More and more companies are recognising that implementation of high-quality IT solutions entails more than just financial input — they require time and human resources, too. The need to optimise costs is completely natural, which we are well aware of at Infinity Group. Selecting the right technology supported by an understanding of business needs is a guarantee of a solid return on investment — that is why we offer our clients only solutions combining effectiveness with profitability.
In the area of web application development, React.js, a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, emerges as a cost-effective solution. It has many pivotal features and benefits that contribute to more efficient and profitable work for developers. We will outline these later in this article, answering the question of how using React.js translates into lower costs in a project.
Components and code reusability
React.js introduces an approach based on the creation and use of components — logical and graphical units. This means that user interfaces are built from smaller, self-contained blocks. Developers can craft them for specific tasks and then apply them to different parts of the application, instead of writing the code from scratch.
The ability to reuse components is a definite advantage of React.js, making developers’ work much simpler and faster. The code created in this way is more modular and concise, causing it to be easier to write and, at a later stage, to maintain. The use of the React library translates into time savings for developers, alleviating their workload and, consequently, helping to reduce project costs.
Virtual DOM
The React library uses a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) tree to efficiently render changes. This kind of mapping can be easily compared to the previous version before updating the real DOM on the site. On the one hand, this streamlines the developer’s workflow, while on the other hand, it saves application resources and improves performance. So how does this translate into cost reductions in the project?
Primarily, fewer updates to the real DOM allows developers to concentrate on more important tasks. This is because the likelihood of bugs and problems to be solved decreases, so the developer does not have to exhaust resources that could be allocated to further application development. Thus, the TTM (time-to-market) is shortened — the solution will reach end users faster and start generating revenue.
Moreover, an efficient application (meaning one that does not overload the browser) minimises the infrastructure investment required from the client. Additionally, its implementation pays for itself faster due to the enhanced user experience associated with faster page loading and lower data transfer consumption.
One-way data binding
React.js promotes the one-way data flow based on always passing data in an application from top to bottom. This makes it more transparent and simplifies following it, which improves the process of debugging and maintaining code. In other words, the detection of errors in the application — both in progress and in the future — is much simpler and happens significantly faster. This also reduces the time it takes to fix them and frees up developer resources, minimising unnecessary costs.
Support for developer tools
The React library provides a wide variety of developer tools to help track and analyse component actions. Among other things, they offer insights into component structure and their properties, but also an analysis of application performance. By using tools from React, developers are able to locate any problems and quickly solve them, while upgrading the applications they develop.
Large community using React.js and high availability of libraries
The React.js community is huge and constantly growing. Its members share their knowledge and experience, contributing various libraries and components with other developers to utilise in their own projects. Therefore, developers using the React library have a great selection of off-the-shelf solutions at their disposal, which speeds up the application development process and can reduce the costs associated with building modules from scratch or even implementing an entire project.
Reduced server requirements
The React library has client-side rendering capability, which — unlike the approach of other libraries — enables part of the rendering to be moved to the client browser. With this option, applications can reduce the number of requests to the server, not only bolstering performance, but above all reducing the costs associated with transferring data between client and server.
Summary
The aforementioned advantages of React.js proves that this library offers more than a set of tools for building user interfaces. Utilising it is a strategic investment for companies seeking to optimise both performance and, especially, cost. In addition, React.js is constantly evolving, updating its features thanks to the efforts of a committed and large community. Thus, it is a sensible and future-proof solution for ensuring both rapid implementation and stable functioning of a web application.
However, it should be taken into account that despite the many advantages of the React library, the effectiveness of reducing project costs lies primarily in the right choice of technology for a specific business scenario. Applying it skilfully and sustainably in the context of a given application is equally important — that is why it is worth working with a partner competent in this area.
If you would like to find out more about how we can use React.js in your future or existing project to reduce the associated costs, contact us via the form below.
