# Integrating React and D3.js for Data Visualization

DevFeed: [Integrating React and D3.js for Data Visualization](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/playing-with-react-and-d3-21863.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://reactjsnews.com/playing-with-react-and-d3>)

Author: Zach Silveira

Published: 2016-04-21T17:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [ReactJS News](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/reactjs-news.md>)

Topics: [React](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/react.md>), [Data visualization](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data-visualization.md>), [JavaScript](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/javascript.md>), [User Interfaces](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/user-interfaces.md>), [Document Object Model (DOM)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/dom.md>), [Library](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/library.md>)

Tags: [d3](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/d3.md>), [d3-js](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/d3-js.md>), [data-visualization](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data-visualization.md>), [declarative](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/declarative.md>), [interfaces](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/interfaces.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [libraries](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/libraries.md>), [react](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/react.md>), [user-interfaces](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/user-interfaces.md>), [web-applications](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/web-applications.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial explains how React and D3.js can be used together for data visualization. It contrasts React's virtual DOM and reusable UI components with D3's direct DOM manipulation and data-focused utilities, and discusses React's role in building client-side interfaces.

## Source excerpt

D3 is great at data visualizations, but it manipulates the DOM directly to display that data. Rendering DOM elements is where React shines. It uses a virtual representation of the DOM (virtual DOM) and a super performant diffing algorithm in order to determine the fastest way to update the DOM. We want to leverage React's highly efficient, declarative, and reusable components with D3's data utility functions. At this point, we can safely say that React is the preferred JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is used practically everywhere and is almost as pervasive as jQuery. It has an API that is simple, powerful, and easy to learn. Its performance metrics are really impressive thanks to the Virtual DOM and its clever diff algorithm between state changes. Nothing, however, is perfect, and React too has its limitations. One of React's greatest strengths is the ease with which it integrate third-party libraries, but some libraries, especially opinionated ones, are more difficult to integrate than others. An extremely popular library that can be tricky to integrate with React is D3.js. D3 is an excellent data visualization library with a rich and powerful API. It is the gold standard of data visualizations. However, Because this library is opinionated about data, it is no trivial endeavour to get it to work with React. A few simple strategies permit these two libraries to work together in very powerful ways. Editor's Note: Check out our upcoming workshop, React and D3, a crash course in learning how to create data visualizations with these two in demand libraries. Reserve your spot now on Eventbrite and get 20% off admission. Learn more at the Eventbrite page What is React? React is an open-source JavaScript library for creating user interfaces that addresses the challenges of building large applications with data that changes over time. Originally developed at Facebook, it is now seen in many of the most commonly used web applications including Instagram,