Preact is a JavaScript UI library that is extremely lightweight (~3KB) and compatible with React. It provides almost the same programming experience as React but with optimized performance, faster page load times, and smaller memory footprint.
Itβs ideal for web apps that need to be fast, lightweight, and React-compatible.
Development History
π 2015 β Jason Miller created Preact to address performance and bundle size issues in React for lightweight web pages.
π 2016 β Preact 6 released, offering JSX support and nearly identical React APIs.
π 2017 β 2020 β Growing community, third-party plugins, and libraries, making Preact a popular choice for performance-optimized web projects.
π Today β Preact continues to be maintained with frequent updates, integration with modern build tools, and full React API support via preact/compat.
Key Features
- β‘ Lightweight & Fast: ~3KB, optimized for page load performance.
- π§© React API Compatibility: Supports JSX, hooks, and component lifecycle similar to React.
- π preact/compat: Easily migrate most React projects to Preact with minimal code changes.
- π§ SSR Support: Built-in server-side rendering support.
- π¦ Plugin Ecosystem: Many third-party tools and plugins available.
Why Choose Preact?
- π Smaller and faster than React, ideal for mobile and SPA projects.
- π§βπ» Easy migration from React using preact/compat.
- π± Works well with modern frameworks like Next.js, Vite, and Snowpack.
- π Strong community with rich documentation and examples.
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