Virtual Dom|Browser DOM what are these in React Js?

Now if we got some changes between them, react is intelligent to find which node has changed. React tells browser Document Object Model "Hey! this node subtree needs to change, everything else remains as it is".

Browser thanks to react saying, I am very good at painting things but you told me where to paints and that's why we are doing fast.

Pros and Cons of Virtual DOM

In the web development world, the concept of the Virtual DOM in React JS has sparked a significant conversation about efficiency and performance. Before diving into the pros and cons, let's first address the question – what is Virtual DOM in React JS?

Virtual DOM in React JS is a lightweight copy or 'virtual' representation of the actual DOM. This concept introduces a high-performance algorithm for syncing updates between the Virtual DOM and the Real DOM, making React Virtual DOM vs Real DOM a fascinating comparison.

Understanding the Virtual DOM begins with asking, "Where is Virtual DOM stored in React?" React creates this Virtual DOM in its memory. Every time a component's state changes, a new Virtual DOM tree is created. This new tree is then compared with the previous tree, a process known as diffing. React then smartly updates the Real DOM, applying only the differences identified during the diffing process.

Now let's delve into the advantages and drawbacks of this approach.

Advantages

Performance Optimization: React's use of a Virtual DOM helps to minimize direct manipulations of the Real DOM, resulting in significant performance improvements. It does this by batch updating, only applying differences to the Real DOM rather than redrawing the entire DOM tree with each change.

Less Redundant Code: With Virtual DOM, developers can write declarative code. Instead of worrying about how to change the view to reflect the state, they merely declare what the view should look like.

Improved User Experience: By speeding up the update process, the Virtual DOM in React JS can provide a smoother, more responsive user experience.

Drawbacks

Overhead Cost: While the Virtual DOM improves performance for large apps, it does introduce an overhead cost. For simple applications, this might be more than the cost of just updating the Real DOM directly.

Memory Usage: A copy of the Real DOM is stored in memory, which could lead to higher memory usage.

Compatibility Issues: React's Virtual DOM might not be fully compatible with other libraries that also manipulate the DOM.

Understanding what is React Virtual DOM and how the Virtual DOM works in React is essential in today's fast-paced web development environment. Despite some drawbacks, the Virtual DOM provides an effective solution for rendering large-scale, high-performance applications. To put it simply, the DOM full form in React JS – the Document Object Model – is a critical piece of web development, but with the Virtual DOM, React JS offers a modern, efficient, and powerful twist on this standard model.

How is the Virtual DOM Different from the Real DOM?

When we talk about React, the conversation inevitably turns to the Virtual DOM in ReactJS and how it differentiates from the Real DOM. If you're wondering what is Real DOM in React JS, let's begin with a brief introduction.

The Real DOM (Document Object Model) in ReactJS is the standard model for interacting with the structure of your web page. It is a tree-like representation of your HTML content that JavaScript can interact with, making dynamic changes to the visible layout and content. But the interaction with the Real DOM can be slow and inefficient, especially when there are frequent changes. That's where the Virtual DOM in ReactJS comes into play.

React introduces a Virtual DOM to optimize interactions and updates to the webpage. Instead of making direct changes to the Real DOM (which can be computationally expensive), React first makes changes to the Virtual DOM. But how many Virtual DOM in React exist? In reality, there are two Virtual DOM trees involved in this process at any given point: the current Virtual DOM and the updated Virtual DOM reflecting the new state after changes.

Difference between Virtual DOM in ReactJS and the Real DOM

Efficiency: The most crucial difference lies in the efficiency of updates. Direct changes to the Real DOM can be slow, particularly if they trigger page re-renders. React instead applies changes to the Virtual DOM and then uses a diffing algorithm to apply only necessary updates to the Real DOM, increasing performance.

Batch Updates: Another key difference is how updates are handled. The Real DOM updates immediately whenever a change is made, which can be costly in terms of performance. On the other hand, React batches multiple changes together on the Virtual DOM before applying them to the Real DOM, resulting in fewer actual DOM manipulations.

Memory Efficiency: The Real DOM resides in the browser's memory and gets directly affected by changes, whereas the Virtual DOM is a lighter-weight copy that resides in the application's memory, making changes less resource-intensive.

To fully understand what is the DOM in React, it's essential to comprehend both these aspects – the Real and the Virtual DOM. The addition of the Virtual DOM to ReactJS is a revolutionary approach to improving web app performance.

How is the Virtual DOM Different from the Shadow DOM?

Understanding the difference between the Virtual DOM and the Shadow DOM is an essential aspect of mastering modern web development. Each serves a unique purpose and provides different benefits. But before we delve into their differences, let's review how the Virtual DOM works in React JS and React Native and how it compares to the Real DOM in React JS.

In React JS, the Virtual DOM is a lightweight representation of the Real DOM. This virtual representation improves performance by reducing the amount of direct manipulation on the resource-intensive Real DOM. Instead of directly modifying the Real DOM (which can trigger costly page re-renders), the Virtual DOM batches multiple changes together and applies them all at once. This difference between the Virtual DOM and Real DOM in React JS is a key factor in why we use Virtual DOM in React.

Now, let's consider the Shadow DOM. The Shadow DOM is a web standard that enables encapsulation in the browser. It allows for the creation of a separate, isolated DOM tree attached to an element of the Real DOM, without affecting other parts of the DOM tree.

Difference between the Virtual DOM and the Shadow DOM

Scope: While the Virtual DOM represents the entire HTML document and is used for diffing and efficiently updating the Real DOM, the Shadow DOM is used to create an isolated DOM tree for a specific element, ensuring styles and scripts are scoped to that tree and do not leak out.

Implementation: The Virtual DOM is an application-level implementation used primarily in libraries like React JS and React Native, whereas the Shadow DOM is a browser technology built into the web platform.

Purpose: The Virtual DOM's main purpose is to provide a performant way to update the view, given the use of Virtual DOM in React JS. On the other hand, the Shadow DOM provides style encapsulation and avoids style conflicts in the larger DOM tree.

Understanding how the Virtual DOM works in React Native and React JS, compared to the Shadow DOM, underscores the versatility and diversity of tools available for managing and interacting with the DOM in modern web development. Both serve unique purposes, and their use depends largely on the specific needs and goals of your project.

Comparison Chart: Real DOM vs. Virtual DOM vs. Shadow DOM

When it comes to managing and interacting with web content, understanding the differences between the Real DOM, Virtual DOM, and Shadow DOM is crucial.

conclusion:

understanding the differences between the Real DOM, Virtual DOM, and Shadow DOM allows developers to better manage web content and optimize application performance. Each has its unique benefits and potential drawbacks, and their usage depends largely on the specific requirements of the project.