Radium vs styled-components: What are the differences?

Introduction: In the world of styling in React applications, two popular libraries that are often compared are Radium and styled-components. Both libraries offer different approaches to styling components in React.

1. Performance: Radium modifies the style of components directly, which can impact performance, especially in larger applications with many components. On the other hand, styled-components use a different approach by generating unique class names for each style, reducing the impact on performance.

2. Syntax: Radium relies on JavaScript objects to define styles and uses inline styles, which can sometimes be challenging to maintain and read. In contrast, styled-components use a CSS-like syntax within JavaScript code, making it easier to read and maintain styles.

3. Theming: styled-components provide built-in support for theming, allowing you to define and use themes within your components easily. Radium, on the other hand, does not have built-in theming support, requiring you to implement custom solutions for theming.

4. Server-Side Rendering: styled-components have better support for server-side rendering out of the box, making it easier to create server-rendered styles. Radium, while possible to use with server-side rendering, may require some additional configuration and setup.

5. Dynamic Styling: styled-components make it easier to style components dynamically based on props or state, thanks to its ability to use JavaScript expressions within styles. Radium, while possible to achieve dynamic styling, may require more complex handling and setup.

6. Global Styles: styled-components provide a straightforward way to define global styles that apply to the entire application, which can be useful for setting consistent styles across components. Radium, on the other hand, does not have built-in support for global styles, requiring alternate approaches for achieving this functionality.

In Summary, Radium and styled-components offer different approaches to styling components in React, with distinctions in performance, syntax, theming, server-side rendering, dynamic styling, and global styles.