Learn INFERNO with Real Code Examples
Updated Nov 23, 2025
Explain
Inferno provides a React-compatible API focused heavily on performance.
It uses a highly optimized Virtual DOM engine for minimal overhead.
Its architecture makes it suitable for real-time UIs, embedded widgets, and performance-critical apps.
Core Features
JSX + components
Virtual DOM diffing
Lifecycle hooks (componentDidMount, etc.)
Functional components supported
Efficient event handling system
Basic Concepts Overview
JSX + component rendering
Functional and class components
Props + state system
Virtual DOM re-rendering
Event handlers and lifecycle hooks
Project Structure
src/components/ - UI components
src/index.js - app entry
public/index.html - mount point
babel.config.js - JSX transform
vite/webpack config - bundlers
Building Workflow
Create components (functional or class)
Use JSX with Babel or Vite
Render with `Inferno.render()`
Manage state in components
Bundle via Vite/Webpack/Rollup
Difficulty Use Cases
Beginner: simple components
Intermediate: dynamic UIs with state
Advanced: SSR + hydration
Expert: optimizing micro-interactions
Community: custom renderers and extensions
Comparisons
Faster than React - optimized VDOM
Smaller than React - tiny bundle
Less ecosystem than React/Vue
Similar API to React (easy migration)
Better suited for high-performance UIs
Versioning Timeline
2016 – Inferno initial release
2017 – React-like API compatibility
2018 – SSR improvements
2020 – Further performance tuning
2024–2025 – Stable maintenance releases
Glossary
Virtual DOM: lightweight DOM representation
VNode: Virtual DOM node object
Hydration: binding server-rendered HTML
Lifecycle hooks: component methods on render/update
Diffing: comparing VDOM trees efficiently