ReExt vs. React Grid Layout: What's the Difference?

When working on a React application, "grid" can mean two very different things.

You might need a data grid for displaying and manipulating thousands or millions of records, or you might need a layout grid for positioning and resizing UI components.

The distinction becomes important when comparing ReExt Data Grid with React Grid Layout.

ReExt Data Grid

ReExt connects React applications with Sencha Ext JS components. Its data grid is designed for data-intensive applications and includes features such as:

Row and cell editing
Filtering
Pagination
Infinite scrolling
Live data rendering
Buffered rendering
Pivoting
Components such as charts and graphs inside cells

The article specifically highlights buffered rendering for working with very large datasets.

React Grid Layout

React Grid Layout has a different focus.

It is a container component for arranging, resizing, and repositioning content panels. It supports draggable and resizable widgets, responsive breakpoints, variable-width content, and layout serialization.

Data Grid vs. Layout Grid

This is probably the biggest takeaway.

If your requirement is:

"I need to display and work with a large amount of structured data."

You are looking at a data-grid problem.

If your requirement is:

"I need users to arrange and resize dashboard components."

You're dealing more with a layout problem.

Understanding that difference can make it much easier to evaluate React grid libraries before adding one to your project.

What type of grid are you using in your current React application?