Learning React is an essential part of your career journey if you are interested in becoming a professional web developer. If you are a beginner, it might be challenging to pick out the best books for React developers, which are the ones that explain core React concepts in a clear way. Here, we have provided some of the best books to learn React for a more successful career.
Many resources can help front end developers get acquainted with React. Experts recommend learning various types of coding languages, but at the very least, learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will help you understand React. This article puts together the best React books for newbies and established web developers to give you a deep dive into the React ecosystem.
How Can I Choose the Best Books for React Developers?
You can choose the best books for React developers by looking for texts that align with your experience level. Ensure that the books you choose have up-to-date content. Also, look out for visuals, diagrams, and practice exercises that will help you fully grasp web development concepts and build real-world React projects.
Tips for Choosing the Best React Books
- Browse reviews. Checking out reviews will help you get valuable feedback from people who have read the book. Seeing how readers react to a particular book shows you how effective it is and will make your decision easier.
- Know your learning style. Do you learn easier from words, pictures, or hands-on experience? You should consider this factor when selecting a book to learn React. A good React book should have a clear layout and include visuals, images, and diagrams that break up the text in an easy-to-digest way.
- Know your experience level. There are React books for beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced learners, and most of them indicate the experience level needed and other requirements. Decide on a book based on your prior knowledge and experience.
- Look at the table of contents in advance. Read through the table of contents to ensure the book focuses on the core topics you want to learn. Compare it with other books to know which one expands on your topic of interest. Also, consider the resources that the book provides, such as practice exercises, career advice, and so on.
- Check for up-to-date content. Ensure that the book’s contents include the latest JavaScript and CSS approaches. Always opt for the newest edition and make sure it carefully explains the essential concepts of React.
The 10 Best React Books: An Overview
| Name | Publisher | Topics Covered |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning React | Greg Lim | Components, CRUD, Redux |
| Full-Stack React Projects | Packt Publishing | MERN stack |
| Fullstack React: The Complete Guide to ReactJS and Friends | Fullstack.io | React basics, React Native, GraphQL |
| Learn React Hooks: Build and Refactor Modern React.js Apps Using Hooks | Packt Publishing | Fundamentals of React Hooks, responsive design, Redux, MobX, |
| Learning React: A Hands-On Guide to Building Web Applications Using React and Redux | Addison-Wesley Professional | React, Redux |
| Learning React: Modern Patterns for Developing React Apps | O’Reilly Media | Functional programming, data management, React Hooks |
| React and React Native, 3rd Edition | Packt Publishing | React, React Native |
| React Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering the React Framework | O’Reilly Media | Progressive web applications, REST, accessibility |
| React Explained: Your Step-by-Step Guide to React | Independently published | Fundamentals, building applications |
| The Road to React: Your Journey to Master Plain yet Pragmatic React.js | Independently published | Features, fundamentals, advanced topics |
The 10 Best React Books: A Closer Look
With a variety of books and other resources to choose from, it can be challenging to know which book is best for learning React. In this section, we have carefully compiled the 10 best React books, with a rundown of the topics covered to help you get a feel for the React ecosystem.
1. Beginning React
- Author: Greg Lim
- Best for: React newbies and developers with OOP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS experience
Beginning React is a definitive guide for learning the essentials of React. Although no prior knowledge of React is required, you should have background knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and object oriented programming. This book teaches you how to build React Native apps using functional components and walks you through building a real-world application.
2. Full-Stack React Projects
- Author: Shama Hoque
- Best for: Experienced React developers
Full-Stack React Projects is a full stack development tool for those with extensive experience with React and want to learn the MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, and Node) stack. It features reader-friendly code snippets that illustrate how to create a MERN development environment. This book is a practical guide to building web applications using MERN.
3. Fullstack React: The Complete Guide to ReactJS and Friends
- Author: Anthony Accomazzo, Ari Lerner, Clay Allsopp, David Guttman, Tyler McGinnis, and Nate Murray
- Best for: React newbies and JavaScript developers
Fullstack React is your hands-on guide to learning the best React tools and practices for building robust applications. This book contains valuable tips and rich examples that will help you create customized, well-tested, and optimized apps with interactive user interfaces in no time. Fullstack React gives you a complete guide to React, React Native, GraphQL, Flux, and Redux.
4. Learn React Hooks: Build and Refactor Modern React.js Apps Using Hooks
- Author: Daniel Bugl
- Best for: Advanced developers who want to learn how to build apps with React Hooks
This book is a practical guide to building simple and concise React applications. It also teaches users how to create complex applications by combining multiple hooks. After reading this book, you will have laid solid foundations in the fundamentals of React Hooks, be able to build custom Hooks, and use community Hooks for responsive design.
