Functional programming is becoming increasingly popular in the JavaScript ecosystem. This was caused not only by the advent of libraries such as React and Redux, but also by the benefits the application of its principles brought. In my talk, I will argue that using these principles effectively in React applications has many benefits and it should be the preferred way over the more object-oriented alternatives. Using pure functions with immutable data structures will help you to write more readable, predictable and testable code without side effects. In the realm of React, you can achieve this by using the pure functional components, that receive data as input and return a view. I will show you how these components can be easily enhanced by other functionalities (internal state, lifecycle hooks etc.) using higher-order components. As a result you will see that you don’t need to use class components anymore.
At the end of my talk, I will show you how a developer can benefit from using this functional approach in React.