Preact vs React: An Unbiased Comparison
React has been a popular choice for web development for years, but in recent times, Preact has gained traction as a lightweight alternative. This blog post will provide a factual comparison between the two and help you make an informed choice.
Overview
React was introduced by Facebook in 2013 and has since been used extensively by developers worldwide. Preact, on the other hand, was released in 2014 as a lighter, faster alternative to React. Both libraries are used to build dynamic user interfaces for web applications.
Similarities
Preact and React share many similarities since Preact was designed to be almost identical to React. They both have components, Virtual DOM, and a unidirectional data flow. Preact was built to provide React's functionalities without adding unnecessary features.
Differences
The primary difference between Preact and React is performance. Preact boasts a smaller file size of 3KB, which is one-tenth the size of React. The smaller size results in faster render times and a better user experience. Preact also lacks some features that React supports, like context API, which makes Preact ideal for small applications that don't need advanced features.
Performance Comparison
In a benchmark, Preact was found to be faster and more memory efficient than React. Preact outperformed React by 14% in load time and consumed 20% less memory than React when performing the same tasks.
| Performance Metrics | Preact | React |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle Size (KB) | 3.8 KB | 42 KB |
| Load Time (ms) | 383 ms | 445ms |
| Memory Consumption | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Time to Interactive | 4,307 ms. | 6,123 ms. |
Popularity Comparison
React has a larger developer community, more resources, documentation, and community support than Preact, which could be a big consideration for some teams. However, the smaller community of Preact provides a hands-on approach and more engagement from maintainers in the community forums.
Conclusion
Both Preact and React are excellent libraries to build dynamic user interfaces, and they have their pros and cons. While Preact provides excellent performance gains and faster load times, React is more versatile and provides a comprehensive suite of features. Choosing between the two depends on the project requirements.