5. Learning React: A Hands-On Guide to Building Web Applications Using React and Redux
- Author: Kirupa Chinnathambi
- Best for: React newbies and JavaScript developers
This hands-on guide teaches you how to build web applications using React and Redux. It does not require prior knowledge of React. However, basic familiarity with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will give you a fast-paced learning process. Learning React contains lots of examples and hands-on exercises to help you build a React application from scratch.
6. Learning React: Modern Patterns for Developing React Apps
- Author: Alex Banks and Eve Porcello
- Best for: Web developers and software engineers familiar with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
This book is helpful for beginners who are learning the basics from scratch. It gives readers knowledge on building solid React applications using modern patterns and building user interfaces that display changes without having to reload the page. Some React developers affirm that this book has easy-to-understand examples and is an excellent introduction to React.
7. React and React Native, 3rd Edition
- Author: Adam Boduch and Roy Derks
- Best for: JavaScript developers and React newbies
React and React Native is a hands-on book for modern web and mobile development. It covers the latest React features and teaches users about interlocking technologies used for building cross-platform applications. This book will teach you how to craft reusable React components, create responsive mobile designs, and build a unified data architecture.
8. React Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering the React Framework
- Author: David Griffiths and Dawn Griffiths
- Best for: JavaScript developers with some knowledge of React
React Cookbook is a practical book for intermediate learners. It allows readers to explore and solve intermediate examples of React problems. The topics covered by this book include UI development, animations, routing, testing, component architecture, databases, and debugging.
React Cookbook also introduces readers to the latest ECMAScript features, Webpack, server-side rendering, and the steps to create a mobile application using React Native. It is recommended for JavaScript developers and anyone who wishes to develop their React skills.
9. React Explained: Your Step-By-Step Guide to React
- Author: Zac Gordon
- Best for: JavaScript developers and React newbies
React Explained gives beginners a practical introduction to React. With thoroughly explained concepts and hands-on examples, you can quickly learn how to build applications and use sophisticated React design patterns in a real-world setting. Although most of the book centers on front end development, you can also learn skills for backend and native application uses.
10. The Road to React: Your Journey to Master Plain yet Pragmatic React.js
- Author: Robin Wieruch
- Best for: React newbies and JavaScript developers
The Road to React covers all the basics of React. It is a thorough instructional material for React newbies. It contains a series of exercises at the end of each chapter to ensure that the reader has an in-depth understanding of all the concepts explained.
This book teaches you how to build a React application step by step and gives you a holistic view of the React ecosystem. After reading this book, you will have a solid knowledge of building apps with React.
Alternative Ways to Learn React
There are many effective ways to learn React. If you are not a book person, you can turn to alternative resources like online courses, tutorials, and coding bootcamps. Online courses are convenient and easy to follow because you learn at your own pace and access practical video lessons.
Tutorials are also a great way to refine your React development skills because they are very elaborate and teach you the core concepts of React using step-by-step instructions. Most online tutorials, including the official Introduction to React tutorial, are accessible on the Internet for free and are maintained by software developers and professionals.
There is an official directory of resources for advanced learners and aspiring React developers called React Resources. Here, you will find various books, podcasts, and tutorials to help you master React. There are also YouTube channels and websites that offer React tutorials on beginner-level, intermediate, and advanced concepts, all with practical examples.
You can also hone your skills by joining one of the best React bootcamps. These bootcamps offer immersive training and flexible courses that prepare students to become web developers. They also provide career coaching to help you pursue your dream career in the tech industry.
Is Learning React Worth It?
Learning React is worth it because it can open the door to a high-demand career. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the median annual wage for web developers is $77,200, and the profession is set to grow by 13 percent over the next decade. According to Stack Overflow’s 2019 Developer Survey, React is the most preferred web framework among developers.
Meta, Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, and the New York Times are just a few of the big companies that use React. It is the most popular JavaScript framework, with a satisfaction rating of 84 percent from over 17,000 users. React has a large community where developers talk about best practices for coding and get answers to questions about the application architecture.
Best React Books FAQ
No, React is not technically a framework. It is an open source front end JavaScript library used to build efficient user interfaces for single-page applications. React can be used to create both web and mobile applications. With React, you can build large web applications that display data without the need to reload the page.
It can take anywhere from one to six months to learn React. The exact time it takes to master React depends on your learning capacity, experience, and commitment to the learning process. If you’re a confident developer, you can probably make do with a fast-paced guide. If you want to speed up the process, you should commit to several hours of coding every day.
React is better than Angular because of its virtual DOM implementations. React’s key features include improved user experience and speed, the ability to use third-party libraries, and one-directional data binding, which provides code stability. Also, developers who use React have access to tons of pre-built solutions.
To become a React developer, you need to have technical skills and professional developer experience. Most employers hire applicants with a degree in computer science or a related field. Still, you can become an entry-level React developer by building your knowledge of developer structures through online courses, books, tutorials, and coding bootcamps.
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