M3- React Fiber Architecture Flashcards
What is React Fiber Architecture?
React Fiber Architecture is a reimplementation of React’s core algorithm aimed at improving the efficiency of rendering and updating the DOM. It enables React to perform updates in an incremental and prioritized manner, ensuring smoother performance for complex web applications.
Why was React Fiber introduced?
React Fiber was introduced to address performance limitations in earlier versions of React. Before Fiber, React updated the DOM in a synchronous, all-at-once process. This could cause slow performance, especially when many components needed updating simultaneously. Fiber optimizes this by allowing updates to be spread over time and prioritized based on what’s visible or important.
How does Fiber improve performance?
Fiber improves performance by using incremental rendering. This means React can break down rendering work into smaller chunks, prioritizing updates that are immediately visible to the user while deferring less important updates. For example, React updates content in view first and delays updates for off-screen elements until later.
What is “incremental rendering”?
Incremental rendering is a process where React breaks large updates into smaller tasks. Instead of updating the entire DOM at once, React Fiber processes updates in portions, allowing the user interface to remain responsive by handling higher-priority tasks first.
How does React Fiber decide which updates are higher priority?
Fiber introduces a priority system for updates. Updates that affect visible parts of the UI, such as text or images in the user’s viewport, are given higher priority. Updates for elements that aren’t visible (e.g., scrolled-off areas) have lower priority and can be updated later.
How does React Fiber help with complex applications?
In complex applications where many components might change at the same time, React Fiber ensures that only the most critical changes (usually the ones visible to the user) are rendered immediately. This prevents performance slowdowns and keeps the app responsive.
Are there tools to help developers work with React Fiber?
Yes, the React Developer Tools browser extension is a useful tool for inspecting how React is processing updates in your application. It helps developers visualize the component tree and track how state and props change, giving insights into performance.
