mastering react.js: beginner to pro in 30 days

Summary

This guide offers a structured 30-day plan to master ReactJS, emphasizing its importance in the job market for frontend developers. It covers prerequisites like JavaScript proficiency and array methods, introduces class-based components, and progresses to hooks, lifecycle methods, and API integration. The author suggests practical exercises, such as building a to-do app, to solidify learning and offers a mentorship program for further support, promising a refund and compensation for ineffective results.

Takeaways

• 🚀 **Popularity of React**: Learning React is crucial as it is one of the most popular libraries, ensuring a place in the job market for developers.
• 💰 **Financial Incentive**: Mastering React can lead to financial success as a software or frontend developer.
• 📝 **Guide as a Reference**: The guide serves as a reference and checklist for learners to track their progress through various courses.
• 🛠️ **JavaScript Foundation**: A solid foundation in JavaScript is a prerequisite, especially in understanding array methods and basic data manipulation techniques.
• 🔢 **Array Methods Mastery**: Mastery of array methods like 'map', 'filter', and 'forEach' is essential before diving into React.
• 🌐 **Algorithm Practice**: Practicing on platforms like Code War to reach at least level five can provide a good grasp of basic algorithms, beneficial for React learning.
• 🏗️ **Class-Based Components**: Learning class-based components is recommended despite their declining popularity, as they provide a foundation for understanding hooks and are still in use in legacy projects.
• 🔄 **Transition to Hooks**: Understanding class-based components can make the transition to hooks smoother, as hooks build upon concepts introduced by classes.
• 📚 **Conceptual Understanding**: The guide emphasizes learning the core concepts of React, such as components, props, state, events, and rendering lists, to ensure productivity.
• 📈 **Derived State Concept**: The script introduces the concept of derived state, where combining different states can lead to new outcomes, similar to making an omelet with various ingredients.
• 🔗 **Context API**: Learning about the Context API is highlighted as an important feature that can significantly simplify development.
• 📝 **Building an App**: The importance of building an app to apply theoretical knowledge is stressed, with a suggestion to convert the app into hooks to understand their benefits.
• 🤔 **Self-Assessment**: Self-assessment through interview questions and speaking out loud to evaluate understanding and communication skills is encouraged.
• 📈 **Market Saturation**: The script mentions that having an edge, like mastering React, is essential in a saturated job market.

Q & A

Why is learning ReactJS important for a software developer?

Learning ReactJS is important because it is one of the most popular libraries, which guarantees a place in the marketplace for a software developer, especially as a frontend developer. It is essential for those who want to make money with code.

What is the purpose of the guide mentioned in the transcript?

The guide serves as a reference and checklist for learners to go through their course on ReactJS, ensuring they cover all the necessary concepts without wasting time on irrelevant technologies or concepts.

What are the prerequisites for learning ReactJS according to the transcript?

The prerequisites include having a solid foundation in JavaScript, specifically becoming an expert in array methods, and understanding basic data manipulation techniques.

Why is it recommended to learn class-based components before hooks in ReactJS?

Learning class-based components first makes the transition to hooks smoother, as hooks assume an understanding of many concepts introduced by classes. It also provides a better understanding of error boundaries and other advanced features.

What is the significance of mastering array methods like map, filter, and forEach in ReactJS?

Mastering array methods is crucial because they are fundamental to manipulating data in ReactJS. Without a strong grasp of these methods, learners will struggle with React components and overall productivity.

What is the recommended approach to learning about components and props in ReactJS?

The approach involves learning about components, creating as many as possible to understand the concept, and then learning about props. A Google doc with resources for learning these concepts is promised if the video reaches 50 comments.

Why is it important to understand the concept of state in ReactJS?

Understanding state is important because it is a core concept in ReactJS that allows components to store and manage their own state, which is essential for building interactive UIs.

What is the significance of learning about events in ReactJS?

Learning about events is crucial because they allow components to respond to user interactions like clicks, mouseovers, and input field changes, which are fundamental to creating dynamic applications.

What does the concept of 'derived states' in ReactJS refer to?

Derived states refer to the combination of different states to achieve different outcomes, similar to mixing ingredients in an omelet. It is an advanced concept that helps in creating more complex behaviors in React components.

Why is it suggested to learn about lifecycle methods and API calls later in the learning process of ReactJS?

It is suggested to learn about lifecycle methods and API calls later because beginners should first focus on the basics and become comfortable with them before introducing more complex concepts to avoid being overwhelmed.

What is the final project mentioned in the transcript, and why is it important?

