Reduce ReactJS Application Maintenance Cost | 6 Smart Techniques

September 13, 2021

Currently, around 1.15 million websites are using ReactJS. The robust JavaScript library powers more than 400 thousand unique domains. It is so famous that most product owners prefer to hire ReactJS developers and use ReactJS as their primary choice of JS library for app development.

Table of Contents

Introduction to ReactJS Framework

React isn’t a framework — it’s a comprehensive JS library. React web apps have a stunning and powerful user interface. Most product owners use React JS functionalities as a crucial way to improve the user experience. Since the React JS app helps abstract the DOM away, it provides an intuitive programming model and enhanced performance. That’s why most product owners hire ReactJS developers for simple yet seamless prototypes.

React is often compared with Vue and Angular for creating web apps. However, building React web apps is preferred by most startups. The reason is simple — it allows native app development with the help of React Native.

But often, the applications require adequate maintenance once it’s done. There are various components and elements in the UI, which you can call for regular maintenance. However, it can be costly and compelling. Let’s look closely at the key factors responsible for the high maintenance cost of the ReactJS apps.

Key Factors Leading to High Maintenance Cost of ReactJS Apps

React JS web apps can cost you high to maintain. While the library is not entirely responsible alone for the high cost, it contributes efficiently to it. Following are the crucial factors responsible for the high maintenance cost of ReactJS web apps:

Third-party add-ons require effective maintenance apart from the library, which leads to an increased cost of app upgrades and updates.
The wrong programming approach also adds significantly to the cost of React JS web app maintenance.
Outdated technology editions lead to an increment in the number of errors and bug fixing, which requires a lot of time.
Without clear documentation, You will struggle to maintain the web app if you don’t know the complete project structure.
Outsourcing partners can put a big hole in your app development budget. App updates will cost you effectively with the wrong outsourcing partners.

Now that you have an adequate understanding of what leads to the high maintenance cost of React JS web apps, you will eventually want to reduce it. While the ReactJS development process is fast, the maintenance is not so.

Product owners worldwide love the framework because of its virtual DOM, appealing components, simplicity, performance, and reusability. However, each of them struggles to maintain it.

6 Smart Techniques to Reduce ReactJS App Maintenance Cost

Code Quality

The initial step is to learn the ReactJS code extremely well. After that, you should focus on building high-quality code. Clear and effective coding will cost heavily in starting, but later it will surely help you save maintenance costs in the long run.
Well-built code is seldom susceptible to code errors. The code execution is seamless, takes less time, and most significantly — can be upgraded with ease. Following the appropriate coding standards is crucial for lowering the maintenance cost.
If you deploy a nowise developer on the app development project, poorly-built code will be compelling to comprehend.

User-friendly Design

Your development team is on the wrong path if they’re not building a responsive design. The user-friendly design is a must for ReactJS web apps to lower the cost of separately building a website.
A responsive approach helps in simplifying the structuring of CSS into the app. Otherwise, you have to hire ReactJS developers for the same. They will ensure from the start that you have a responsive website.
While it is crucial to have a mobile-first approach, you can develop your web application into a user-friendly design later.

Third-party Packages

There are two crucial aspects to this — the third-party add ons and outsourcing projects to the third party. You must look closely at the updates and the packages that the third party gives you. Outsourcing the entire project to a ReactJS development company without having adequate maintenance knowledge leads to increased efforts, high costs, and more time.
Apart from this, the third-party add ons are also a crucial component of the entire ReactJS development process. Each add-on must receive the essential updates. Without that, the app will lag some functionalities and cost you extra to maintain it.

Clean Documentation

The documentation is an influential asset for a product owner. Whenever in doubt, your development team looks at the documentation to evaluate a lot of things, including project progress, efficient code quality, and the ability to detect historical codes.
Proper documentation will help you reduce the maintenance cost of the ReactJS app as it will give you a clear view of the complete app development project. It also enables you to simplify the entire project arrangement process. Documentation also provides you with an outline of the detailed project structure.
If you are going to work with long term partners, then clean documentation is an important process.

Latest Features Impact

Adding the latest features is something you need to be careful about. Assessing the impact of any latest feature is a must for the development project.
Feature addition rapidly impacts app performance, maintenance cost, and functional longevity. There are various ReactJS web app examples where the latest features have been added effectively to the cost of the app development process.
Evaluation of the potential impact and necessity of that latest feature is significant for maintenance costs. Each feature will add a layer of code, leading to unwanted expenses.

Version Update

One of the most significant aspects of ReactJS app maintenance cost reduction is updating to the library’s latest version. The updated library provides you with newer features and functionalities for building React web apps.
The latest version leads to an enhancement in productivity and app performance. You can save a considerable amount of maintenance costs by updating the version frequently.
Library’s latest version offers security patches and comprehensive features. It saves your app from various vulnerabilities that might lead to problems in future, requiring a considerable maintenance cost.

Wrapping Up

Reducing maintenance costs is crucial for every product owner. By working with an experienced development team, you can seamlessly transition from high costs to effective performance. Or you can find ReactJS developers for hire and expand your team according to the requirements of your project. Maintenance costs shouldn’t be ignored while building an app with ReactJS. Various factors impact development cost, which should be considered frequently.