React Developer Tools

React Developer Tools

27 Jan 2025
Beginner
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11 min read
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React Developer Tools

Are you working with React and need a simple way to debug? React Developer Tools is a browser extension that helps you see and understand your app’s components, props, and states. It makes it easy to find and fix problems in your code. With React Developer Tools, you can check your app’s structure and test changes in real-time. This tool is perfect for students and developers who want to build better React apps quickly and easily.

In this React tutorial, let's find out some important React developer tools, including Why do you need React Developer Tools?, installation of React Developer Tools, and a lot more.

What are React Developer Tools?

React Developer Tools is a browser extension available for Chrome and Firefox that provides a suite of features to enhance the development experience with React. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the inspection and debugging of React components, allowing developers to understand the structure, props, and state of their components.

React Developer Tools allows developers to inspect and debug their React applications more efficiently. Developed by Facebook, this tool provides a set of helpful features to understand and manipulate the structure of React components in your application.

Why do we need React Developer Tools?

We use React developer tools for various reasons. let's understand this

  • Easier Debugging: It helps you spot and fix problems in your React app without stress.
  • See Components: You can view all your components and their details, making it easier to understand your app's structure.
  • Inspect Props and States: You can check how props and states change in real time, helping you catch mistakes early.
  • Test Changes: Make changes on the go and see how they affect your app, helping you learn and improve.
  • Faster Development: With better tools to understand and fix issues, you’ll be able to build apps faster and with fewer bugs.

How do we install React Developer Tools, and how do you use them?

Installing React Developer Tools is a straightforward process. You can find the extension on the Chrome Web Store or Mozilla Add-ons, depending on your browser. Once installed, the React tab should appear in your browser's developer tools.

Installation:

  • For Google Chrome, visit the Chrome Web Store and search for "React Developer Tools." Click "Add to Chrome" to install the extension.
  • For Mozilla Firefox, go to the Firefox Add-ons website and search for "React Developer Tools." Click "Add to Firefox" to install.

Usage:

To use React Developer Tools, open the developer tools by right-clicking on your web page and selecting "Inspect" or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+I (Mac). Then, navigate to the "React" tab to access a wealth of information about your React components.

Once a Component has been selected in this tab, its props and state can be seen and edited using the right-hand panel. You can examine the chosen component, its creator, the component that created the creator, and so on using the breadcrumbs feature at the bottom.

Read More - React Developer Salary in India

A List of React Developer Tools

React Developer Tools

1. Reacticide

The first integrated development environment (IDE) for creating web applications is called Reactide. Convenience is provided by this cross-platform desktop framework, which renders the react project instantly when opening a single React JSX file in the browser.

This means that you won't have to rely on pre-installed software and server settings thanks to an integrated Node Server and a customized browser emulator.

2. Storybook

Storybook is a user interface design tool (UI). It is used by developers to create, develop, and test user interface components, and it serves as both a UI component playground and a development environment.

Storybook enables developers to make use of the UI component development environment by allowing them to quickly test and display their work.

3. Bit

Bit is a CLI tool designed to address issues related to sharing React components. BIT facilitates the distribution and organization of user interface (UI) elements across team members. Deceased components can also be used anywhere they are needed.

4. Redux

Redux is one of the most popular state management libraries for large-scale React apps. Redux may make your application more predictable and is the best option for large-scale projects because of the community that has developed around it.

The developer tool, which makes it easy to examine when, why, and how the state of your application has changed, is another advantage of Redux.

5. Evergreen

Evergreen is a well-known React UI framework that comes with a ton of documentation out of the box. Evergreen offers a large range of readily available parts butpermits customization.

6. Create React App

Facebook developed a single command-line tool to assist developers quickly set up an environment for new React projects. Create React App optimizes the application for later production, provides a frontend build pipeline, and sets up the developer's environment. Developers can therefore avoid devoting time to configuration activities.

7. React Proto

The word "prototype" can be shortened to "proto." Developers can create an application architecture from the ground up with this tool. The application files required for additional development are provided by Proto, and developers begin with a visual design.

After that, it helps developers define states and attributes for ReactJS.React-proto is a useful tool if you're more interested in visual design than in code. Instead of writing code, you can utilize drag & drop to prototype user interfaces.

