EJS vs React: What are the differences?

Both EJS and React are popular JavaScript frameworks used for web development. Let's explore the key differences between them.

1. Templating vs. Component-based: EJS is a templating engine that allows you to embed JavaScript code within HTML templates, whereas React is a component-based framework that builds reusable UI components. EJS focuses on generating HTML on the server-side, while React excels in creating dynamic and interactive user interfaces on the client-side.

2. Rendering: When using EJS, the templates are rendered on the server-side and the resulting HTML is sent to the client's browser. This means that the browser receives fully rendered HTML files from the server. In contrast, React updates and renders components on the client-side, allowing for more efficient rendering and the ability to build single-page applications.

3. Virtual DOM: React utilizes a virtual DOM, a lightweight representation of the actual DOM, to optimize the rendering process. When there are changes in the state or props of a React component, only the affected parts of the virtual DOM are updated and then efficiently reconciled with the actual DOM. This leads to a faster and more efficient rendering compared to traditional template engines like EJS.

4. Data Binding: EJS supports two-way data binding, which means that changes made to the model or view are automatically reflected in each other. React, however, uses a unidirectional data flow where data is passed from parent components to child components through props. In React, changes made to the child component's state do not automatically propagate to the parent component, ensuring a more controlled and predictable data flow.

5. Performance: React is known for its excellent performance due to its virtual DOM and efficient re-rendering strategy. With React, you can render only the necessary components and achieve a higher level of performance, especially when dealing with large and complex applications. EJS, on the other hand, may face performance issues when dealing with extensive server-side rendering and frequent page reloads.

6. Learning Curve: EJS has a relatively low learning curve, as it follows a more traditional templating approach similar to HTML and JavaScript. Developers familiar with HTML and JavaScript can easily start using EJS. React, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve due to its component-based architecture and the additional tools and concepts it introduces, such as JSX and the virtual DOM.

In summary, EJS is a server-side templating engine that focuses on generating HTML on the server and is suitable for simple web applications. React, on the other hand, is a powerful client-side framework that offers a component-based approach and a faster rendering mechanism through the use of a virtual DOM. React is more suitable for building dynamic and interactive user interfaces, especially in large-scale applications.