Link to vs Anchor Tag

Intro

1. In React, the anchor tag (<a>) works as it does in traditional HTML. It is not directly monitored or controlled by React's virtual DOM. When you use an anchor tag in React, clicking on it will trigger a full page reload by default, as it is the default behavior of anchor tags in HTML.

2. To handle client-side routing and prevent full page reloads in React, you would typically use a library like React Router, which provides components such as <Link> that internally use JavaScript and prevent the default behavior of anchor tags. These components work with React's virtual DOM to handle navigation within your React application.

3. So, while the anchor tag itself is not directly monitored or controlled by React, you can use libraries like React Router to achieve client-side routing and navigation in a React application while taking advantage of React's virtual DOM and component-based architecture.

Link to

1. In React, there is no specific "link to tag" as a built-in HTML element or React component. However, it is common to refer to the "link to" functionality provided by a popular React library called React Router.

2. React Router provides a <Link> component that is commonly used for navigation within a React application. This component creates a link similar to an anchor tag (<a>) but leverages client-side routing instead of making a full page reload.

Here's an example of how you can use the <Link> component from React Router:

import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';

function MyComponent() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Link to="/about">Go to About</Link>
    </div>
  );
}

1. In the example above, the <Link> component is used to create a link to the "/about" route within the React application. When clicked, it will navigate to the specified route without causing a full page reload.

So, in the context of React and React Router, you can think of the <Link> component as a counterpart to the anchor tag (<a>) in traditional HTML.