React Performance Debate

Discussions debate React's performance overhead from virtual DOM diffing and re-rendering, questioning its efficiency benefits versus alternatives like avoiding React altogether.

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Keywords

formik.org JS FPS Children.only PR UI MVC ReactTraining React.memo PureRenderMixin react dom component render rendering async virtual performant rendered js

Sample Comments

sarchertech Sep 16, 2025 View on HN

If react adds extra render time and extra dev time, what is it saving?

jonahx Nov 1, 2014 View on HN

Doesn't React already do efficient DOM updates for you with their virtual DOM and it's diffing mechanism? Or are you referring to something else?

ibash Aug 17, 2024 View on HN

People forget what problem the virtual dom and react is supposed to solve.No better article than this: https://blog.vjeux.com/2013/javascript/react-performance.htm...

programminggeek Feb 29, 2016 View on HN

Perhaps the answer is to not use React.

arthurcolle Aug 10, 2021 View on HN

still more performant than modern React based systems

pkstn Dec 31, 2019 View on HN

I have easy solution: don't use React!

driverdan Jan 1, 2014 View on HN

It sounds like you've never tried using React. It has built in solutions for the issues you mentioned.

nikivi May 14, 2020 View on HN

Perhaps it's due to React's architecture of one way data flow?

foota Nov 3, 2015 View on HN

Isn't this supposed to be a non issue because react can intelligently compare the higher level components of your application and decide whether they need to be re-rendered?

linkmotif Dec 29, 2017 View on HN

Who complains about React being slow?