Web Development
Updated: Oct 28, 2024

What’s New in React 19: The Latest Features and Updates

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Vatsal works as a Software Engineer with 2.5 years of experience. He thrives in Radixweb by utilizing his extensive knowledge in ReactJS, NodeJS, CMS, and other technologies.
All About React 19 Release

Quick Overview: Discover the latest in web development with our blog on Introduction to React 19 Beta! Explore how React 19 revolutionizes coding with its new tools like the React Compiler, Actions API, and enhanced Hooks. Dive into the world of React 19 and stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of web development.

It’s been a long time since some new technology or framework has released its newest version for web development. But now the wait is over because it’s React time.

React 19 released on April 25, 2024, improving the development process and optimizing web app performance. React 19, the latest version of Meta’s JavaScript library for rendering user interfaces has officially landed on npm and is now available in beta for every developer.

React's latest version, 18.2.0, was launched on June 14, 2022, marking a significant milestone in front-end development. The infrequency of updates for such a widely used technology is uncommon in this fast-paced field. Consequently, specific influential figures within the community have expressed dissatisfaction with this slow pace of progression.

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The future of React is both thrilling and promising. In a nutshell, if we had to summarize, then it would be: "Write Less, Do More."

In this article, we'll spotlight the top revolutionary features of React 19. Join us as we delve into these game-changing advancements, uncover how they can boost your development process, and explore effortless adoption techniques.

On This Page
  1. Introduction to React 19
  2. New Features in React 19
  3. React Compiler
  4. Actions
  5. Server Components
  6. Web Components
  7. Asset Loading
  8. Document Metadata
  9. Enhanced Hooks
  10. Additional Features in React.js 19
  11. How to Upgrade to React 19
  12. Embrace React 19 Now

Introduction to React 19

React 19 Beta is now available on npm, which was released on April 25, 2024!

React 19 marks the latest significant update to the widely used React JavaScript library, renowned for crafting dynamic user interfaces. This iteration expands upon the foundation laid by its existing React codebase, introducing fresh functionalities and enhancements. While prioritizing continuity, React 19 integrates several robust features to streamline web development processes and enhance performance.

React 19 revolutionizes front-end development with its array of innovative features, making it a game-changer in the field. From optimized concurrent rendering to inventive state-handling mechanisms, React 19 elevates both performance and developer productivity.

Here, we will explore these cutting-edge additions, offering insights into their profound impact on dynamic user interface development.

Whether you're a seasoned React developer or just getting started with the framework, grasping the advancements of React 19 is essential for staying abreast of modern web development trends.

Note: As per the message from the official, this beta release is for libraries to prepare for React 19. App developers should upgrade to 18.3.0 and wait for React 19 stable as React team works with libraries and makes changes based on feedback.

The React team always listens when the community speaks up about its need for new features and enhancements.

New Features in React 19

Here are some interesting features that React v19 Beta has:

  • React Compiler
  • Actions
  • Server Components
  • Asset Loading
  • Document Metadata
  • Web Components
  • Enhanced Hooks

React 19 is set to address a longstanding challenge within React: the issue of excessive re-rendering. In fact, developers have given their extensive time to tackling this issue, often resulting in performance concerns.

Let’s explore major updates and new features of ReactJS 19 in detail here:

React Compiler

The React compiler is a game-changer. This feature converts React code to plain JavaScipt, significantly improving startup performance – up to twice as fast. It’s like giving you code to a turbocharge. This significant shift alters how React handles components behind the scenes.

React will now automatically determine how and when to modify the state and refresh the UI. This alleviates the need for manual intervention from developers. Consequently, there's no longer a requirement to utilize useMemo(), useCallback(), and memo.

The compiler is currently operational on Instagram.com and is slated for broader integration across Meta's platforms, with intentions for an open-source rollout.

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Actions

In React JS 19 version, Actions represent a modern approach for handling elements like forms on your website. They allow you to seamlessly update your page's content upon form submission, eliminating unnecessary intricacies. This functionality proves immensely advantageous in preserving a smooth and simple user experience.

Actions empower you to seamlessly incorporate actions with the HTML <form/> tag. Simply, you can substitute the onSubmit event with Actions. These actions function as HTML form attributes.

Before Actions

In the following code snippet, we'll use the onSubmit React event to execute the search method when the form is submitted. However, it's crucial to understand that presently, the search method operates exclusively on the client-side. Here, the options for form submission are limited to React events, thus preventing the execution of the search on the server side.

<form onSubmit={search}>

<input name="query" />

<button type="submit">Search</button>

</form>

After Actions

With the introduction of server components in React v19, Actions gain the ability to execute on the server side.

In our JSX, we can drop the onSubmit event with <form/> and instead utilize the action attribute. This attribute's value can be used to submit data either on the client or server side.

Actions enable the execution of both synchronous and asynchronous operations, simplifying data submission management and state updates. The aim is to streamline form handling and data management.