The final project is a basic to-do app that includes all the concepts taught throughout the course. It is important because it allows learners to test their understanding and application of the concepts in a practical scenario.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Mastering ReactJS in 30 Days

This paragraph introduces a guide aimed at mastering ReactJS within a month. The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning React due to its popularity and market demand. The guide is intended to be a reference and checklist for learners following courses on platforms like YouTube or Udemy. It focuses on essential concepts that yield significant results, avoiding irrelevant material. Prerequisites include a solid foundation in JavaScript, specifically expertise in array methods, and reaching level five on Code War for basic algorithm understanding. The speaker also discusses the importance of learning class-based components despite their reduced usage in favor of functional components with hooks.

05:01

📚 Essential React Concepts and Pre-Requisites

The speaker continues to outline the prerequisites for learning React, such as understanding array methods like map, filter, and the importance of error boundaries in class-based components. They suggest starting with class components before moving to hooks, as this can make the transition smoother and provide a better understanding of hooks' underlying concepts. The paragraph also mentions the importance of learning about state, events, callbacks, and lifting state up, as well as rendering lists with keys, which are crucial for performance in React applications. The speaker proposes a Google doc with additional resources and a project idea for learners to practice these concepts.

10:03

🔍 Advanced React Techniques and Project Practice

This section delves into more advanced React topics, such as derived states, lifecycle methods, and API calls. The speaker advises introducing API calls and networking later in the learning process to avoid overwhelming beginners. They stress the importance of building an application to apply theoretical knowledge and suggest converting a class-based application to hooks as a learning exercise. The paragraph also touches on custom hooks and context, which are important for managing state and theming in larger applications. The speaker offers a basic to-do app project as a comprehensive test of the learner's understanding of React concepts and provides a list of interview questions for self-assessment.

15:04

🌟 Mentorship Program and Final Thoughts

The final paragraph discusses the speaker's mentorship program, which promises to teach everything needed to become a web developer within nine months, with a money-back guarantee and additional compensation for time wasted if the program fails to deliver. The speaker encourages viewers to reach out for more information about the program. They also invite viewers to comment for a Google doc containing additional resources and to share their thoughts and struggles with learning React, offering support and guidance for those facing difficulties.

Keywords

💡ReactJS

ReactJS is a popular JavaScript library used for building user interfaces, particularly single-page applications. It is central to the video's theme as the guide aims to teach viewers how to master ReactJS in a short period. The script emphasizes ReactJS's importance in the job market for frontend developers, suggesting that proficiency in this library can secure employment opportunities.

💡Frontend Developer

A frontend developer is a software engineer who specializes in the client-side development of applications, focusing on what the user sees and interacts with. The video suggests that mastering ReactJS is essential for frontend developers to be competitive in the marketplace, as it is a key skill for creating modern web applications.

💡Class-Based Components

In React, class-based components are a way to create reusable pieces of code that define how different parts of a user interface should look and behave. The video mentions that learning class-based components is crucial, as they are still widely used in legacy projects, and understanding them can facilitate easier learning of hooks, a newer feature in React.

💡Array Methods

Array methods in JavaScript are functions that can be used on arrays to perform various operations, such as adding or removing elements. The script highlights the importance of becoming proficient with array methods like 'map' and 'filter' before diving into React, as they are fundamental to understanding how data is manipulated within React components.

💡CodeWar

CodeWar is a web platform that offers challenges to help programmers improve their coding skills through practice. The video recommends reaching at least level five on CodeWar as a prerequisite to studying React, suggesting that a solid understanding of basic algorithms is necessary to succeed with React.

💡Props

In React, props (short for properties) are a way to pass data from one component to another. The video script indicates that understanding props is essential as they are used to manage the flow of data within React applications, allowing components to be dynamic and responsive to changes.

💡State

State in React refers to a component's local data that can change over time. The script emphasizes learning about state management as it is a core concept in React, enabling components to maintain and update their own data, which is crucial for building interactive UIs.

💡

💡Callbacks

Callbacks in programming are functions that are passed as arguments to other functions and are executed after certain actions are completed. In the context of the video, callbacks are mentioned as a concept that learners need to understand, particularly in relation to state management and event handling in React.

💡Lifting State Up

Lifting state up is a term used in React to describe the process of moving state to a common ancestor in a component tree so that it can be shared by multiple components. The video script points out this concept as an important one for beginners to grasp, as it helps in managing state across different components.

💡Rendering Lists

Rendering lists in React involves displaying a collection of items, often using array methods like 'map'. The script highlights the importance of learning how to render lists because it is a common pattern in web development, where applications frequently display lists of data, such as tweets on Twitter.

