New React Compiler: Optimizing Your React App

New React Compiler: Optimizing Your React App

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3 min read

Note: React Compiler is an experimental tool and is not yet fully ready for production use. This article introduces React Compiler, its features, installation, and usage with various build tools.

Introduction

React Compiler is an experimental build-time tool open-sourced by the React team to optimize React applications automatically. It works with plain JavaScript and understands the Rules of React, eliminating the need to rewrite any code. Although still in the experimental stage, React Compiler has been used in production at companies like Meta, and feedback from the community is encouraged to improve its stability and features.

Features

  • Automatic Optimization: The compiler deeply analyzes your code and applies automatic optimizations based on the Rules of React.

  • ESLint Plugin: An included eslint plugin provides real-time analysis feedback in your editor, ensuring code quality and adherence to React rules.

  • Optimization of Memoization: Manual memoization through useMemo, useCallback, and React.memo is automatically handled by the compiler, reducing the need for manual optimization efforts.

Should You Use the Compiler?

While the compiler can significantly improve performance by automatically optimizing your codebase, it's important to note that it's still experimental. Consider the health of your codebase and adherence to React rules before rolling it out to production. Starting with small experiments in your app can provide valuable feedback to enhance the compiler's stability and features.

Getting Started

To begin using React Compiler, you can follow these steps:

  1. Installation: Install the compiler using npm or yarn.

     npm install react-compiler@next
    
  2. Compatibility Check: Before integrating the compiler into your project, run a compatibility check to ensure your codebase is compatible.

     npx react-compiler-healthcheck
    
  3. Configuration: Configure the compiler to run on specific directories in your project.

     const ReactCompilerConfig = {
       sources: (filename) => {
         return filename.indexOf('src/path/to/dir') !== -1;
       },
     };
    
  4. Integrate with Build Tools: Integrate the compiler with your build tools, such as Babel, Vite, Next.js, and Webpack, to ensure it runs in your build pipeline.

Usage with Build Tools

  • Babel: Use the Babel plugin provided by the compiler in your Babel configuration.

  • Vite: Integrate the compiler with Vite using the vite-plugin-react plugin.

  • Next.js: Configure Babel for Next.js to include the compiler's Babel plugin.

  • Webpack: Create a custom loader for React Compiler in your Webpack configuration.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while using React Compiler, you can report them on the React Compiler Playground or the React GitHub repository. Additionally, joining the React Compiler Working Group allows you to provide feedback and suggestions for improving the compiler.

For more info:


By leveraging the power of React Compiler, you can automate the optimization of your React applications, improving performance and reducing manual optimization efforts. While still in the experimental stage, React Compiler shows promise in simplifying React development workflows and enhancing application performance.

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