[ZenoArrow]

The Virtual DOM is a central part of how React works, so it does make sense to mention it when appraising React.

[danabramov]

FWIW we are trying to avoid "virtual DOM" in the new docs. The thing you create in render() and that describes the tree has been called "a React element" for many versions by now. "Virtual DOM" was more of a marketing term and I find it misleading because it doesn't make sense with e.g. React Native, and also makes React seem like a performance trick. React is not a performance trick. That elements get compared by React DOM renderer is its implementation detail. React is abstraction for dividing UI into predictable pieces, not a performance optimization.

[hathawsh]

Thanks for pointing that out. The term "DOM renderer" does seem much clearer than "virtual DOM".

[ZenoArrow]

> "React is abstraction for dividing UI into predictable pieces, not a performance optimization."

Why can't it be both?

[danabramov]

Performance is baseline. If something isn't performant we won't use it. But that's not the point of React.

React wouldn't exist if it wasn't performant. But the reason React exists is not performance.