[codelike]

That's one of the pros often mentioned about React. In practice, I haven't found it to be true so far. Once you start using React, you'll almost certainly have to use one the Flux implementations. So let's say you use Redux. Suddenly you also have Actions, Reducers and Stores that you have to learn. If you want to use Async Actions (which is very likely in a web application), you'll probably need Redux Thunk, so that's another concept to understand.

Then there's routing, which is not present in the React core, so you'll need a routing library as well. Again your API surface increases.

In the end, if you want to write a larger application with React, you'll often have a similar or even larger API surface than Angular. I can understand that some people prefer the conceptual model of React (with its focus on Components) over that of Angular. The claims about a smaller "API surface" have always felt wrong to me, though.

[barryhoodlum]

You don't "almost certainly" need Flux at all.

By coincidence Dan Abramov just posted this: https://medium.com/@dan_abramov/you-might-not-need-redux-be4...

[Nemcue]

The difference is that you're spending time learning about concepts that you are unfamiliar with, as opposed to learning Angulars many APIs.

For instance if you've already spent time learning about Redux you'll have a very easy time re-using those in Angular 2 (with ngrx).

[shriek]

Absolutely this. While it might be tedious to put those pieces together at first the knowledge that you gain is very transferable to the other app that you build instead of being one-trick pony in angular.

[wccrawford]

I've been using React for small projects in my personal time, and I haven't needed anything like Flux at all. Maybe you'll need it for complex apps, but React can be used for small ones without that added complication.