8. React Sight

Developers can see a visual depiction of the React app structure with this React tool. Installing the React Developer Tools for Chrome is a prerequisite for users. As a result, you also need to add it as a Chrome, which opens DevTools and adds a new "React Sight" panel. Redux and React Router are also supported by React Sight.

9. Rekit

Rekit is an all-in-one solution, a full toolkit made for state-of-the-art React applications. Rekit develops applications and offers Rekit Studio, a project management tool, to programmers. This utility includes tools to handle actions, components, pages, and reducers in addition to a handy command line interface.

10. Jest

Your go-to tool for ReactJS testing will be Jest. It's a testing framework for JavaScript developed by Facebook. It was designed to test the various parts of the development tools for React. It should be your first choice for testing React since it comes from the person who created the framework and is maintained and improved by the React community. It also works with TypeScript, Babel, Node, Angular, and Vue JS frameworks.

11. Material UI

Material UI is a popular React component library that follows Google's Material Design principles, making it easy to create beautiful and responsive user interfaces.

12. Belle

Belle is a collection of customizable, user-friendly React components. It allows programmers to import Button, Card & Select, ComboBox, Rating, TextInput, and Toggle components quickly into their code.

Summary

In conclusion, React Developer Tools is an essential resource for any React developer, whether you're just starting or have years of experience. By using React Developer Tools, you can easily inspect your components, props, and states to ensure your app works smoothly. With React Developer Tools, debugging becomes simpler, making your development process faster and more efficient.

Start your learning journey with our free technology courses and build practical skills to create amazing web apps. Take it further with our React certification training courses, and get ready for exciting career opportunities!

Further Read Articles
React Form Validations
Routing in React using React-Router
Hooks In React
Everything About React Functional Components

Practice with the following MCQs

Q 1: What are React Developer Tools used for?

  • (a) Debugging React apps
  • (b) Managing database connections
  • (c) Compiling React code
  • (d) Creating React components
Answer: (a) Debugging React apps

Explanation: React Developer Tools is a browser extension used for debugging and inspecting React applications, including component hierarchy, state, and props.

Q 2: Which of the following browsers support React Developer Tools?

  • (a) Google Chrome
  • (b) Mozilla Firefox
  • (c) Microsoft Edge
  • (d) All of the above
Answer: (d) All of the above

Explanation: React Developer Tools is available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge as browser extensions.

Q 3: Which of the following features can you inspect using React Developer Tools?

  • (a) Component hierarchy
  • (b) Component state and props
  • (c) Event handlers
  • (d) All of the above
Answer: (d) All of the above

Explanation: React Developer Tools allows you to inspect component hierarchy, state, props, and event handlers in React applications for better debugging and analysis.

Q 4: How can you open the React Developer Tools in the browser?

  • (a) Right-click and select "Inspect"
  • (b) Press F12 and go to "React" tab
  • (c) Use browser extension icon
  • (d) All of the above
Answer: (d) All of the above

Explanation: You can open React Developer Tools by right-clicking and selecting "Inspect", pressing F12 and navigating to the "React" tab, or by clicking on the browser extension icon.

Q 5: In React Developer Tools, which tab allows you to view the component tree?

  • (a) Components
  • (b) Profiler
  • (c) Network
  • (d) Console
Answer: (a) Components

Explanation: In React Developer Tools, the "Components" tab is where you can view the component tree, inspect the hierarchy, and interact with the individual components.

FAQs

React Developer Tools is a browser extension that assists developers in inspecting and debugging React applications by providing features to understand and manipulate the structure of React components.

Various tools are utilized in React development, including React Developer Tools, Storybook, Bit, React Cosmos, Evergreen, Create React App, React Proto, React Sight, React Testing Library, Cypress, Material UI, and Belle.

After installing the React Developer Tools extension in your browser, open the developer tools (right-click and select "Inspect" or use the keyboard shortcut). Navigate to the "React" tab to access the React Developer Tools features.

The choice of the best React debug tool depends on specific needs. React Developer Tools are widely used for inspecting and debugging React applications. However, tools like Reacticide, Storybook, Bit, and Redux offer additional functionalities for specific use cases. The best tool depends on your development requirements and preferences.

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About Author
Pranit Thakur (Technical Consultant and Corporate Trainer)

A passionate professional with over 12 years of experience in technical and corporate training. He is passionate about learning new technologies and sharing his experience with professionals. He is an expert in JavaScript technologies including React, Angular and Node.js.

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