How To Learn React In 2024 - React Roadmap

Summary

This video offers a strategic approach to learning React in 2024, emphasizing React's importance and suggesting a learning roadmap from beginner to advanced levels. It advises against outdated topics like class components and prop types, and highlights the relevance of functional components, TypeScript, and the Context API. The speaker recommends learning by building projects and challenges the 'tutorial hell' by encouraging practical application of skills. The video also shares personal learning strategies and resources for enhancing React proficiency.

Takeaways

• 🚀 **React Importance**: The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning React in 2024 due to its popularity, community support, and its use in creating dynamic single-page web applications.
• ⚠️ **Outdated Topics**: Class components, higher-order components, and PropTypes are considered obsolete in 2024. Learning them should be postponed until after mastering the essentials of React.
• 📚 **Learning Redux**: While Redux is still relevant, it's not as essential as it once was. The Context API is more important to learn first, and Redux can be an additional topic based on specific project needs.
• 🔧 **React 19 Changes**: Certain topics like useImperativeHandle, forwardRefs, and lazy loading are becoming obsolete with the newer version of React, which will handle these more automatically.
• 🛠 **Beginner Roadmap**: For beginners, the speaker recommends starting with functional components, JSX, useState, conditional rendering, lists, forms, and basic CSS integration with React.
• 🔄 **Intermediate Focus**: Intermediate learners should focus on useState and useEffect hooks, context API, React Router for navigation, and fetching data from APIs.
• 🔧 **Advanced Topics**: Advanced learners should explore all remaining hooks, complex state management, performance optimization, and best practices for writing React code.
• 📝 **TypeScript Integration**: Learning TypeScript is highly recommended for adding type safety to React applications, which can replace PropTypes.
• 🔬 **Testing in React**: While testing is important, it's often learned on the job or for startups, and may not be necessary for all learners at the outset.
• 🌐 **Next.js and Vit**: Next.js is gaining momentum and is worth learning for advanced features, but Vit is a good starting point for beginners to create React applications.
• 🛑 **Avoid Tutorial Hell**: The speaker advises against passive learning through endless tutorials. Instead, learners should actively build projects and challenge themselves to apply and reinforce their knowledge.

Q & A

Why is React important to learn in 2024 according to the video?

React is important to learn in 2024 because it is one of the most powerful libraries for JavaScript, used for creating dynamic single-page web applications. Its popularity and community support, as well as being developed by Facebook, ensure it has great support and is widely used in the industry, making it a valuable skill for job opportunities.

What is the video's stance on learning class components in React?

The video suggests that class components are obsolete due to the introduction of hooks and functional components. It recommends learning functional components instead, but also mentions that understanding class components could be useful when working with legacy code.

Why should one avoid learning higher order components when starting with React in 2024?

Higher order components are considered outdated, and the video suggests that they are not commonly used in newer projects. It advises to focus on current best practices and learn higher order components only if necessary for a specific job or codebase.

What is the video's advice on using PropTypes in React?

The video considers PropTypes to be outdated, recommending the use of TypeScript instead for type safety in React applications, as TypeScript is a typed language that can replace the need for PropTypes.

How does the video suggest approaching Redux when learning React in 2024?

While Redux can still be used and has value, the video suggests that the Context API is more important to learn initially. It advises not to spend too much time on Redux at the beginning but to consider it later in the learning process.

What is the recommended learning path for someone starting with React according to the video?

The video recommends starting with understanding JSX, functional components, props, and component reusability. Then moving on to user inputs, state management with useState, conditional rendering, lists, forms, and CSS in React.

Why does the video suggest avoiding 'create-react-app' for starting a React project?

The video considers 'create-react-app' to be obsolete and not recommended for use. It suggests using Vite as an alternative to generate a simple boilerplate React app for beginners.

What are some intermediate topics the video suggests learning after mastering the basics of React?

The intermediate topics include useState and useEffect hooks, lifecycle methods, context API for state management, routing with react-router-dom, and fetching and displaying data from APIs.

What is the video's perspective on the use of libraries like Redux and React Query for state management?

The video suggests that while Redux has its place, React Query is recommended for complex state management due to its compatibility with today's standards, and it simplifies many tasks that were previously done manually.

How does the video recommend overcoming the 'tutorial hell' when learning React?

The video recommends spending 70-80% of the learning time building projects. It suggests learning by doing, challenging oneself with complex projects, and only learning topics when there is a specific need for them in the project.

What is the final advice given in the video for learners who want to deploy a website?

The video suggests checking out Hostinger for deploying a website, mentioning that it is not sponsored but appreciates their service.