React JS Learning Path

A comprehensive roadmap to build modern user interfaces with the most popular JavaScript library.

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Phase Main Topic Content & Tools Product Goal
1 Web Foundations
  • HTML, CSS, JavaScript
  • ES6+ (Modern JavaScript)
  • TypeScript
 Create a simple static website using modern HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
2 Development Tools
  • Package Manager (npm/yarn)
  • Build Tools (Vite/CRA)
  • Version Control (Git)
 Set up a new project using Vite and use Git for version control.
3 React - Fundamentals
  • JSX - JavaScript XML
  • Components (Function vs. Class)
  • Props & State
  • Conditional Rendering, Lists & Keys
 Build a basic React component that displays data using props and manages its own state.
4 Hooks & Component Lifecycle
  • useState, useEffect
  • useContext, useReducer
  • Creating Custom Hooks
 Refactor a class component into a functional component using `useState` and `useEffect`.
5 Global State Management
  • Context API
  • Redux (with Redux Toolkit)
  • Zustand / Jotai
 Create a small application that shares state between multiple components using the Context API.
6 Routing & API Interaction
  • React Router
  • API Calls (Fetch/Axios)
  • React Query / SWR
 Build a multi-page application using React Router and fetch data from a public API.
7 Testing
  • Jest
  • React Testing Library
  • Cypress / Playwright
 Write unit tests for a React component to ensure it renders correctly.
8 Optimization & Ecosystem
  • Performance Optimization
  • UI Component Libraries
  • Next.js
 Optimize a React application and explore a component library like Material-UI.

Core Mindsets for React Developers

1. Think in Components

Break down the UI into independent, reusable components. Each component has a single responsibility and manages its own state.

2. One-Way Data Flow

Data flows down from parent to child components via props. This makes the application more predictable, easier to debug, and maintain.

3. State is the Single Source of Truth

The UI is a function of the state. Change the state, and React will automatically update the UI. Focus on managing state effectively.

4. Declarative, Not Imperative

Describe what the UI *should* look like for any given state, and let React do the rest. Don't manipulate the DOM directly.