React Environment - Role of Babel

Imagine yourself using the room-sized first generation computers today! What if there was no invention of laptops and desktop PCs that we use today? Features and updates are very important for any software or language to continue being used in the longer run.

In the coming video, you’ll learn how React uses the latest features and updates in the JavaScript language. You’ll also look at the environment in which React works and the role that Babel plays in this environment.

You learned that React follows ECMAScript specification. You’ll be using ES6 edition of ECMAScript specification while writing React code. This edition brought important features and updates in JavaScript language, thus making you use them while writing code. However, as already told, not all the features of ES6 are supported by the majority of browsers. Most of the browsers still support ES5. Now, if you code in ES6, you can use the latest features but you can’t get the support of all browsers. This is where Babel comes into the picture. Babel is a JavaScript compiler that converts ES6 code into ES5 code, which can be run on a browser.

Additional Resources:

• ECMAScript
• ES6 Features
• Babel
• List of ES6 features supported by browsers