Bundle size<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Around 3kB<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Significantly larger with ReactDOM<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>Performance<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Fast startup and lower browser overhead<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Strong runtime performance with a larger footprint<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>API style<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Very similar to React<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Standard React API<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>JSX support<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Yes<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Yes<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>Hooks support<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Yes<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Yes<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>Ecosystem size<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Smaller ecosystem<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Large ecosystem with extensive libraries<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>Compatibility<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Supports many React libraries through preact\/compat<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Native support across the React ecosystem<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>Learning curve<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Easy for React developers<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Widely taught and documented<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>Best use cases<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Lightweight apps, PWAs, mobile-focused sites, performance-sensitive projects<\/span><\/p><\/td>
Large applications, enterprise platforms, advanced tooling workflows<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>Choose Preact when loading speed and small bundle sizes are top priorities. A marketing site, embedded widget, ecommerce storefront, or mobile-first application benefits from reduced JavaScript overhead and faster rendering.<\/p>
Choose React when your project depends on advanced third-party libraries, large development teams, complex state management systems, or enterprise-level tooling. <\/p>
React’s ecosystem gives teams more flexibility for long-term scaling and integration-heavy applications.<\/p>
Preact key features<\/h2> Preact combines fast rendering, reusable components, React-compatible APIs, and modern front-end tooling in a small JavaScript library. <\/p>
Developers use Preact to build interactive interfaces with lower browser overhead and smaller bundle sizes than many larger front-end libraries.<\/p>
Lightweight virtual DOM<\/h3> The virtual DOM is a lightweight JavaScript representation of the user interface. Instead of changing the browser page structure directly after every update, Preact first creates and updates this virtual representation in memory.<\/p>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure><\/div>Browsers require more work to update the real DOM because each change affects rendering, layout calculation, and visual painting on the page. <\/p>
Direct DOM manipulation becomes slower as interfaces grow more complex. Preact reduces that overhead by comparing lightweight JavaScript objects before applying updates to the browser.<\/p>
Preact stores the interface structure in memory and tracks changes there first. A button click, cart update, or search filter change updates the virtual DOM instead of rebuilding the entire page structure immediately. <\/p>
Smaller calculations inside memory execute faster than repeated browser DOM operations.<\/p>
Efficient rendering<\/h3> Preact renders interface updates through a process called diffing. Diffing compares the previous virtual DOM tree with the updated version after data changes.<\/p>
The comparison process identifies exactly which elements changed between renders. If a user updates the quantity of a single product in a shopping cart, Preact updates only the related number and price instead of re-rendering the entire page.<\/p>
Selective updates reduce unnecessary browser work and improve rendering speed. Smaller DOM updates also help maintain responsive interfaces during animations, filtering actions, form input, and other interactive behavior.<\/p>
Efficient rendering becomes more noticeable in interfaces that frequently update. Dashboards, search results, notifications, and live data feeds benefit from faster update cycles because the browser processes fewer changes at once.<\/p>
Functional components<\/h3> Preact applications are built from reusable functional components written with JavaScript and JSX. A functional component is a JavaScript function that returns part of the user interface.<\/p>
Components help developers organize interfaces into smaller, reusable sections. Navigation menus, login forms, buttons, product cards, and search bars can each exist as separate components with their own structure and behavior.<\/p>
JSX allows developers to describe interface structure directly inside JavaScript code. HTML-like syntax inside components makes layouts easier to read and maintain because markup and rendering logic stay in the same place.<\/p>
Props allow components to receive dynamic data from other components. A product card component, for instance, can receive a product name, image, and price through props and render different products using the same reusable structure.<\/p>
Component composition helps developers combine smaller interface pieces into larger layouts. A product page can include separate components for navigation, filters, product listings, reviews, and checkout. <\/p>
Reusable architecture makes projects easier to scale and maintain over time.<\/p>
Hooks<\/h3> Hooks are functions that allow components to manage state, handle side effects, and control dynamic interface behavior. <\/p>
Hooks add application logic directly into functional components without requiring a separate class-based structure.<\/p>
State management allows components to store and update changing data. The useState<\/code> hook manages values for form inputs, counters, dropdown selections, and modal visibility. <\/p>A search field, for instance, can update results instantly as the user types.<\/p>
The useEffect<\/code> hook handles side effects and external operations. Developers use it to load API data, update the page after user actions, synchronize interface changes, or trigger browser events after rendering.<\/p>Hooks also help manage interactive behavior across the interface. Buttons can update counters, forms can validate input while users type, and product filters can refresh visible results immediately after selection changes.<\/p>
Preact supports familiar React hooks, including useState<\/code>, useEffect<\/code>, useMemo<\/code>, and useContext<\/code>.<\/p>Shared hook APIs simplify migration from React and reduce onboarding time for developers already familiar with React workflows.<\/p>
Compatibility with React libraries<\/h3> Preact supports many React libraries through preact\/compat<\/code>, a compatibility layer that maps React-style imports and APIs to Preact. <\/p>Developers can reuse large parts of existing React projects while reducing bundle size and browser overhead.<\/p>
Developers use preact\/compat<\/code> in the following ways:<\/p>
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