What is the difference between React Components in ES5 and ES6 ?

In this article, we will learn about difference between ES5 and ES6 React Components by comparing their individual components and features

ES5 Components

ES5 (ECMAScript 5) is a standardized scripting language that is widely used in web development. It is the fifth version of the ECMAScript language specification, which is the basis for popular programming languages such as JavaScript.

ES5 Features

ES5 has several features that make it a popular choice for web development. Some of these features include:

• Functions as First-Class Citizens: In ES5, functions are treated as first-class citizens, which means that they can be passed as arguments to other functions, returned as values from functions, and assigned to variables.
• Block Scoping: ES5 introduced block scoping, which allows developers to define variables that are only visible within a particular block of code. This helps prevent naming collisions and makes code more modular.
• Strict Mode: ES5 introduced strict mode, which is a way to opt into a stricter set of rules for writing JavaScript code. This can help catch errors and prevent certain types of bugs.
• Array Iteration Methods: ES5 introduced a set of methods for iterating over arrays, including forEach(), map(), filter(), and reduce(). These methods make it easier to work with arrays in a more functional style.
• Object.create(): ES5 introduced a new way to create objects, using the Object.create() method. This method allows developers to create objects that inherit properties from other objects, making it easier to create complex object hierarchies.

Steps to Create the React Application And Installing Module:

Step 1: Install Node.js: React applications require Node.js to run. You can download Node.js from the official website and follow the installation instructions.

Step 2: Install create-react-app: create-react-app is a tool that helps you create a new React application. You can install it using the following command: 

npm install -g create-react-app

Step 3: Create a new React application: To create a new React application using create-react-app, you can run the following command:

create-react-app my-app

Project Structure:

Output

the updated dependencies in package.json file will look like:

"dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
    "react-scripts": "5.0.1",
    "web-vitals": "^2.1.4",
  }

Step 4: Start the development server: To start the development server, navigate to the my-app directory and run the following command:

npm start

Example: This component defines a `GFG` component that takes the name `prop` and renders a simple greeting message. The component is then rendered using the `ReactDOM.render()` method.

Javascript

var GFG = React.createClass({
    render: function () {
        return (
            <div>
                <h1>Welcome to {this.props.name}!</h1>
            </div>
        );
    }
});

ReactDOM.render(
    <GFG name="GeeksForGeeks" />,
    document.getElementById('root')
);

Output:

What is the difference between React Components in ES5 and ES6 ?

ES6 Components

ES6 (ECMAScript 2015) is the sixth version of the ECMAScript language specification. It is a standardized scripting language that is widely used in web development and is the foundation for popular programming languages such as JavaScript. ES6 introduces a wide range of new features and improvements to the language, which makes it more powerful and easier to work with.

ES6 Features

ES6 introduces a wide range of new features and improvements to the language. Some of these features include:

• Block Scoping: ES6 extends block scoping to allow for the creation of variables that are only visible within a particular block of code. This helps prevent naming collisions and makes code more modular.
• Arrow Functions: Arrow functions are a shorthand way of defining functions in ES6. They are more concise and easier to read than traditional function expressions.
• Template Literals: ES6 introduces template literals, which are a way of defining strings that can include variables and expressions. This makes it easier to create complex strings in JavaScript.
• Destructuring Assignment: ES6 introduces destructuring assignment, which is a way of extracting values from objects and arrays into variables. This makes it easier to work with complex data structures in JavaScript.
• Classes: ES6 introduces classes, which are a way of defining object-oriented programming in JavaScript. This makes it easier to create complex applications and libraries.

Steps to Create the React Application And Installing Module:

Step 1: Install Node.js: React applications require Node.js to run. You can download Node.js from the official website and follow the installation instructions.

Step 2: Install create-react-app: create-react-app is a tool that helps you create a new React application. You can install it using the following command: 

npm install -g create-react-app

Step 3: Create a new React application: To create a new React application using create-react-app, you can run the following command:

create-react-app my-app

Project Structure:

Output

The updated dependencies in package.json file will look like:

"dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
    "react-scripts": "5.0.1",
    "web-vitals": "^2.1.4",
}

Step 4: Start the development server: To start the development server, navigate to the my-app directory and run the following command:

npm start

Example: This component defines a GFG component that takes a name prop and renders a simple greeting message. The component is then exported using the export default statement.

Javascript

import React from 'react';

class GFG extends React.Component {
    render() {
        return (
            <div>
                <h1>Welcome to {this.props.name}!</h1>
            </div>
        );
    }
}

export default GFG;

Output: 

What is the difference between React Components in ES5 and ES6 ?

Difference between React Components in ES5 and ES6

Feature	ES5 Components	ES6 Components
Definition	`React.createClass` method	`class` keyword
Syntax	Prototype-based	Class-based
Features	Limited to ES5 prototype-based syntax	Access to the full range of ES6 class syntax features (constructor methods, static methods, inheritance)
Render method	Defined as a property on the component object	Defined as a method on the component class
`this`  context	Not automatically bound	Defined as a method on the component class