Pros of react-beautiful-dnd

• Provides a more natural and fluid drag-and-drop experience with animations
• Offers better accessibility features, including keyboard navigation
• Has extensive documentation and examples for various use cases

Cons of react-beautiful-dnd

• Limited to vertical lists and horizontal lists, lacking support for grid layouts
• Has a steeper learning curve due to its specific concepts and terminology
• Performance may degrade with large lists or complex drag operations

Code Comparison

react-beautiful-dnd:

<DragDropContext onDragEnd={onDragEnd}>
  <Droppable droppableId="list">
    {(provided) => (
      <ul {...provided.droppableProps} ref={provided.innerRef}>
        {items.map((item, index) => (
          <Draggable key={item.id} draggableId={item.id} index={index}>
            {(provided) => (
              <li ref={provided.innerRef} {...provided.draggableProps} {...provided.dragHandleProps}>
                {item.content}
              </li>
            )}
          </Draggable>
        ))}
        {provided.placeholder}
      </ul>
    )}
  </Droppable>
</DragDropContext>

react-sortable-hoc:

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({value}) => <li>{value}</li>);
const SortableList = SortableContainer(({items}) => {
  return (
    <ul>
      {items.map((value, index) => (
        <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
});

<SortableList items={items} onSortEnd={onSortEnd} />

Pros of Sortable

• Framework-agnostic, can be used with any JavaScript project
• Supports more features out-of-the-box, like multi-drag and swap
• Smaller bundle size, potentially better performance

Cons of Sortable

• Requires more manual setup for React integration
• Less React-specific optimizations and patterns
• May have a steeper learning curve for React developers

Code Comparison

react-sortable-hoc:

import { SortableContainer, SortableElement } from 'react-sortable-hoc';

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({value}) => <li>{value}</li>);

const SortableList = SortableContainer(({items}) => {
  return (
    <ul>
      {items.map((value, index) => (
        <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
});

Sortable:

import Sortable from 'sortablejs';

const el = document.getElementById('items');
const sortable = Sortable.create(el, {
  animation: 150,
  ghostClass: 'blue-background-class'
});

The code comparison shows that react-sortable-hoc provides a more React-centric approach with higher-order components, while Sortable requires direct DOM manipulation, which may be less ideal in a React environment but offers more flexibility across different frameworks.

Pros of react-sortablejs

• Built on top of Sortable.js, a mature and feature-rich library
• Supports more advanced features like multi-list sorting and nested sortables
• Better touch device support and smoother animations

Cons of react-sortablejs

• Slightly larger bundle size due to Sortable.js dependency
• Less React-specific optimizations compared to react-sortable-hoc
• May require more configuration for complex use cases

Code Comparison

react-sortablejs:

import { ReactSortable } from "react-sortablejs";

<ReactSortable list={items} setList={setItems}>
  {items.map(item => <div key={item.id}>{item.name}</div>)}
</ReactSortable>

react-sortable-hoc:

import { SortableContainer, SortableElement } from 'react-sortable-hoc';

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({value}) => <li>{value}</li>);
const SortableList = SortableContainer(({items}) => (
  <ul>
    {items.map((value, index) => (
      <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
    ))}
  </ul>
));

Both libraries offer drag-and-drop functionality for React applications, but react-sortablejs provides a more straightforward API and additional features, while react-sortable-hoc offers a more React-centric approach with potentially better performance for simpler use cases.

Pros of react-dnd

• More flexible and customizable for complex drag and drop scenarios
• Supports a wider range of drag and drop interactions beyond just sorting
• Provides a lower-level API for fine-grained control over drag and drop behavior

Cons of react-dnd

• Steeper learning curve and more complex implementation
• Requires more boilerplate code for basic sorting functionality
• May be overkill for simple list reordering tasks

Code Comparison

react-dnd:

import { useDrag, useDrop } from 'react-dnd';

const [{ isDragging }, drag] = useDrag({
  type: 'ITEM',
  item: { id, index },
  collect: (monitor) => ({
    isDragging: monitor.isDragging(),
  }),
});

react-sortable-hoc:

import { SortableElement, SortableContainer } from 'react-sortable-hoc';

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({ value }) => <li>{value}</li>);
const SortableList = SortableContainer(({ items }) => (
  <ul>
    {items.map((value, index) => (
      <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
    ))}
  </ul>
));

react-dnd offers more flexibility but requires more setup, while react-sortable-hoc provides a simpler API for basic sorting functionality. Choose based on your project's complexity and requirements.

Pros of react-sortable-tree

• Specialized for tree structures, offering built-in support for nested hierarchies
• Includes features like node expansion/collapse and custom node rendering
• Provides more tree-specific functionality out of the box

Cons of react-sortable-tree

• Less flexible for non-tree sorting scenarios
• May have a steeper learning curve due to its specialized nature
• Potentially heavier bundle size due to additional tree-specific features

Code Comparison

react-sortable-tree:

import SortableTree from 'react-sortable-tree';

<SortableTree
  treeData={this.state.treeData}
  onChange={treeData => this.setState({ treeData })}
/>

react-sortable-hoc:

import { SortableContainer, SortableElement } from 'react-sortable-hoc';

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({ value }) => <li>{value}</li>);
const SortableList = SortableContainer(({ items }) => (
  <ul>
    {items.map((value, index) => (
      <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
    ))}
  </ul>
));

react-sortable-tree is more suited for complex tree structures, while react-sortable-hoc offers greater flexibility for various sorting scenarios. The code comparison shows that react-sortable-tree provides a more straightforward API for tree structures, whereas react-sortable-hoc requires more setup but allows for custom list implementations.

Pros of react-rnd

• Offers both resizing and dragging functionality, providing more versatile component manipulation
• Supports custom handles for resizing, allowing for greater UI customization
• Provides a simpler API for basic resizing and dragging operations

Cons of react-rnd

• Less focused on sorting and reordering, which is the primary strength of react-sortable-hoc
• May have a steeper learning curve for complex sorting scenarios
• Lacks some advanced features specific to sorting, such as auto-scrolling and lock axis

Code Comparison

react-rnd:

<Rnd
  default={{
    x: 0,
    y: 0,
    width: 320,
    height: 200
  }}
>
  Resizable and draggable component
</Rnd>

react-sortable-hoc:

const SortableList = SortableContainer(({items}) => (
  <ul>
    {items.map((value, index) => (
      <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
    ))}
  </ul>
));

Both libraries offer powerful functionality for manipulating React components, but they focus on different aspects. react-rnd excels in providing a straightforward way to create resizable and draggable elements, while react-sortable-hoc specializes in creating sortable lists and grids with advanced sorting features.