Explain the purpose of the Link component in React Router.

React Router is a library in the React JS application. It is used to navigate the page to another page. It allows developers to create a seamless and dynamic user experience. It has many features the ‘Link’ Component stands out as a powerful tool for creating navigation links in React Applications.

What is a Link Component?

The ‘Link’ component is a part of the React Router Library, which is used for handling navigation in React Applications. The purpose of the ‘Link’ component is to create a clickable link that allows users to navigate between different web pages or components.

Syntax of Link Component:

import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
<Link to="/path">Link Text</Link> 

Difference between <a> and Link?

We already know that our JSX also supports the ‘<a>’ anchor tag in React Js, But why use the Link component instead of an anchor tag? Let’s understand the key difference between those.

‘<a>’ Tag	‘Link’ Component
It triggers full page reload	It performs navigation without reloading the page
It is standard html tag	It is designed specifically for React Application
It requiest event handler for prevent its default behaviour	It does not requre any event handler
It has standard html features	It is in built React Router library

Basic Usage of Link Component

Using the ‘Link’ Component is easy. First make sure you have install ‘react-router-dom’ in your React Application. After installing the react-router-dom. Import the ‘Link’ Component from the ‘react-router-dom’ and use it to wrap around elements that should trigger navigation.

npm i react-router-dom
<Link to ="/home"> Home </Link>

Example: This example demonstrates the use of React Js Link component to naviagte one page to another Page and back to the first page.

Javascript

//App.js

import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from "react-router-dom";
import FirstPage from "./components/FirstPage";
import SecondPage from "./components/SecondPage";


function App() {
    return (
        <BrowserRouter>
            <Routes>
                <Route path='/' element={<FirstPage />} />
                <Route path='/second' element={<SecondPage />} />
            </Routes>

        </BrowserRouter>
    );
}

export default App;

Javascript

//FirstPage.js

import { Link } from "react-router-dom"

export default function FirstPage() {
    return (
        <>
            <h2> Hey, I am first Page</h2>
            <Link to="/second">Click for Second Page</Link>
        </>

    )
}

Javascript

//SecondPage.js

import { Link } from "react-router-dom";

export default function SecondPage() {
    return (
        <div>
            <h2>Hey, I am Second Page</h2>
            <Link to='/'>Click Me for Back</Link>
        </div>
    )
}

Output:

Conclusion:

Now, we know we use ‘Link’ component instead of anchor tag. It is prefered choice in React Application utilizing React Router. It seamlessly integrates with React Router, enabling client-side navigation within single-page applications, preventing full page reloads, and providing additional features for a smoother and more efficient user experience.