React 0.14 helps with isomorphic JavaScript programming by providing a more generic rendering engine

Jul 4, 2015 09:52 GMT  ·  By
React 0.14 Beta comes with two separate core packages for different rendering methods
   React 0.14 Beta comes with two separate core packages for different rendering methods

At the ReactEurope 2015 conference in Paris, the Facebook and Instagram dev teams previewed a beta version of the upcoming 0.14 release of their famous React JavaScript framework.

Developers will get a big surprise with this latest release, the team announcing that it plans to split the framework's core into two separate packages, each for different purposes.

Because React has been used for many other application types than previously expected, with developers employing the framework to control user interfaces rendered not only via the DOM but also via HTML5 Canvas, SVG, VML, and for native iOS interfaces (via React Native), the team has decided to abstract the core rendering system even more than before.

Starting with React 0.14.0 Beta 1, the React core will be made up from two separate packages, one named "react" and another "react-dom."

As you can expect, the react-dom package will be focusing on dealing with DOM-related issues for the rendering process, while the "react" package will only provide a generic set of methods for rendering the application's user interface on a plethora of mediums.

React 0.14.0 Beta 1 paves the way for writing true isomorphic JavaScript applications

This more generic "react" core will also allow React to be used much more easily when developing isomorphic JavaScript applications, apps that can run both on the client and the server side from the same codebase.

The React team's intention is to provide developers with a tool for writing JS applications that can run everywhere from the same codebase, using a rendering engine that's focused on the actual rendering, and not just one target environment (the DOM).

One of the stated goals is to allow applications written in the Web version of React to share code with iOS applications written using React Native, something not possible using the previous architecture.

If you'd like to read a more detailed and tech-savvy article about the upcoming changes, you can check out Ben Alpert's post, one of the Facebook engineers working on React.