# Why Do React Elements Have a $$typeof Property?

DevFeed: [Why Do React Elements Have a $$typeof Property?](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/why-do-react-elements-have-a-typeof-property-36209.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://overreacted.io/why-do-react-elements-have-typeof-property/>)

Published: 2018-12-03T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Dan Abramov](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/dan-abramov.md>)

Topics: [React](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/react.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>), [Web Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/web-development.md>)

Tags: [code-reviews](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code-reviews.md>), [react](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/react.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains that React elements are objects returned by functions and examines the purpose of their $$typeof property. It also discusses React's default escaping of text content, the risks of rendering arbitrary HTML and user-controlled attributes, and the limits of React's protection against injection attacks.

## Source excerpt

It has something to do with security.