💡Derived State

Derived state in React refers to state values that are computed based on other state values. The video uses the analogy of an omelet to explain how different ingredients (state values) can be combined to create something new. Understanding derived state is important for creating complex applications where state dependencies are common.

💡Error Boundaries

Error boundaries in React are special components that catch JavaScript errors in their child component tree and display a fallback UI instead of the component tree that crashed. The script mentions error boundaries as a feature of class-based components that can prevent the entire application from crashing, making them a valuable concept for robust application development.

💡API Calls

API calls are requests made to an API (Application Programming Interface) to fetch or send data. The video script suggests introducing API calls later in the learning process, emphasizing the importance of first mastering the basics of React before dealing with more complex concepts like networking.

💡Hooks

Hooks in React are a relatively new feature that allows functions to 'hook into' the state and lifecycle features traditionally available only to classes. The video script indicates that understanding hooks is crucial, as they are seen as an easier and more intuitive way to handle state and side effects in functional components.

💡Context

Context in React is a way to pass data through the component tree without having to pass props down manually at every level. The script highlights the importance of learning about context, as it simplifies the process of sharing values like themes, authentication status, and language preferences across an application.

💡Interview Questions

The video script mentions using interview questions as a tool for self-assessment, helping learners to verify their understanding of React concepts. Speaking out loud and recording answers to these questions, such as explaining the difference between state and props, can help reinforce learning and prepare for real-world interviews.

💡Mentorship Program

A mentorship program is offered by the video creator to provide personalized guidance and support for learners aiming to become web developers. The script positions this program as a way to gain an edge in a saturated market, with a guarantee of results or a refund and compensation for the learner's time.

Highlights

ReactJS is one of the most popular libraries, essential for securing a place in the software development marketplace.

This guide serves as a reference and checklist for mastering ReactJS through various learning paths.

Focusing on the 20% of concepts that yield 80% of the results to avoid wasting time on irrelevant technologies.

Prerequisite: A solid foundation in JavaScript including expertise in array methods.

Replicating array methods is crucial for understanding how tools work behind the scenes.

Recommendation to reach level five on Code War for a basic understanding of algorithms.

Teaching class-based components despite their decline in popularity for better understanding of existing projects.

Learning class-based components first makes the transition to hooks smoother.

Error boundaries in class-based components prevent application crashes.

The importance of understanding components, props, and state in React.

Learning to render lists efficiently, a common task in web development.

Derived States concept, combining different states to achieve various outcomes.

Life cycle methods and API calls introduced late to avoid overwhelming beginners.

Building an app is essential to apply and solidify theoretical knowledge.

Converting an app from classes to hooks to understand the advantages of hooks.

Learning about custom hooks and their role in React applications.

The significance of context in React for easier state management.

Building a to-do app to test understanding of all learned concepts.

Using interview questions for self-assessment and improvement.

The importance of self-reflection in the learning process to identify and overcome weaknesses.

Offering a mentorship program with a guarantee to become a web developer within 9 months.

