Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
If you're a developer, you likely already know how widely React has taken over the development world. As one of the most popular JavaScript libraries, React has become the go-to solution for building front-end applications. Regardless of whether you're a seasoned developer or a beginner, gaining expertise in React can significantly boost your career prospects.
In this article, we have picked the 7 most asked ReactJS Interview Questions & Answers that will help you to understand the core concepts of React and to ace any interview.
1. How does the Virtual DOM work in React?The Virtual DOM is a lightweight, in-memory representation of the real DOM, enabling React to optimize UI updates. It acts as an intermediary, reducing costly direct manipulations of the browser’s DOM, which is slow and resource-intensive.
How It Works:
Example:
import { useState } from 'react';
function Counter() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
return (
<div>
<p>Count: {count}</p>
<button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>Increment</button>
</div>
);
}
When count
changes, React updates only the <p>
element’s text in the real DOM, not the entire component.
Key Points:
JSX (JavaScript XML) is a syntax extension for JavaScript used in React to write HTML-like code within JavaScript. It simplifies UI development by allowing developers to define component structures declaratively.
Features:
const element = <h1>Hello, world!</h1>;
{}
.
const name = 'Ajay';
const element = <h1>Hello, {name}!</h1>;
React.createElement
: JSX is transpiled (by tools like Babel) into React.createElement
calls, creating React elements.
// JSX
const element = <h1>Hello, world!</h1>;
// Transpiled
const element = React.createElement('h1', null, 'Hello, world!');
Key Points:
ReactDOM is a separate package that bridges React’s Virtual DOM with the browser’s real DOM. It provides methods to render, update, and remove React components in the DOM.
Key Functions:
ReactDOM.createRoot
and root.render
mount components to a DOM node. ReactDOM.unmountComponentAtNode
removes components from the DOM.Difference Between ReactDOM and React:
Aspect React ReactDOM Definition JavaScript library for building UI components. Package for rendering components to the browser DOM. Main Purpose Defines component structure, state, and logic. Manages DOM rendering and updates. Primary Focus Component creation, state management, UI logic. Interacting with the browser’s DOM. Key Functionality Create components, manage state/lifecycle.createRoot
, render
, hydrate
, unmount
. Methods N/A (no direct DOM interaction). ReactDOM.createRoot
, ReactDOM.hydrate
, etc.
Example (ReactDOM):
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client';
import App from './App';
const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
root.render(<App />);
Key Points:
createRoot
for concurrent rendering, replacing ReactDOM.render
. React supports two types of components: Class Components and Functional Components. Functional components with hooks are now the standard, but class components are still used in legacy code.
Comparison Table:
Aspect Class Component Functional Component Definition Defined using JavaScript class extendingReact.Component
. Defined as a JavaScript function. Syntax Uses class
and render()
method. Returns JSX directly. State Management Uses `this monitoring, and debugging.
Functional Component: A functional component is a simpler function that returns JSX. Before React 16.8, functional components were stateless, but with hooks, they can now manage state and side effects.
JavaScript
import React, { useState } from "react";
const Welcome = () => {
const [message, setMessage] = useState("Hello, World!");
return (
<div>
<h1>{message}</h1>
<button onClick={() => setMessage("Hello, React!")}>
Change Message
</button>
</div>
);
};
export default Welcome;
Class Component: A class component is created using the class keyword and extends React.Component. It requires a render() method to return JSX.
JavaScript
import React, { Component } from 'react';
class Welcome extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
message: 'Hello, World!'
};
}
render() {
return (
<div>
<h1>{this.state.message}</h1>
<button onClick={() => this.setState({ message: 'Hello, React!' })}>
Change Message
</button>
</div>
);
}
}
export default Welcome;
The output for both Class component and functional component are same
React ComponentsIn this code
1. Functional Component (Using useState Hook):
2. Class Component
Here is the difference between state and props.
Aspect
State
Props
Definition
A component’s local data that can change over time.
Data passed from a parent component to a child component.
Managed By
Managed within the component itself.
Managed by the parent component.
Mutability
Can be changed using this.setState().
Cannot be changed by the child component; it’s read-only.
Purpose
Used to store dynamic data that can change over time (e.g., user input, component state).
Used to pass data from one component to another (e.g., configuration, static data).
Example
this.setState({ count: 1 })
<ChildComponent name="Alice" />
6. What is the Higher-Order Component?For more details follow this article => What are the differences between props and state ?
A Higher-Order Component (HOC) is a pattern in React used to enhance or modify a component by wrapping it with another component.
import React from 'react';
function withLogging(Component) {
return function (props) {
console.log('Rendering component with props:', props);
return <Component {...props} />;
};
}
export default withLogging;
MyComponent.js
import React from 'react';
const MyComponent = (props) => {
return <div>{props.message}</div>;
};
export default MyComponent;
App.js
import React from "react";
import MyComponent from "./MyComponent";
import withLogging from "./withLogging";
const ComponentLogging = withLogging(MyComponent);
const App = () => {
return (
<div>
<ComponentLogging message="Hello, World!" />
</div>
);
};
export default App;
Output
Higher-Order ComponentIn this code
7. What is Redux?For more details follow this article => React.js Higher-Order Components
Redux is a great way to store the entire application's state in a single store. When your application is small, you wouldn't be facing issues in handling the state. But when it starts growing you will find that state in various components is becoming unmanageable. Here Redux solves your problem.
Redux mainly works on three components
Store contains JavaScript objects. You can change the state by firing actions from your application. After that, you can write reducers for these actions and modify the state. The whole transition is kept inside the reducer, and it should not have any side effects.
App.js
import React from 'react';
import { Provider, useDispatch, useSelector } from 'react-redux';
import store from './store'; // Import the Redux store
const Counter = () => {
const dispatch = useDispatch(); // Dispatch actions to the store
const count = useSelector((state) => state.count); // Get count from Redux state
return (
<div>
<h1>Count: {count}</h1>
<button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'INCREMENT' })}>Increment</button>
<button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'DECREMENT' })}>Decrement</button>
</div>
);
};
const App = () => (
<Provider store={store}>
<Counter />
</Provider>
);
export default App;
store.js
import { createStore } from 'redux';
// Reducer function to manage the state
const initialState = { count: 0 };
const counterReducer = (state = initialState, action) => {
switch (action.type) {
case 'INCREMENT':
return { count: state.count + 1 };
case 'DECREMENT':
return { count: state.count - 1 };
default:
return state;
}
};
// Create the Redux store
const store = createStore(counterReducer);
export default store;
Output
React ReduxIn this code
ConclusionFor more details follow this article => What is Redux
React has become a leading JavaScript library for building modern front-end applications, offering a component-based architecture and efficient rendering through the Virtual DOM. Understanding core concepts such as State vs. Props, Class vs. Functional Components, and Higher-Order Components (HOCs) is essential for mastering React. Additionally, tools like Redux provide powerful state management for larger applications
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