Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Less VS react-context

Compare Less VS react-context and see what are their differences

Less logo Less

Less extends CSS with dynamic behavior such as variables, mixins, operations and functions. Less runs on both the server-side (with Node. js and Rhino) or client-side (modern browsers only).

react-context logo react-context

Context provides a way to pass data through the component tree without having to pass props down manually at every level.
  • Less Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-19
  • react-context Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-27

Less features and specs

  • Simplifies CSS
    Less extends CSS with dynamic behavior like variables, mixins, operations, and functions, making stylesheets more maintainable and less repetitive.
  • Preprocessing
    Allows developers to write easier and cleaner code which then gets compiled into standard CSS, facilitating better performance and compatibility.
  • Variables and Mixins
    With the ability to use variables and mixins, code becomes modular and reusable, reducing the potential for errors and simplifying updates.
  • Nested Syntax
    Supports nested syntax which allows CSS to be structured in a manner that follows the same visual hierarchy, making it easier to read and understand.
  • Compatibility
    Compatible with all versions of CSS, making it easier to integrate with existing projects and frameworks without breaking them.

Possible disadvantages of Less

  • Learning Curve
    Requires developers to learn new syntax and concepts, which can be a barrier for those who are accustomed to traditional CSS.
  • Compilation Requirement
    Code written in Less needs to be compiled to CSS, adding an extra step in the development process.
  • Performance Overhead
    While not significant, the preprocessing step can add to development time and require additional configuration and tools.
  • Debugging
    Debugging Less can be more challenging compared to plain CSS because source maps need to be set up properly to map the compiled CSS back to the Less files.
  • Dependency
    Relies on Node.js or another JavaScript runtime for compiling the Less code, adding another dependency to the project.

react-context features and specs

  • State Management
    React context provides a way to manage state globally across the application, eliminating the need for prop drilling.
  • Seamless Integration
    Integrates seamlessly with React hooks like `useContext`, making it easier to consume context values within functional components.
  • Component Decoupling
    Allows components to be decoupled from their ancestors, reducing the need for intermediate components to pass down props.
  • Reusability
    Enhances reusability as multiple components can subscribe to the same context values without modifying each other.
  • Boilerplate Reduction
    Helps reduce boilerplate code required for passing props through multiple levels of the component tree.

Possible disadvantages of react-context

  • Performance Overhead
    Re-rendering can be an issue if not managed properly, as any change to the context value will re-render all consuming components.
  • Debugging Difficulty
    Context can make it harder to trace where state changes originate, making debugging more challenging.
  • Limited Scope
    Not a full-fledged state management solution like Redux, lacking features like middleware, dev tools, and more complex state handling.
  • Scoped Updates
    Requires deeper understanding of how to scope context updates and use contexts efficiently to avoid unnecessary re-renders.
  • Setup Complexity
    Initial setup can be complex and may require careful planning to structure contexts in a way that prevents overuse or misuse.

Less videos

'Less' author Andrew Sean Greer answers your questions

More videos:

  • Review - Book Review: Less by Andrew Sean Greer, reviewed by Smriti
  • Review - Book Review - Less by Andrew Sean Greer

react-context videos

No react-context videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Less and react-context)
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Javascript UI Libraries
0 0%
100% 100
CSS Framework
100 100%
0% 0
Front-End Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, react-context seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 209 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Less mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Less yet. Tracking of Less recommendations started around Mar 2021.

react-context mentions (209)

  • A mid-career retrospective of stores for state management
    React's hooks (useState, useEffect, useContext) allow for easy encapsulation of reactive business logic. The Context API reduces prop drilling by making state accessible at any component level. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • ReactJS Best Practices for Developers
    Use context wherever possible: For application-wide state that needs to be accessed by many components, use the Context API to avoid prop drilling. Here’s where to learn more about the context API. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • How to manage user authentication With React JS
    The context API is generally used for managing states that will be needed across an application. For example, we need our user data or tokens that are returned as part of the login response in the dashboard components. Also, some parts of our application need user data as well, so making use of the context API is more than solving the problem for us. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • My 5 favourite updates from the new React documentation
    Previously, in the legacy docs, the Context API was just one of the topics within the Advanced guides. Unless you went digging, you wouldn't have been introduced to it as one of the core ways to handle deep passing of data. I really like that, in the new docs, Context is recommended as a way to manage state as its one of the best ways to avoid prop drilling. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Learn Context in React in simple steps
    You can read more about the Context at https://reactjs.org/docs/context.html. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Less and react-context, you can also consider the following products

Sass - Syntatically Awesome Style Sheets

Redux.js - Predictable state container for JavaScript apps

PostCSS - Increase code readability. Add vendor prefixes to CSS rules using values from Can I Use. Autoprefixer will use the data based on current browser popularity and property support to apply prefixes for you.

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

Stylus - EXPRESSIVE, DYNAMIC, ROBUST CSS

MobX - Simple, scalable state management