Transcripts

this is a full guide that's going to

show you how to master reactjs in 30

days or less so let's get into it the

reason why you should learn react is

because it's one of the most popular

libraries out there and this library is

going to guarantee you a place in the

marketplace so if you want to make money

with code as a software developer as a

frontend developer you absolutely must

know this library and you have to master

it this guide will serve as a reference

and it's going to be some sort of

checklist and as you go through your

course on YouTube on Udi whatever you

want to do to learn if you don't want to

buy my stuff this guide is going to

serve as a reference as you go through

whatever course and path you're

following go back to this course and

check off every single concept that you

have learned from this course structure

this is going to cover the

20% that's going to give you the 80% of

the results so I don't want to waste

your time with I don't want to

waste your time with irrelevant

Technologies or irrelevant Concepts that

you have to learn I'm going to show you

only what you need that's going to make

you extremely productive in this day and

AG so as you can see on my screen we

have some prequisites I think that's how

you say that uh because you cannot just

get into react uh after like two or

three days of coding okay you need to

have a solid foundation in JavaScript

and I found that most of the time people

that come to work with me after they've

been following I don't know two three

years of coding courses they don't know

basic data manipulation techniques okay

so before before you even think about

getting into react you should become an

array methods expert I've made a video

here on this channel where I introduce

this uh exercise where I make you

replicate array methods so you know how

they work behind the scenes okay a lot

of people that have experience as

developers once they saw that video they

said okay I wish I knew this before I

started uh my career as a javascri

developer because most of the time

you'll be using tools and you don't

understand how they work and if you

don't understand how they work you won't

be able to use them properly and you'll

always be like in some sort of fog it's

like you're are driving with your eyes

blind you don't want to do that so there

is a video on my channel where I talk

about replicating array methods go and

do that but let's say you don't want to

do that you want to skip because you are

I don't know in a rush to learn react

then you must know by heart how for each

how map and how Filter Works these are

array methods you must absolutely nail

those down otherwise you will have a

very tough time cracking react I cannot

stress this enough okay please listen to

me okay I'm trying to sell you on this

because this is super important and also

a bonus I would recommend you to go on

this website called Code War where you

do algorithms and stuff like that and I

want you to reach level five I make all

my students reach level five before they

can unlock the react course because if

you get to level five you'll have a

decent understanding of like basic

algorithms and you will not struggle

going through the react portion of your

frontend developer Journey if that makes

sense these are the prerequisites

obviously there are a lot of other

things that you should know like

manipulating the Dom and so on and so

forth but I'm just going to assume that

you know that let's get into the road

map so something that I do which is

extremely weird compared with all the

other courses that are out there is that

I teach class-based component so if you

are new to react and if you don't know

anything about react or if you have some

knowledge of react maybe you heard of

this concept of a class-based component

I'm not going to show it to you here you

can go ahead and Google it because you

need to learn how to Google stuff by

yourself but essentially nobody is

really teaching that and uh nobody is

really using that nobody right if you

end up working in a company you'll be

surprised that you'll be working on

projects that have been developed you

know s eight maybe 10 years ago okay and

uh these projects are still using

class-based components and you'll

probably have to go in those projects

and change things add new things debug

things fix things right add on top of

that and if you do not understand how

class-based components work you'll come

in with a deficit you'll have a handicap

and that's why I recommend you to learn

from the beginning class classes class

components so you'll have an easier time

uh when you'll end up in that situation

because the likelihood of you getting

into a situation like that is very high

I would say maybe to around 80 90% what

I noticed is that if you learn

class-based components first the hooks

which is another concept that you'll

learn about

later will come to you way easier

because hooks assume that kind of you

understand a lot of Concepts that uh

classes have introduced

and a lot of people are saying that

hooks are way easier than classes and to

a certain extent I agree but for a

beginner making the transition from

classes to hooks is going to be way

smoother um if you understand the basic

theory of how classes work okay and also

classes have something called error

boundaries so you can prevent parts of

of your application from crashing with

hooks if one component of your page

crashes let's say something here crashes

with with hooks and with functional

components your entire application will

crash but if you use classes you can use

error boundaries which will stop your

application from crashing just parts of

it will crash and then you can contain

the rest of the issues okay that's my

take and then also class based

components have some extra features that

uh you need to be aware of I'm not going

to mention them in here because they're

quite Advanced okay so I will start with

classes then I would learn about

components and I would try to make as

many components as possible just to get

how this concept works and then I would

learn about props this kind of come hand

in hand and then in this Google doc and

by the way I'm going to leave this

Google doc um if this video reaches 50

comments so comment Google doc

underneath this video and whenever there

will be like 50 comments I'm going to

reply to your comment with this Google

Docs so then you can reference it

because I put some uh extra links and

extra resources for you to learn in here

so I found the website that looks like

this it's not too easy and it's not too

complicated I spent like 20 minutes

trying to find the right one because if

it's too easy then you won't learn if

it's too complicated then you'll give up

so I think this is a good um website to

recreate so you can learn how components

and how props work okay uh again comment

Google doc underneath this video and I'm

going to leave this Google doc for you

so then you can reference it then you

need to learn about State you need to

learn about events like click Mouse over

typing whenever you type something in an

input and so on and so forth need to

know learn about callbacks lifting State

up which is a very important

concept if you're a beginner it's kind

of difficult to explain this to you in a

video like this but if you go to the

react docs they explained pretty

well and rendering list okay this is

very important because if you if you

notice like if you go on the internet

literally anywhere you'll notice that

there are a few key things that happen

