What are React fragments used for?

Experience Level: Junior
Tags: React

Answer

React fragments are used to group a list of children elements without adding an extra node to the DOM. They are a way to return multiple elements from a component's render method. Fragments are useful when we want to return a list of elements, but we don't want to add an extra node to the DOM. This is because React requires that a component's render method returns a single node. For example, let's say we have a component that returns a list of items. We could use a fragment to group the list items without adding an extra node to the DOM. Here's an example:

function ItemList() {
  return (
    <>
      <li>Item 1</li>
      <li>Item 2</li>
      <li>Item 3</li>
    </>
  );
}
In this example, we're using an empty fragment to group the list items. This will return a list of three items without adding an extra node to the DOM. Fragments can also be useful when we're rendering a list of components. In this case, we can use a fragment to group the components without adding an extra node to the DOM. Here's an example:

function ItemList() {
  const items = ['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3'];

  return (
    <>
      {items.map(item => (
        <Item key={item} item={item} />
      ))}
    </>
  );
}

function Item({ item }) {
  return <li>{item}</li>;
}
In this example, we're using a fragment to group the list of `Item` components. This will return a list of three `Item` components without adding an extra node to the DOM.
React for beginners
React for beginners

Are you learning React ? Try our test we designed to help you progress faster.

Test yourself