who may have disabilities. It’s not just about creating an easy to use interface, but also ensuring that your site and product are visually appealing to all audiences.
Why is accessibility important? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. To put this in perspective, according to WHO’s most recent numbers from 2010-2015, there were 1 billion people living with disability globally. Even if you don’t develop apps for a living or have any experience working with someone who has a disability, it’s likely that you have interacted with someone who does have one at some point in your life. That being said, this means each web developer should be able to understand how important it is for their products and services to be accessible by everyone regardless of their abilities or limitations as they interact with these products every day whether they know it or not!
You can also get info about the authentic ways to engage in VA disability calculator through a lawyer.
Bundling and minification
Bundling & Minification
Bundling is the process of combining all of your code into a single file. This is super helpful for reducing the number of HTTP requests that your application needs to make, as well as reducing the size of each individual file. The fewer requests you have to make and smaller files are, the faster your app will load.
Minification is the process of removing unnecessary characters from code (such as whitespace). This makes it much harder to debug, but with tools like Babel or Webpack you can use babel-minify or webpack-dev-server -p which will allow you to keep these debugging tools while still minifying your code!
Progressive enhancement
Progressive enhancement is a technique that allows you to build a website that works even if JavaScript is disabled. The website is built using HTML, CSS and other technologies that are supported by all browsers. You can think of it as a series of layers: the base layer is supported by all browsers; the next layer uses JavaScript to enhance components like user interface elements and animations; finally, there’s an optional third layer of interactivity added by React.
Here are some tools that React developers should consider using.
- Testing
- Code linting
- Accessibility
- Bundling and minification
- Progressive enhancement
Conclusion
It’s an exciting time for the React community. There are hundreds of thousands of teams using React today, and there are many developers who have learned the basics but still need help with the next steps. Fortunately, tooling around this framework is better than ever before—whether you’re looking for testing tools or accessibility testing tools, it’s easier than ever to find something that fits your needs. As we’ve seen in this article, there are many options available when choosing which tool best suits your project…and ultimately it all comes down to personal preference!
