Learning how to code can be a daunting task. With so many different programming languages, frameworks and libraries available, it's hard to know where to start. If you’re interested in learning how to build web applications with React, one of the most popular JavaScript-based frameworks today, you may be wondering how much JavaScript knowledge is necessary before diving into React development?

The answer is that it depends on your goal and how quickly you want to learn React. Knowing more about JavaScript will make learning React easier and give you a better understanding of how things work under the hood.

In this article, we'll explore how much JavaScript knowledge is needed before starting out with React as well as tips for getting up to speed quickly with the language if needed.

You will probably really struggle

If you don’t have enough JavaScript knowledge before starting out with React, you may find yourself struggling to understand how things work under the hood. This can lead to frustration and slower progress in learning how to use React effectively.

Knowing more about JavaScript will make learning React easier and give you a better understanding of how things work under the hood. With a good foundation in JavaScript, you'll be able to pick up on new concepts faster and build powerful applications with React quickly.

Trying to learn React can be hard if you don't know how to do things in JavaScript first. It's important to learn how much JavaScript you need to know before diving into React, so you can understand how things work and get up-to-speed quickly.

Do you know enough JavaScript to learn React?

JavaScript is a pretty broad subject. How much do you really need to know before getting started with React?

You need to have a solid grasp of the fundamentals like variables, data types, operators and expressions, arrays, loops and conditionals, functions, objects, event handling. It would also be good if you had some experience with Document Object Model Manipulation as well.

Although this might be enough to get started with React, if you only know the fundamentals, you're bound to run into unfamiliar syntax like arrow functions or destructuring assignments. Learning two new things at once doesn't work for most people, so here are some JavaScript features  I'd recommend you spend some time learning so you can be as effective as possible working with React:

  • Arrow functions
  • Template literals
  • Shorthand property names
  • Parameter defaults
  • Rest/spread
  • ESModules
  • Ternaries
  • Array methods like map and filter
  • Nullish coalescing operator
  • Optional chaining
  • Promises and async/await

Tips for quickly getting up to speed with the language if needed

If you don't know much about JavaScript and need to brush up on your skills, there are some great online resources available.

First of all, I'd recommend checking out the official documentation for the language. It has detailed explanations and examples of how everything works. Another helpful resource is MDN Web Docs which has an abundance of information on how to use the language. There are also plenty of tutorials and courses available online that can walk you through how to use JavaScript for web development.

Finally, if you want a more hands-on approach, look no further than Scrimba's free JavaScript course. This course will teach you all the basics from variables and functions to

Conclusion

When it comes to how much JavaScript you need to know before learning React, the answer is that it depends on how quickly you want to learn and how comfortable you are with the language. Knowing more about JavaScript will make learning React easier and give you a better understanding of how things work under the hood. If you don't have enough knowledge of the language, I suggest brushing up on the basics with some online resources before starting out. With a good foundation in JavaScript, you'll be able to pick up new concepts quickly and build powerful applications with React in no time.

Happy coding!