---
title: A Simple Component
order: 0
---

React components implement a `render()` method that takes input data and returns what to display. This example uses an XML-like syntax called JSX. Input data that is passed into the component can be accessed by `render()` via `this.props`.

**JSX is optional and not required to use React.** Try the [Babel REPL](babel-repl://es5-syntax-example) to see the raw JavaScript code produced by the JSX compilation step.