every single time we have events that

trigger fetching data so you land on

Twitter right on the Twitter website

then what will happen is Twitter the

client the front end will ask the back

end to give you the most recent tweets

from people that you are following right

and then you get a huge list of tweets

right that's a list then each tweet has

comments that's another list okay so you

need to learn how to work with list okay

and I left here again another resource

on how to render a list because this

thing called the key is very important

it's a very important Concept in react

and you should 100% uh learn this okay

and why you shouldn't do things in a

certain way we have another important

concept called derived States think

about an omelet I have both many courses

uh many programming courses because I

wanted to do my research into like what

other people are teaching right and I

noticed that a lot of people are

teaching you how to use very basic

concepts and they never get into the

meat and the potatoes of how to combine

different things to get different

outputs right and whenever we are making

an omelet right we have multiple

ingredients we have eggs we have the ham

we have the butter we have the Pan the

type of pan we we use to make The

Omelette then we have the what's the

name the onions and whatever you put in

The Omelette you mix everything together

and then you put that omelet and then

you prepare it and then you eat it right

but we took basic ingredients we com

combined them and then we got something

else now it's kind of the same with uh

with reactant with States we can combine

different things to get different

outcomes right and I want to show you

this thing again I'm going to leave the

link for this in this Google doc and

check this out so here we have a list

right and I search for dog over here and

then if I add some filters like for

example I want to

see uh

only English

ads um then I want to see

only

videos and I want to see only active ads

right so I'm going to apply these three

filters and essentially what I did is I

took one state which is the list of ads

then I applied another type of state

which is the language that I want to see

the ads in then I applied another type

of filter which is the media type I only

want to see videos and I only want to

see active ads so I added multiple types

of States combine them and I got

something else this is kind of how I

describe this omelet if you

may and it's a very important concept to

understand if you want to get really

good okay then uh we have life cycle

methods and we have API calls I

introduce API calls and networking and

stuff like that very late in my program

because I believe that you as a beginner

should focus on the basics and you

should nail those Basics and you should

be tired of the basics and then when you

are tired of the basics then we

introduce A New Concept because

otherwise you'll be overwhelmed if every

single day you get a new concept A New

Concept A New Concept like your mind

gets tired and you want be able to learn

and then you'll give up right you don't

want to give up you want to do it in a

methodical systematical way systematical

I hope that's word and then and only

then once we've learned all this then we

get into Hooks and my approach to hooks

is to take everything we've built so far

again you're going to follow your course

or your courses or your road maps

whatever you're following and then at

some point you'll build an app okay you

have to build an app you cannot just

read Theory this whole thing should

appli to an application and I'm going to

tell you what application to build in a

second don't worry about that but then

we take that application and then we

convert it into hooks because we need to

understand why are hooks better and then

how do you translate something made with

classes into Hooks and then hooks will

click and then you'll understand them

okay and then you learn about something

called custom hooks uh again I'm not

going to get into this but your course

should cover this again this is like a

checklist if you've done this this this

this this that means you understand the

basics of react okay uh you also need to

learn about context a very important

concept that you need to really get and

it's going to make your life so much

easier I cannot even explain how much

easier your life is going to be and then

we have a test okay here I have uh an

app that looks like this is a

very basic to do app but it's very

powerful because it includes all these

Concepts okay that I have explained in

here and I have some requirements for

this right and if you want to get the

requirements for this application so you

can build them at the end of your course

whatever course you're following comment

Google doc below this video and I'm

going to give you the Google Doc once we

have 50 uh comments and then you can

test yourself okay have I really learned

all this because if I cannot build this

application from over here then that

means you didn't learn it and that's a

good side bad feedback is still feedback

we just need to understand it if you

struggle with something that means you

do not understand some concept you need

to figure out what concept that is then

go back and relearn it three five 7 8

nine 100 times until you really

understand that thing do not move

forward ever if you do not understand

something at least 60 70% okay because

it's going to pull you back and then

also on this Google doc I have a list of

interview questions so then as you go to

your course as you're learning this

stuff you can use these interview

questions to test yourself to see if you

really understood certain things and

then I want you to like speak out loud

and if you see a question like okay what

is the difference between State and

props I want you to speak out loud and

you can use this app that I'm using to

record this video called Loom to record

yourself as you are answering those

questions and then you want to look back

at what you said and then you want to

judge yourself do I sound confident have

I said the right thing could I improve

the pronunciation of this thing can I

deliver this part a little bit better

you need to self-reflect every single

time you do something otherwise you will

suck you'll not know why you suck and

then you'll blame everyone else every

single Market nowadays is completely

saturated it doesn't matter if it's

coding Marketing sales whatever it is

every single Market is completely

saturated and you need an edge okay and

this checklist is going to give you that

edge guaranteed and you know what else

is going to give you an edge my

mentorship program you can join by click

in the first L the description and I'm

going to teach you every single thing

you need to know to become a web

developer and if I fail to do so in 9

months or less I'm going to give you all

the money back and $5,000 for wasting

your time I'm pretty much forced to help

you out and give you the best result

otherwise I'm going to go backuped

uh so that's how much I am invested into

uh this road map that I have created for

yourself okay so if you want to know

more about that click the first l in the

description and you'll speak either with

me or someone from my team and we'll

show you how everything works but yeah

if you want this Google doc just comment

uh Google doc underneath this video and

let me know what you think about react

what are you struggling with is uh is it

going as smooth as you wanted or are you

having some difficulties