Apps have become a critical part of (almost) every online business.
In fact, some experts even say that an app is your business’ virtual identity.
And it’s for this reason online business owners are now becoming more and more cautious when it comes to choosing the correct technology and hiring the right developers for their project development.
JavaScript, for example, is one such technology that has gained massive popularity in the last few years.
According to StackOverflow, JavaScript has been the most commonly used programming language for the past eight years in a row.
Not only that but out of 1.9 billion+ websites on the world wide web, 96.7% of them use JavaScript.
React.js, a member of the JavaScript family, is the most widely used JavaScript framework around the world.
It has helped hundreds of thousands of startups, small-to-medium businesses, and large organizations build modern, user-friendly, and optimal applications.
Now, if you’ve already decided to utilize React.js for your next app development project, you’ve 100% made the right choice.
However, it is equally important to find & hire the best React.js developers to realize your vision.
And unfortunately, hiring the best React.js developers is one of the most arduous tasks to accomplish, especially if you’re not a technically sound person.
So, to help you learn how to hire talented React.js developers, we’ve come up with 10 tips for you to remember when you’re scouting for the React.js talent in the market.
In this post, we’ve explained everything you need to know about React.js to hire best React.js developers for your upcoming project including:
- What is React and Why Is It Popular?
- Which Companies Use React?
- Roles & Responsibilities of a React Developer
- What Makes a Skillful React Developer?
- How We Help Companies Onboard React.js Developers & Ensure Project Success?
So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump right in!
What is React and Why Is It Popular?
Built & Maintained by Facebook, React is an open-source JavaScript library that helps developers build fast, interactive, & reusable UI components for web as well as mobile applications.
It is mainly popular for its flexibility, speed, simplicity, and the ability to build applications in which the data is dynamic within the view and changes without reloading a page.
According to Stateofjs & StackOverflow data, React.js is the most used JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
In a nutshell, React.js makes it easy to build UI components, SEO-friendly web apps, and accelerate the performance of resource-intensive applications.
Which Companies Use React?
Facebook, Netflix, Uber are only some of the famous applications that are built using React. Today, there are more than 100,000 websites and 9.750 renowned companies that use React.
Let’s look at which other global companies use React & learn about their experience:
Airbnb – The main reason Airbnb decided to utilize React is component reusability. And ever since, the company’s developers have actively contributed to the further development of the entire React ecosystem.
Dropbox – Since 2012, Dropbox engineers were trying to improve its service across the world. In 2016, the company finally adopted React with a combination of other JS tools and instantly witnessed a quicker and smoother operation across all browsers.
Codeacademy – The global online education platform adopted React for its SEO-friendliness, flexibility, and ease of use. After witnessing its benefits, the company admitted that React is indeed great for frontend & UI development.
5 Reasons to Use React.js For Web Application Development
With over 100,000 websites using React.js, there must be a good reason for it.
Turns out, there isn’t just one but many reasons to use React.js.
Here are the 5 key reasons why you should use React.js for your web application development.
Less Development Time – React.js lets you break your web app project into several separate components and helps to write modular & clean code. This, in turn, allows you to reuse code, resulting in less total development time & more developer productivity.
Easy to Maintain – Unlike other programming languages, React.js code is far easier to maintain and even update, thanks to its modular structure. Additionally, React is also supremely flexible and can be easily scaled, saving you a significant amount of both time & money.
SEO Friendly – Thanks to its fast backend rendering, React.js web apps are better optimized for search engines, improving the chances of ranking higher and delivering a better overall user experience.
Rich Toolset – Because React.js is open-source, it has a rich ecosystem and comes with powerful tools such as Redux or Flux, npm, and Node.js as its backend.
Huge Community – Built initially by Facebook, React.js is still maintained & supported by the company as well as 1,000+ independent contributors. Because of such solid corporate support & a strong community, React.js is 100% reliable.
While these are just a couple of brief reasons to use React.js, if you’re looking for in-depth information on why use React.js, we’ve written a comprehensive post on The Benefits of ReactJS And Reasons To Choose It For Your Project that we strongly recommend reading.
What Exactly Does A React Developer Do? – Roles & Responsibilities of a React Developer
Now that you’re well aware of the true potential of React.js, it’s time to move forward and learn about what exactly does React developers do.
Following are the primary roles & responsibilities of React.js developers.
- Write quality UI code based on wireframes and mock designs.
- Improve app performance by observing code constantly.
- Create and optimize reusable & future-proof UI components & make them cross-compatible.
- Write clean, concise, and modern UI code that utilizes all stylesheets, CSS-preprocessors including LESS/SASS, and JavaScript features.
- Design a scalable app architecture & APIs to support it.
- Manage app’s state and functional libraries effectively for creating asynchronous API calls.
- Derive data from asynchronous API calls using React workflows such as Context APIs & Redux.
- Perform an extensive Quality Assurance process that includes unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing.
- Build any additional required plug-ins for optimal app maintenance.
- Manifest client’s vision into an app via software app development.
- Deliver a performant application that works on various OS, devices, and resolutions.
