DIY React: Because Who Needs Stability Anyway?
Prayush Adhikari
Posted on October 8, 2024
Welcome back, intrepid developers, to another thrilling episode number two of "React Unmasked"! Or should I say, "We Have React at Home"? 🏠🎭 Today, we're going to embark on a journey that's about as advisable as trying to build your own nuclear reactor in your backyard. That's right, we're creating our own React!
Why Build Your Own React?
You might be wondering, "Why on earth would I want to build my own React?" Well, dear reader, for the same reason people climb Mount Everest or eat ghost peppers – because it's there, and we're probably not thinking this through entirely.
The "We Have React at Home" Renderer
Behold, the pinnacle of human achievement:
function customRender(reactElement, container) {
const domElement = document.createElement(reactElement.type)
domElement.innerHTML = reactElement.children
for (prop in reactElement.props) {
if (prop === 'children') continue;
domElement.setAttribute(prop, reactElement.props[prop])
}
container.appendChild(domElement)
}
This function is like React, but on a budget. It renders stuff. Sometimes. 🤷♂️
Let's break it down:
- We create a DOM element. It's like giving birth, but to HTML.
- We set the inner HTML. Hope you sanitized that input! 🧼
- We iterate through props like it's Black Friday and props are on sale.
- We skip the 'children' prop. We don't do child labor here. 👶❌
- We set attributes. It's like accessorizing, but for elements.
- Finally, we append the element to the container. It's moving day! 📦
Creating Our "React" Element
Now, let's create our hand-crafted React element. It's organic, free-range, and gluten-free:
const reactElement = {
type: 'a',
props: {
href: 'https://github.com/adhikareeprayush',
target: '_blank'
},
children: 'My Github'
}
Rendering Our Masterpiece
Time to bring our creation to life:
const main = document.querySelector('#root')
customRender(reactElement, main)
And voilà! We've just rendered a link using our home-brewed React. Michelangelo would be proud. Or horrified. Probably horrified.
Why This Is (Probably) a Terrible Idea
- Performance: This renderer is about as optimized as a sloth on sedatives.
- Features: We're missing about 99.9% of React's features. But who needs those, right?
- Security: XSS vulnerabilities? Never heard of her.
- Maintenance: Good luck updating this when the next JavaScript framework drops in about 5 minutes.
Conclusion
So there you have it, folks! We've created our own React at home. Is it good? No. Is it React? Also no. But did we learn something? Maybe, and isn't that the real React we built along the way?
Remember, just because you can build your own React, doesn't mean you should. Leave it to the professionals, or at least to the caffeinated developers at Facebook.
Stay tuned for our next episode: "We Have GraphQL at Home: A String and a Lot of Wishful Thinking"!
Check Out the Real Deal
If you want to see this masterpiece in action (and why wouldn't you?), check out the REACT-AT-HOME GitHub repository. Just don't tell the React team what we're up to. They might get ideas.
And don't forget to subscribe to PrayushDev for more "Is this legal?" coding adventures!
Happy coding, and remember: with great power comes great responsibility. Use this knowledge wisely. Or don't. I'm a blog post, not a cop.
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Posted on October 8, 2024
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