React vs virtual-dom
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces out of reusable components.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript library for describing a web page as data and efficiently updating the real DOM.
The short answer
Choose React if you need…
- Developers building interactive web interfaces with JavaScript
- Teams adding React gradually to an existing project, as the README describes
- Developers who want to reuse the same component model for mobile apps via React Native
- Students learning how modern front-end UIs are structured
Choose virtual-dom if you need…
- JavaScript developers building their own rendering layer for a web app
- Developers who want to learn how virtual DOM diffing and patching work
- Projects that need a small, declarative rendering core without a full framework
- Maintainers of existing code that already uses the virtual-dom or virtual-hyperscript APIs
Side-by-side
| React | virtual-dom | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 252k | 11.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 6 days ago | 4 years ago |
What each one is
React
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. You describe what the screen should look like for each state of your data, and React updates and redraws only the parts that change. It is built around components, small self-contained pieces of UI that you combine into larger screens. The README also says React can render on the server with Node and power mobile apps through React Native.
virtual-dom
virtual-dom is a JavaScript library that lets you describe what a page should look like as a lightweight tree of plain JavaScript objects, called a VTree. When your app state changes, you build a new tree, and the library compares it with the previous one (diffing) and updates only the parts of the real browser DOM that changed (patching). This avoids manually tracking and editing DOM nodes. It was inspired by React's internals.
Best for
React
- Developers building interactive web interfaces with JavaScript
- Teams adding React gradually to an existing project, as the README describes
- Developers who want to reuse the same component model for mobile apps via React Native
- Students learning how modern front-end UIs are structured
virtual-dom
- JavaScript developers building their own rendering layer for a web app
- Developers who want to learn how virtual DOM diffing and patching work
- Projects that need a small, declarative rendering core without a full framework
- Maintainers of existing code that already uses the virtual-dom or virtual-hyperscript APIs
Strengths
React
- Declarative views make code easier to predict and debug, according to the README
- Adopts incrementally, so it can be added to an existing project without rewriting it
- Large, active project with an MIT license and a documented site at react.dev
virtual-dom
- Declarative: you describe the desired DOM and the library works out the changes
- Diffing and patching avoid recreating the whole DOM, which the README says helps keep input focus and performance
- Modular: separate functions for element creation, diff and patch, documented in the README
Not ideal for
React
- People who want a complete, opinionated framework with routing and data fetching built in, since the README says React makes no assumptions about the rest of your stack and points to a separate toolchain for new projects
- Non-programmers looking for a no-code website builder
virtual-dom
- Beginners looking for a complete front-end framework: it only handles rendering and provides no routing, state management or components, per the README
- Teams wanting a actively maintained, production-proven choice: the README labels the project 'experimental' and the last push shown is January 2023
- Projects that want a modern, widely supported ecosystem: the README does not describe current framework integrations
Trade-offs
React
- It is a UI library only, so you must choose and add other tools for routing, data, and build setup
- The README's examples use JSX, a syntax extension that adds a learning step, though the README notes JSX is not strictly required
virtual-dom
- The README marks the project as experimental and the documentation is spread across sub-READMEs
- Requires you to write your own state handling and wiring; it does not provide components or a router
- The README's last shown activity is from 2023, so compatibility with current tooling is unclear
Getting started
React
Install React and React DOM from npm
npm install react react-domvirtual-dom
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Matt-Esch/virtual-domFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between React and virtual-dom?
React: A JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces out of reusable components. virtual-dom: A JavaScript library for describing a web page as data and efficiently updating the real DOM. React suits developers building interactive web interfaces with javascript, while virtual-dom suits javascript developers building their own rendering layer for a web app.
Are React and virtual-dom free?
React: Free and open source. virtual-dom: Free and open source.
Is React or virtual-dom more popular?
React has more GitHub stars (252k) than virtual-dom (11.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to React and virtual-dom?
Other options people compare them with include Svelte, Angular, Preact, FoldingCell, RAMAnimatedTabBarController.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.