What Makes a Skillful React Developer? – 10 Tips to Consider For Hiring React Developers
React has all the necessary characteristics for building a high-performing web app.
But, it only works at its full potential if it’s being utilized by the right talent.
In simple words, you can only enjoy the full benefits of using React if you’ve hired the best React developers.
Below are the 10 simple tips we highly recommend keeping in mind to know what to look for when selecting a React.js developer for hire.
1. They have the Required Technical Skills
Before you reach out to hire React.js developers, you should have a thorough idea of which skills an ideal React.js developer must possess for effectively building your project.
Below, we’ve listed 5 primary technical skills that one should look for in a React.js developer.
HTML/CSS – React.js is a frontend development library. So, HTML & CSS are the very basic skills that are required in an ideal React.js candidate. Focus on hiring a React.js developer who is proficient in advanced HTML & CSS Tools, and can easily build enticing user interfaces that maximize engagement.
JavaScript – Though it’s obvious but there are many developers who only possess a basic understanding of JavaScript. What you need is someone with a solid knowledge of JavaScript as well as hands-on experience & a proven track record of building successful JavaScript projects.
React Core Concepts – An ideal React.js candidate must have a solid grasp of all React core concepts such as props, React hooks, JSX, component lifecycle methods, virtual DOM, and class & function components. These concepts are critical for programming a reliable React application.
Style – Your React.js developer should be able to utilize an appropriate programming style for maximum clarity, readability, and consistency.
Testing Tools – Ask your prospective React.js candidate which React testing frameworks & tools are essential for identifying as well as eliminating bugs & other flaws from your project. Their answer should include Redux, Sentry, ESLint, etc.
Optimization – Before signing the agreement, one other thing you need to make sure is that your React.js developer knows how to properly optimize your application’s performance before launch. Optimization goes beyond just coding skills – your developer must have a grasp of the purpose of your application, its end-users, and any other specific requirements of yours.
2. They’re Proficient in JavaScript & ECMA Script
Apart from the technical skills listed above, it is necessary to hire dedicated React js app programmers who have a strong command over all JavaScript features, operations, and syntax. Furthermore, they must also have a proper understanding of hoisting, DOM manipulation, JS scopes, functions, and prototypal inheritance.
Additionally, ECMA Script also plays a crucial role in developing React applications. The ECMA Script basically helps to write single-line code and/or simplify JavaScript code via Deconstructing feature. So, React.js developers who are proficient in JavaScript & ECMA Script will be advantageous.
3. They’re Expert in Adjacent Technologies
Being an expert in a single technology or framework is not sufficient for a React.js developer. He/she must also be competent in working with multiple technologies as well as frameworks that are compatible with React.
For starters, a backend platform or framework is necessary for hosting a React.js application. And the best platforms/frameworks that work perfectly well with React are Ruby on Rails, Laravel, and Django to name a few.
So, knowledge of these backend technologies is definitely required in an ideal React.js developer.
In addition to this, your prospective React.js candidate should have hands-on experience in MERN (MongoDB, Express JS, React JS, Node JS) Stack as it is the most preferred for developing Fullstack JavaScript apps nowadays.
In a nutshell, the React.js developer that you hire must have extensive knowledge as well as experience in adjacent technologies to build a scalable & reliable React.js application.
4. They Can Plan Tasks & Sprints Efficiently
Whether your hired React.js developer is going to work under your project management supervisor or not, he/she should have the ability to plan his/her own tasks and stick to the deadline agreed upon.
In simple words, it’s critical to hire an offshore Reactjs developer who is competent in sprint planning. Furthermore, he/she should have experience in task management software to measure & share the progress of sprints.
5. They Have a Basic Understanding of Testing Tools and Frameworks
Testing is an essential skill for React.js developers. Today, there are many testing tools as well as frameworks available in the market to perform different kinds of testings such as unit testing, integration testing, end-to-end testing, etc.
However, you should prioritize hiring React.js developers who have knowledge of using the following testing tools & frameworks:
Unit Testing Tools/Frameworks – Sinon, Chai, Jest, Tape, Mocha, Enzyme
Integration Testing Tools/Frameworks – Karma
End-to-End Testing Tools/Frameworks – Cucumber.js, Nightwatch.js, Selenium, Cypress
All the tools and frameworks listed above are best for preventing mistakes and writing good quality code when building a React application.
6. They’re well-versed with JavaScript Build Tools
When developing a React application, several software packages will be required to install along with tools for managing dependencies, running the development server, optimizing assets for performance, and more.
Put another way, a React developer will be required to use multiple JavaScript build tools for extending the React library.
Following are the most widely-used JavaScript Build Tools that a React.js developer must be well-versed with:
NPM – NPM is basically a dependency cloud storage that lets React.js developers download & install software packages from the npm registry.
Webpack – Webpack is a JavaScript module builder for creating dependency graphs and combining all resources in one file.
Yarn – Yarn is a package manager that is extremely useful for installing software packages, managing dependencies, and optimizing npm workflows in a React application.