Let's delve into an example to illustrate this concept:

"use server"

const submitData = async (userData) => {

const newUser = {

username: userData.get('username'),

email: userData.get('email')

}

console.log(newUser)

}

const Form = () => {

return <form action={submitData}>

<div>

<label>Name</label>

<input type="text" name='username'/>

</div>

<div>

<label>Name</label>

<input type="text" name="email" />

</div>

<button type='submit'>Submit</button>

</form>

}

export default Form;

In the provided code snippet, submitData is the server component's action. Meanwhile, the form component, residing on the client side, utilizes submitData as its action. This setup allows submitData to execute on the server. The interaction between the client (form) and server (submitData) components is facilitated solely by the action attribute.

Server Components

React server components execute their operations on the server prior to delivering the final page to the user. As a result, it provides faster website loading speed, improving search engine performance and smoother data handling.

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Web Components

Web components empower you to create custom elements utilizing native HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, seamlessly integrating them into your web applications as if they were standard HTML tags.

Isn’t is amazing?

Web Components have been improved with the latest release of React 19.

In fact, integrating web components into React poses challenges. Usually, you must either convert the web component to a React component or install additional packages and write extra code to enable web components to function with React. This process can be cumbersome and frustrating.

Fortunately, React 19 aims to simplify the integration of web components into your React code. This functionality brings many new possibilities for using React in many spectrums that were previously challenging to implement.

With this update, if you encounter a particularly useful web component like a carousel, you can effortlessly include it in your React projects without converting it into React code.

This streamlines the development process and lets you tap into the extensive ecosystem of pre-existing web components for your React applications.

Asset Loading

The latest feature of React 19 enables the preparation of your images and files. It initiates their loading in the background while users navigate the current page, resulting in reduced waiting times during transitions to new pages.

Moreover, React 19 introduces lifecycle Suspense for loading assets, such as scripts, stylesheets, and fonts. This functionality allows React to ascertain when content is ready for display, effectively eliminating any "unstyled" flickering.

React 19 introduces new Resource Loading APIs, such as preload and preinit, offering enhanced control over when resources should load and initialize.

By enabling assets to load asynchronously in the background, React 19 reduces waiting times and ensures uninterrupted user interaction with the content. This optimization not only boosts the performance of React applications but also enhances the overall browsing experience for users.

Document Metadata

React 19 offers a new feature – a new component, <DocumentHead>, designed to streamline the addition of titles and meta tags to your webpages. This feature facilitates enhanced SEO practices and fosters brand consistency across your website, all without the necessity of duplicating code in numerous locations.

Enhanced Hooks

The latest release of React – React v19 brings enhanced Hooks functionality, offering greater flexibility in controlling when your code executes and updates. This leads to smoother website performance and simplifies the coding process.

React 19 offers numerous improvements that streamline the web development process. From faster code execution facilitated by the new compiler to simplified approaches for managing forms and loading content, there are various reasons to be excited about these updates.

Additional Features in React.js 19

Here are some additional features that ReactJS 19 offers to make your web development smoother and hassle-free.

  • A new API – use, is introduced to read resources in render.
  • Error reporting for hydration errors in react-dom has been improved.
  • Async scripts can be rendered anywhere in a component tree, providing better support.
  • To create experiences that are not hampered by inefficient resource loading, APIs are available for loading and preloading browser resources.
  • Third-party scripts and browser extensions are now considered in the updated hydration system.
  • Error handling has been enhanced to reduce redundancy and offer choices for handling both captured and uncaught mistakes.
  • Support is being added for the native rendering of document metadata tags in components.
  • It is possible to render <Context> as a provider rather than <Context.Provider>.
  • Ref callbacks can return functions for cleanup.
  • To useDeferredValue, an initialValue option has been added.

So, was React v19.0 able to impress you? I guess it has improved a lot compared to its previous version, React v18.

How to Upgrade to React 19

The launch of React 19 introduced several upgrades to the core API, affecting both server-side rendering and client-side application code. However, this article has only highlighted some of the key features. For those considering an upgrade to React 19, the official Upgrade Guide by React offers comprehensive details.

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Embrace React 19 NowReact 19 Beta is here to streamline website and app development. With emerging tools like the React Compiler, Actions API, and enhanced Hooks, coding becomes more efficient and simplifies data management. This React19 update also optimizes app performance, resulting in smoother user experiences and faster loading times, benefiting users and search engines.In fact, React 19 empowers front end developers to build high-performing web applications, helping enterprises to embrace innovative and interactive websites and applications. As more people embrace it, we can look forward to an exciting transformation in the digital realm.If you're wondering whether to upgrade to React 19, our answer is a YES. This isn't just a major release; it's a game-changer, and the React team has put in significant effort to ensure a seamless transition. On top of it, as a renowned ReactJS development company, we can surely help you with this upgradation services and migration to React 19.Contact us to update your existing web application to the latest React.js version and avail the potential benefits.

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Vatsal Parmar

Vatsal Parmar

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About the Author

Vatsal Parmar is a versatile Software Engineer with a passion for creating dynamic and user-friendly web applications. With expertise in React.js, Node.js, Zoho, graphQL, MongoDB, TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, Vatsal combines technical prowess with creative problem-solving skills. Whether it's developing intuitive user interfaces or optimizing backend processes, Vatsal's dedication and attention to detail makes him an invaluable asset to our software development team.