So, do you want to know how to learn Reactjs easily? Well, I have good news for you. There is a way to make this library significantly easier to learn.
Reactjs can be hard for a beginner programmer to learn, but it really doesn’t need to be. When I first started learning it a few years back, I found it very difficult. If I had known a few things before I started, I know my experience would have been different.
So without further ado, let’s dive into how to learn React the easiest way.
1. Learn JavaScript Before Reactjs
I cannot stress this enough, if you want it to be easy to learn Reactjs, you need to have a strong understanding of JavaScript. That means knowing a lot more than the basics of loops, conditionals, functions, and objects.
It means having a strong understanding of functional programming principles, iterators, prototype-chaining, asynchronous programming, and a lot more. These things will drastically improve your ability to pick up Reactjs.
If you don’t know what these things are, don’t worry, they are advanced concepts! However, if you want to make Reactjs easy to learn, you need to have a deep understanding of JavaScript. In fact, it’s very important to learn JavaScript before React.
Most beginners want to jump right into React and skip gaining a deep foundation in JavaScript.
Trust me, if you can get a deep understanding of JavaScript, you will find React very easy to learn.
If you are looking for a good course to teach you JavaScript, you can give this one a shot.
2. Build Simple To Advanced Applications
This one should also be a given but don’t start off by trying to build the next Facebook. Start with very simple projects and work your way up. Learning basic concepts like useState or useEffect will be challenging enough. Trying to add additional complexities will just make the process more difficult.
If you are struggling to find projects to build, you can check out my 5 jQuery projects article. Instead of building the projects in jQuery, you can build them in React. These projects are listed from simplest to hardest so it will be a good way to work your way up to more difficult projects.
3. Don’t Try Learning Other Technologies At The Same Time
This one falls in line with the last point of not biting off more than you can chew. If you have never used React before, it is a bad idea to try and pile on a bunch of other technologies to learn as well. Just like it is a bad idea to learn multiple programming languages at once.
This means that you shouldn’t be trying to learn TypeScript and Redux in your first React project. If you want to learn these technologies, simply start by writing an application in React. Once you are done, you can refactor the state of your application to utilize the redux library. Then you can refactor all of your JavaScript into TypeScript.
Doing all three of these things at once will likely lead you to become flustered, confused, and discouraged. So stick with one at a time and you will learn a lot faster!
4. Read The React Docs
Finally, make sure you actually read the React docs. Finding random shards of information online can work when you’re trying to solve a specific problem. However, the most up-to-date and complete resource you have available is the react documentation.
Reading the React documentation really gave me a better holistic view of what was included in the React library. Having that holistic view is crucial in building apps with this framework. The more React information you have in your head, the higher likelihood you will be writing better React code.
Summary
So that’s how you can learn Reactjs easily. Start by having a strong foundation in JavaScript. Then build real, simple projects and work your way up to more difficult projects. Don’t try to tackle a bunch of other technologies while you are learning React and finally, be sure to read the docs!
Learning how to code always takes time, but if you follow all of these steps, I assure you, the process of learning Reactjs will seem much easier! Just keep practicing every day and you’ll be a pro React developer in no time!
If you want to check out some good courses for React, these are good options.
Good luck, and happy coding!