7. They’ve Hands-On Experience in Using Version Control Systems
If you’re planning to build a complex React application that requires multiple proficient developers working collaboratively, using a reliable version control system is necessary to streamline the development process.
In such cases, it is strongly recommended to assemble a talented team of Reactjs developers who are experienced in working with version control systems.
It just helps to review code, compare old-new code, and undo mistakes a lot faster, simpler, and easier.
There are many popular version control systems available to choose from like Git, TFS, and SVN to mention a few.
8. They’ve In-depth Knowledge of Styling Strategies & React Fundamentals
React is a massive ecosystem with countless reusable components. Therefore, you need to hire a React.js developer who has in-depth knowledge of React fundamentals & popular styling strategies.
More importantly, he/she must be well-versed with Create React App – a tool that is specifically designed to help React developers build a foundation for React.js development with all default tools required in the beginning.
As far as the React fundamentals are concerned, you should look for a React developer for hire who is competent in third-party tools to complement React libraries.
As for the Styling, your React.js developer should have sufficient knowledge of React components, CSS strategies, and external styling libraries to build rich & interactive user interfaces.
Below are some of the important CSS styling techniques to style React components:
JSS – JSS is a CSS authoring tool to write style in a conflict-free, declarative, and reusable way.
CSS-In-JS – It is basically a popular technique for styling React components using JavaScript that will be implemented via the style-components React library.
CSS Frameworks – Frameworks like MaterialUI & Bootstrap will help to make React development process easy and fast.
CSS Preprocessors – To best style your React components, utilize LESS, SCSS, and SASS. These CSS preprocessors follow the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” coding principle.
9. They Can Easily Manage React Workflows
When it comes to front-end development, state management is the single biggest challenge majority of React developers encounter, especially in complex React applications.
This is why we recommend hiring React developers who have experience working with ReactJS workflows.
Particularly, find candidates who are capable of state management libraries like Context API, Redux, and Mobx.
These are the primary & most popular libraries for synchronizing the state of a React application across all its components.
10. They’ve Developed Excellent Interpersonal Skills
In addition to the above-mentioned criteria, finalize a candidate who has developed excellent interpersonal skills which includes:
Effective Communication – Miscommunication is often the hidden culprit that usually disrupts smooth development workflows and delays the project. So ideally, prioritize hiring a developer with good verbal as well as written communication skills and make regular communication a key requirement.
Critical Thinking – In every project, there comes a time when solutions to some problems cannot be found in handbooks. At these times, developers with good critical thinking skills can be a big advantage as they can easily come up with unique and creative solutions.
Teamwork – Application development is a team effort. Therefore, you should want to hire qualified React developers who are ready to distribute the workload.
Open-Minded – A professional developer understands how to accept constructive feedback without feeling insulted. It’s a good-to-have skill for avoiding making costly mistakes & ensuring critical issues are resolved without conflicts.
How We Help Companies Onboard React Developers & Ensure Project Success?
Based on what you read, you now probably know that finding & hiring React.js developers is a tedious and extremely time-consuming job, especially when you don’t have the right connections.
Fortunately, we can get you the best React.js developers in the market as per your terms and within your budget.
Here’s how we help people like you to onboard the very best React.js talent and ensure your project success from start to end.
Define Business Objectives
When you partner with Peerbits to hire dedicated React.js developers, we kick off your project with extensive conference meetings to understand your vision, goals, and based on that, we define business objectives.
Create a Project Development Roadmap
After agreeing on the established business objectives, we move forward to create a comprehensive project development roadmap to help you understand how exactly your app will turn into reality.
Assemble a Dedicated Team
Based on the project development roadmap, we help you assemble a dedicated team of ReactJS programmers who will work on your project development from beginning to launch.
Provide Resources & Infrastructure
As soon as we assemble a dedicated team of React.js developers, we provide them with all the required resources and a world-class infrastructure that offers a smooth & productive work environment to build your project.
Regular Knowledge Transfer Sessions
Throughout the project development, we conduct regular sessions for knowledge transfer so that you’re up-to-date with every technical detail of your project.
Daily & Weekly Standup Meetings
In addition to the regular knowledge transfer sessions, we also schedule daily as well as weekly standup meetings for daily tasks updates, report project progress, and perform live demos to gather your feedback.
Implement Changes/Improvements Based on Feedback
Post standup meetings, our team will implement all changes as well as improvements suggested by you to fulfill your smallest requirements.
Quality Assurance Testing
Along with changes & improvements, our team of React.js developers will constantly perform different testing procedures to identify and eliminate all bugs from your project & ensure that everything in your application works smoothly after launch.
Project Delivery & Launch
Once the project is successfully developed, our team prepares everything for the project delivery where the application will be shifted from the test server to your live server with proper optimization.
Post-Launch Support
After helping you successfully launch your React.js application, we will provide you post-launch support where our developers will monitor your app performance and ensure it serves your end-users in the best way possible.
Summary
We hope that you found this post helpful and you now know everything you need for hiring the best possible React.js developers.
If you still have any questions or doubts regarding anything mentioned in this post, feel free to comment your questions below.
And if you need our professional assistance with React.js Development, we would be happy to help!
