Does Anybody Actually Like React?

The internet’s favorite web-building tool is getting absolutely dragged, and the loudest part of the story isn’t the article pile-on, it’s the comments section mood swing. The roundup at JSX.lol collects a brutal list of complaints about React, the hugely popular tool used to build websites and apps, with critics accusing it of getting slower over time, being confusing to work with, and even helping create a culture where companies pick it by habit instead of because it fits the job. One linked post even points to a critical security flaw that could let attackers run code remotely, which is about as scary as tech headlines get.

But the real drama? The community can’t decide if React is a menace, a boring standard, or just the least bad option in a messy world. One commenter came in with full boss-energy, saying they’ve “banned it at work” because it’s simply the wrong choice. Another breezily shrugged and said, actually, “I love it” because it’s easy to write and understand. That clash alone is giving split-household energy. Then there’s the resigned middle camp: people who don’t exactly adore React, but also don’t adore anything else in the wider JavaScript world either. A little romance, a little hostage situation.

And yes, there were side-eye takes too. One person basically said they’d rather use Svelte, but the rest of the world won’t come with them, which feels like the indie-band fan of the thread. Another argued that React became the default for lots of simple admin-style apps even when it was probably overkill, and now with artificial intelligence changing coding, maybe the whole JavaScript party is starting to look shaky. In other words: React may still be king, but the comments read like the kingdom is muttering.