From Vue to React: a frontend journey

I liked Vue because its templating was close to my PHP roots. Moving to React wasn't a technical necessity, it was about the ecosystem.

##The mental model

The biggest difference isn't syntax, it's the reactivity model. Vue does magic behind the scenes; React is more explicit, and I came to like that.

const [items, setItems] = useState([]);
useEffect(() => {
  fetchItems().then(setItems);
}, []); // the [] is what confuses everyone at first

The dependency array is React's most common pitfall. Once you understand when an effect re-runs, half the mystique disappears.

##Any regrets?

No. But I still find Vue more elegant for smaller projects. The choice is contextual, not a religion.