Frontend
What is Virtual DOM?
A lightweight JavaScript copy of the real DOM used by frameworks like React for efficient updates.
Definition
The Virtual DOM is an in-memory representation of the real DOM. React and similar frameworks use it to batch and optimize UI updates. When state changes, a new Virtual DOM tree is created and compared (diffed) with the previous one. Only the differences are applied to the real DOM in a minimal set of operations. This 'reconciliation' process makes updates more efficient than direct DOM manipulation.