¿Qué es React y cuál ha sido su historia hasta hoy?
React es una de las librerías más influyentes en el desarrollo frontend moderno. Nació en 2013 dentro de Meta (antes Facebook) como una herramienta para construir interfaces de usuario más rápidas y modulares. Su enfoque basado en componentes reutilizables, el Virtual DOM y una curva de aprendizaje accesible impulsaron su adopción masiva.Con el paso del tiempo, React se convirtió en el estándar de facto para crear aplicaciones web y móviles, junto con su framework hermano, React Native. Empresas como Netflix, Airbnb, Uber y Shopify lo adoptaron como base tecnológica, consolidando una comunidad de millones de desarrolladores alrededor del mundo.Sin embargo, en los últimos años surgió una pregunta inevitable:
Why this change now?
a. Ecosystem growth and the need for neutrality
React has evolved beyond the boundaries of a single company. Its use transcends Meta products, creating the need for a more neutral and open structure capable of representing the interests of the entire community.The growth of the ecosystem with libraries, frameworks, and tools created by hundreds of companies made it clear that React needed transparent and collaborative governance, similar to other large scale open source projects.
b. Risks of a single company controlling development
Although Meta has maintained React as an open project, its primary control raised concerns about the framework's technical independence and strategic direction.For some community members, this represented a risk: if Meta's priorities shifted, React could lose momentum or adopt decisions aligned with corporate rather than community interests.The move to an independent foundation addresses precisely this concern.
EL PROYECTO REALIZADO
La creación de la React Foundation bajo la Linux Foundation
El 7 de octubre de 2025, Meta anunció oficialmente la creación de la React Foundation, una nueva entidad alojada bajo el paraguas de la Linux Foundation.Este movimiento marca un cambio histórico: a partir de ahora, React y React Native estarán gestionados por una organización sin fines de lucro, dedicada a asegurar su evolución abierta y colaborativa.La Linux Foundation alberga otros proyectos icónicos como Kubernetes, Node.js, GraphQL y OpenJS Foundation, lo que garantiza un marco sólido de gobernanza y transparencia.La React Foundation seguirá un modelo similar, con un Technical Steering Committee (TSC) encargado de la dirección técnica y una Junta Directiva (Board) responsable de la visión general del proyecto.
Founding members
The initial board includes Amazon, Callstack, Expo, Meta, Microsoft, Software Mansion, and Vercel companies that have significantly contributed to the React ecosystem over the years.This combination ensures a balance between business and community interests, as well as providing technological diversity: from cloud platforms to mobile development tools and full-stack frameworks.The shared goal is to maintain React's progress under principles of neutrality, transparency, and global collaboration.
Separation between technical and business governance
The new structure clearly distinguishes between technical and business decisions.The Technical Support Committee (TSC) will be composed of recognized developers within the ecosystem who will vote on and decide about the roadmap, releases, and specifications.The Board of Directors, on the other hand, will focus on funding, sponsorships, and project expansion.This separation aims to avoid conflicts of interest and foster more participatory and sustainable decision-making over time.
Meta commitment: five years of support, more than $3 million
Although React is becoming independent from Meta, the company has confirmed its financial and technical commitment to the new foundation.Meta will contribute over $3 million over the next five years, in addition to human resources from the current React team, to ensure a smooth and stable transition.In the words of the Meta engineering team, the goal is “to ensure that React continues to grow under open governance that benefits all developers, regardless of their background.”
What changes for developers and companies?
In practice, the React code and usage will not change. Developers will be able to continue working with the same APIs, versions, and documentation they already know.What will change is the management and decision-making model, which will now be more participatory.This change promises:
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Greater transparency in the React roadmap.Greater international collaboration on proposals and improvements.A community-driven approach that can accelerate innovation.
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For companies, this represents a sign of stability and confidence: React will not depend on the corporate strategy of a single company, but on the consensus of an entire global community.
Risks and open questions
Despite the enthusiasm, the change also presents some challenges:
How will you ensure that the community has a real voice?
What does this mean for companies that wish to contribute or provide funding?
How will this affect competition with other frameworks?
Conclusion
The creation of the React Foundation marks a turning point in the history of frontend development.For the first time since its inception, React is no longer dependent on a large corporation and has become part of an open, community-based foundation, guaranteeing its continuity, innovation, and neutrality.This move not only strengthens developer confidence but also sends a clear message:
The future of software depends on collaboration, not corporate control.
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