React uses a virtual representation of the UI through "Elements". But what exactly is a React Element? Let's take a look under the hood!

When you write JSX like this:

const element = (
    <div className="greeting">
        Hello React!
    </div>
);

What you're actually creating is a plain JavaScript object:

const element = {
  $$typeof: Symbol.for('react.element'),
  type: 'div',
  props: {
    className: 'greeting',
    children: 'Hello React!'
  },
  key: null,
  ref: null
};

This simple object structure is at the core of how React works. These Elements can be nested to create complex UI structures:

const element = (
    <div>
        <h1>Title</h1>
        <p>Content</p>
    </div>
);

Becomes:

{
  type: 'div',
  props: {
    children: [
      {
        type: 'h1',
        props: { children: 'Title' }
      },
      {
        type: 'p',
        props: { children: 'Content' }
      }
    ]
  }
}

This is just a glimpse into React Elements. In our complete guide, we explore:

• The detailed structure of React Elements
• How JSX gets transformed into these objects
• The reconciliation process that compares Elements
• How React uses this structure to efficiently update the DOM

Ready to master React Elements? Read the full article here: https://www.56kode.com/posts/level-up-react-deep-dive-into-react-elements/