Blog: My First Steps into React

It’s been a little while since my last update, but I wanted to share the latest chapter of my coding journey. I’ve just started learning React, and it’s been a lot of fun exploring how it works.

Getting to Know React

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, and it’s designed to make building interactive web apps more structured and manageable. The main idea is to use components — pieces of UI that can be reused and updated independently.

Compared to vanilla JavaScript, React feels like a breath of fresh air: instead of manually updating the DOM, you describe how you want things to look, and React takes care of the rest.

JSX: HTML Meets JavaScript

One of the first things I noticed is JSX, React’s way of writing HTML-like code inside JavaScript. At first, it looks like writing HTML again, but it’s really part of your JavaScript logic.

<h1>Hello, React!</h1>

This makes building UIs feel natural while keeping all the interactivity and logic in one place. It’s a great bridge between what I already knew about HTML/CSS and the new concepts in React.

Rediscovering Front-End Development

React has reminded me why I enjoy front-end development so much. There’s something satisfying about seeing code immediately transform into something visual. Even the simplest components, like a button or a small form, feel rewarding because I can see the output instantly in the browser.

Building on What I Know

Everything I’ve learned with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is useful in React. Understanding the basics helps me grasp JSX, style components, and work with state and props for interactivity.

I’m still figuring out how components communicate and how data flows across an app, but I know it will become clearer as I build more.

Tools & Early Projects

So far, I’ve been using Vite to set up React projects. It’s fast, lightweight, and lets me focus on learning React instead of fighting with configuration. My first projects are tiny experiments — a few interactive components here and there — but it’s already helping me understand React’s approach to building UIs.

Looking Ahead

This post is more of a checkpoint than a showcase. I’m excited to continue experimenting with React, creating small projects, and seeing how components, state, and props come together in larger applications.

React is opening a new chapter in my coding journey, and I can’t wait to share more as I learn.