ReactJS Tutorial #2 - Componen vs Element

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In React, the terms "Element" and "Component" have specific meanings, and understanding the difference between them is important for grasping how React works:

1. **React Element:**
- A React Element is a plain object that describes a DOM node and its attributes or properties. It is an immutable description object and is the simplest building block of React UIs.
- Elements are what JSX compiles to. They are lightweight and easy to create.
- An element can represent DOM tags as well as user-defined components.


2. **React Component:**
- A React Component can be declared in two ways: as a function or as a class. Components take in parameters, called `props`, and return a hierarchy of views to display via the `render` method (for class components) or directly (for function components).
- Components are reusable and can manage their own state.
- A component can return multiple elements, fragments, strings, numbers, booleans, or other components.


In summary, an Element is a plain object describing what you want to appear on the screen, and a Component is a function or a class that optionally takes input and returns a React Element. The Component can be reused and can contain logic and internal state, while the Element is a lightweight description of what to render.