Top 10 Websites Built on React JS and What Makes the Framework Great

One of the most important steps in creating your own application is finding a suitable framework. This choice affects your application’s look, performance, stability, scalability, and functionality. React leads the community recommendations list for this purpose. To understand whether the advice is valid, it’s worth checking out some examples of applications built on React.

In this guide, we’ll explain what React.js is and why it’s favored by developers worldwide. We’ll also share the 10 best applications and sites built using React. Read on to find out which famous companies prefer React and why.

What Is React.js?

Before we dive into the topic, let’s determine what exactly is React.js. It’s an open-source front-end JavaScript library created by Facebook employee Jordan Walke back in 2011. That’s right, React is a library rather than a framework. It’s focused on visual interface development and requires additional libraries for extensive functionality. However, for the end-user, this distinction makes no difference. The developer strived to create a lighter version of the Angular framework while retaining its best features and succeeded.

Benefits of React

Now, let’s look at why so many enterprise-level companies favor React. Below, we’ll list the core features of React and explain why they matter.

Virtual DOM

DOM stands for document object model, which refers to a visual representation of application page components. Virtual DOM is similar to a family tree by structure, as every page is divided into components and every component into its attributes (functionality, style). With plain code, the entire page must be re-rendered when the user interacts with a single element. But thanks to DOM, React only renders the page components that have been triggered. This improves the user experience and app loading speed, as well as reducing the odds of rendering mistakes.

One-Way Data Binding

In React’s DOM, data flows one way, from the parent component to the child component. In other words, when user interaction with the parent component also triggers the child component if so predefined by code. Naturally, there’s a way to make changes in the child component and trigger the parent one if you need it. However, we didn’t mention unidirectional data binding to get into the details of coding. The reason one-way data binding is great is its improved stability compared to two-way data binding. By default, changes in the child component don’t affect the parent component, so no rendering errors occur.

Reusable Components

React’s code components can be easily reused for other code parts or testing, thanks to CBA or component-based architecture. In CBA, each component is stored in a separate cell and can be easily located due to organized structure. Furthermore, React enables developers to reuse only specific functions or attributes instead of the whole component. This significantly saves time on the development front. With the JSX extension combining JavaScript with HTML, developers get clues during coding that additionally ease the process. Furthermore, JSX protects code from external injections.

Wide Toolset

React has been around for 10 years and is now one of the most popular frameworks according to a StackOverflow 2019 study. Community support and a wide toolset that appeared during these years make React ideal for applications of all sizes and purposes. Furthermore, React offers excellent scalability, so you can start with a small app and add functionality later on.

Wide Toolset

The Top 10 Sites and Applications Built on React

Finally, let’s look at the best sites and applications developed with React. We’ve included sites of different scales and purposes to show you how versatile the library is.

1. Yahoo

One of the most famous search engines worldwide utilizes React, along with Redux, Node.js, and other popular frameworks. Yahoo’s additional services, such as Yahoo Mail, are also built using the library. React’s qualities that convinced Yahoo developers to use the library are easy debugging, stability, and independence from larger platform libraries. Especially important for applications such as Yahoo is scalability, as the application’s user number is constantly growing.

2. PayPal

PayPal is the world’s leading digital wallet service that provides customers with a convenient and safe alternative payment method. React is an excellent choice for an application requiring a high level of security and stability. PayPal’s user-friendly interface and extensive functionality are also possible thanks to React. Today, you can seamlessly integrate the PayPal checkout option into any React application by adding a small chunk of code.

3. BBC

The UK’s national broadcasting corporation has existed for nearly 100 years, founded in 1922. Such a well-established media outlet must meet reader expectations both in terms of content quality and website performance. While the first point is fully BBC employee responsibility, the second depends on the framework. React offers a wide designing toolset, stability, and scalability necessary to store a constantly increasing amount of news.

4. Airbnb

If you aren’t familiar with the application, Airbnb offers online booking of accommodations, hospitality, and entertainment services. Released in 2008, Airbnb has also migrated to React from a mix of plain HTML and JavaScript. The service is constantly growing and requires a reliable framework as it involves payments. React was chosen for its scalability, stability, and excellent performance. Features such as maps, calendars, and advanced filters are also based on React.

5. Netflix

Although Netflix’s popularity has surged only recently, the company was founded back in 1997. Today, the service utilizes React for both site and application front-end rendering. The library was chosen in 2015 for its modularity, excellent stability, and speed. Like with any large service, scalability also plays a role. React enabled Netflix devs to solve numerous issues with performance such as slow diffing, merging property interception. Custom playlists also wouldn’t be possible without the library.

6. Facebook

As mentioned, React was created by an ex-Facebook employee, so it’s no wonder the platform utilizes this library. Today, Facebook’s database contains over two billion accounts, and React can handle even these numbers without crashes and rendering errors. Facebook mobile is built on React Native, a library version dedicated to building iOS and Android applications. In 2017, Facebook introduced React Fiber, a new foundation for all React developments, which made the library architecture more responsive. Facebook’s push notifications that appear without reloading the page are also possible thanks to React.

7. Instagram

Instagram, first launched in 2010, is currently owned by Facebook. But unlike Facebook, Instagram utilizes solely React along with its JSX extension. Instagram is a single-page application that features only one entry point. Simply put, instead of reloading the entire page, Instagram only re-renders page components that were triggered. This helps to improve the application’s loading times. Scalability supports constantly growing user community and content amount. React enabled devs to implement numerous features such as geolocations, tags, photo editing, reels, and media storage.

8. New York Times

The New York Times online edition was created in 1996. Naturally, as React didn’t exist at that time, the site was built on other frameworks. After 2011, the site moved from PHP, HTML, and plain JavaScript to React, Node.js, and GraphQl combination. Thanks to React, the visual aspect of the site changed drastically. Apart from introducing an appealing new design, the company managed to improve the site’s stability and add new features such as photo galleries.

9. DropBox

DropBox was introduced in 2007 and initially ran on a combination of Python, Go, and Rust. Today, cloud storage, file sync, and client software services are widely used around the globe. After 2011, the company moved the application’s front-end to React. As the user number grew and so did the amount of stored data, DropBox needed a stable and scalable front end. React is the perfect option for this matter.

10. Asana

Asana is a platform dedicated to helping users stay focused and keep track of their daily work tasks and goals. The developer’s main objective was to build a user-friendly site with a unique design and great performance. Asana must also support a high user number along with their individual data. React helps Asana to implement best UI practices along with numerous animations and leave the site lightweight, improving loading speeds. React’s stability is ideal for handling payments and keeping user data secure.

Asana

Reactive Solutions

Now that you know which famous sites and applications were built using React, is there any doubt left about its scalability and capabilities? The library keeps evolving, as React’s community keeps developing new tools and introducing updates to further improve the performance. React is a great choice for application of any scale and purpose. Our team’s goal is to help you bring our business ideas to life by finding the most efficient solutions and utilizing the latest technology.