The next few sections will gradually introduce you to using React. We will examine the building blocks of React apps: elements and components. Once you master them, you can create complex apps from small reusable pieces.
The easiest way to get started with React is to use [this Hello World example code on CodePen](codepen://hello-world). You don't need to install anything; you can open it in another tab and follow along as we go through examples. If you'd rather use a local development environment, check out the [Installation](/docs/try-react.html) section.
React is a JavaScript library, and so we'll assume you have a basic understanding of the JavaScript language. **If you don't feel very confident, we recommend [going through a JavaScript tutorial](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/A_re-introduction_to_JavaScript) to check your knowledge level** and enable you to follow along this walkthrough without getting lost. It might take you between 30 minutes and an hour, but as a result you won't have to feel like you're learning both React and JavaScript at the same time.
This walkthrough also uses some of the newer JavaScript syntax in the examples. **If you haven't worked with JavaScript in the last few years,** these three points should get you most of the way:
* We define variables with [`let`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/let) and [`const`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/const) statements. For the purposes of this walkthrough, you can consider them equivalent to [`var`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/var).
* We use the `class` keyword to define [JavaScript classes](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Classes). There are two things worth remembering about them. Firstly, unlike with objects, you *don't* need to put commas between class method definitions. Secondly, unlike many other languages with classes, in JavaScript the value of `this` in a method [depends on how it is called](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Classes#Boxing_with_prototype_and_static_methods).
* We sometimes use `=>` to define ["arrow functions"](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Functions/Arrow_functions). They're like regular functions, but shorter. For example, `x => x * 2` is roughly equivalent to `function(x) { return x * 2; }`. Importantly, arrow functions [don't have their own `this` value](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Functions/Arrow_functions#No_separate_this) so they're handy when you want to preserve the `this` value from an outer method definition.
Don't worry if this is too much to take in at once. The [MDN JavaScript Reference](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript) is a stellar resource, and you can consult it whenever you get confused by something.
<!-- Note: I intentionally don't use babel:// scheme here because it doesn't seem to include the ES2015 preset which is crucial in this example -->
Also, when you feel unsure about what some newer syntax means, you can use the [Babel REPL with the ES2015 preset](http://babeljs.io/repl/#?babili=false&browsers=&build=&builtIns=false&code_lz=MYewdgzgLgBAllApgWwjAvDA2gRgDQwBMBAzALoDcAUKJLACYgCuARgDaL0bxKoB0yAIYAHABQAPDAD4YkgFREAlBSA&debug=false&forceAllTransforms=false&shippedProposals=false&circleciRepo=&evaluate=false&fileSize=false&lineWrap=true&presets=es2015%2Creact%2Cstage-1%2Cstage-2%2Cstage-3&prettier=true&targets=Node-6.12&version=6.26.0&envVersion=) to check what equivalent older syntax it compiles to.
