What are the differences between conditional rendering and CSS in React?

What are the differences between conditional rendering and CSS in React?

Conditional rendering in React allows you to render components based on certain conditions, while CSS is used for styling those components. Conditional rendering can change what is displayed based on state or props, whereas CSS controls the appearance.

Can you give me an example of conditional rendering?

Sure! For instance, you can use a ternary operator to show a loading spinner or the actual content based on a loading state: isLoading ? <Spinner /> : <Content />.

How does this compare to using CSS for showing/hiding elements?

Using CSS, you might toggle a class that sets display: none; to hide an element. This approach doesn't remove the element from the DOM, while conditional rendering can completely omit it based on the logic.

Which method is better for performance?

It depends on the use case. Conditional rendering can be more efficient as it doesn't keep unnecessary elements in the DOM, but CSS can be simpler for toggling visibility without re-rendering components.