Does Anybody Actually Like React?

Summary

In my experience, React (et al) is almost always the wrong solution. React has its place, I’m sure, but it has turned into the proverbial hammer that makes everything look like a nail. I also know that React can be done well, but it seems to almost never be done well. Craig Cook 24th March 2026 In reality, for any decently sized JS-heavy project, you should expect that what you build will be slower than advertised, it will keep getting slower over time while it sees ongoing work, and it will take more effort to develop and especially to maintain than what you were led to believe, with as many bugs as any other approach. Sérgio Gomes 13th February 2026 On November 29th, Lachlan Davidson reported a security vulnerability in React that allows unauthenticated remote code execution [...] This vulnerability was disclosed as CVE-2025-55182 and is rated CVSS 10.0. The React Team 3rd December 2025 By default, you get the dreaded hydration pattern—do all the computing on the server in JavaScript (yay!), serve up HTML straight away (yay! yay!) …and then serve up all the same JavaScript that’s on the server anyway (ya—wait, what?). Jeremy Keith 26th November 2025 React’s mobile strategy inherently drives teams toward platform capture. The web offers an alternative: no gatekeepers, no platform fees, direct distribution. Loren Stewart 28th October 2025 React’s core failure is compounded by confusing API design for which documentation is indecisive, essays are written, and correct usage is endlessly debated. David Bushell 23rd October 2025 When teams need a new frontend, the conversation rarely starts with “What are the constraints and which tool best fits them?” It often starts with “Let’s use React; everyone knows React.” That reflex creates a self-perpetuating cycle where network effects, rather than technical fit, decide architecture. Loren Stewart 16th September 2025 To dismiss this entire problem as a "skill issue" and imply all is good now because an external library solved...