Pros of react-grid-layout

• Provides a complete grid layout system with resizing and dragging capabilities
• Offers responsive breakpoints for different screen sizes
• Includes built-in collision detection and prevention

Cons of react-grid-layout

• More complex API and setup compared to react-draggable
• Heavier in terms of bundle size and performance impact
• May be overkill for simple draggable requirements

Code Comparison

react-grid-layout:

import GridLayout from 'react-grid-layout';

<GridLayout
  className="layout"
  layout={layout}
  cols={12}
  rowHeight={30}
  width={1200}
>
  <div key="a">Item A</div>
  <div key="b">Item B</div>
</GridLayout>

react-draggable:

import Draggable from 'react-draggable';

<Draggable
  axis="both"
  handle=".handle"
  defaultPosition={{x: 0, y: 0}}
  grid={[25, 25]}
  scale={1}
>
  <div>
    <div className="handle">Drag from here</div>
    <div>This content will be draggable</div>
  </div>
</Draggable>

react-grid-layout offers a more comprehensive solution for creating complex, responsive grid layouts with draggable and resizable elements. It's ideal for dashboard-like interfaces or applications requiring precise control over element positioning. However, it comes with a steeper learning curve and higher complexity.

react-draggable, on the other hand, focuses solely on making elements draggable. It's simpler to implement and lighter in weight, making it a better choice for basic dragging functionality or when you need more control over the dragging behavior of individual elements.

Pros of react-beautiful-dnd

• Provides a more natural and fluid drag-and-drop experience
• Offers better accessibility features out of the box
• Includes built-in animations and visual feedback during drag operations

Cons of react-beautiful-dnd

• Less flexible for custom layouts or grid-based positioning
• May have a steeper learning curve due to its specific API and concepts
• Limited to vertical lists and horizontal lists, not suited for free-form dragging

Code Comparison

react-beautiful-dnd:

<DragDropContext onDragEnd={onDragEnd}>
  <Droppable droppableId="list">
    {(provided) => (
      <ul {...provided.droppableProps} ref={provided.innerRef}>
        {items.map((item, index) => (
          <Draggable key={item.id} draggableId={item.id} index={index}>
            {(provided) => (
              <li ref={provided.innerRef} {...provided.draggableProps} {...provided.dragHandleProps}>
                {item.content}
              </li>
            )}
          </Draggable>
        ))}
        {provided.placeholder}
      </ul>
    )}
  </Droppable>
</DragDropContext>

react-draggable:

<Draggable
  axis="both"
  handle=".handle"
  defaultPosition={{x: 0, y: 0}}
  position={null}
  grid={[25, 25]}
  scale={1}
  onStart={handleStart}
  onDrag={handleDrag}
  onStop={handleStop}>
  <div>
    <div className="handle">Drag from here</div>
    <div>This content will be draggable</div>
  </div>
</Draggable>

Pros of react-dnd

• More flexible and powerful for complex drag-and-drop scenarios
• Supports touch devices and keyboard interactions out of the box
• Provides a higher level of abstraction with drag sources and drop targets

Cons of react-dnd

• Steeper learning curve due to its more complex API
• Requires more setup and boilerplate code for basic functionality
• May be overkill for simple drag-and-drop requirements

Code Comparison

react-dnd:

import { useDrag, useDrop } from 'react-dnd';

const [{ isDragging }, drag] = useDrag(() => ({
  type: 'ITEM',
  item: { id: props.id },
  collect: (monitor) => ({
    isDragging: !!monitor.isDragging(),
  }),
}));

react-draggable:

import Draggable from 'react-draggable';

<Draggable
  axis="x"
  handle=".handle"
  defaultPosition={{x: 0, y: 0}}
  position={null}
  grid={[25, 25]}
  scale={1}
>
  <div>Draggable content</div>
</Draggable>

Pros of react-sortable-hoc

• Specialized for sortable lists and grids
• Supports both vertical and horizontal sorting
• Provides animation and auto-scrolling capabilities

Cons of react-sortable-hoc

• Less flexible for general dragging tasks
• May have a steeper learning curve for simple use cases
• Limited to sorting within a container

Code Comparison

react-sortable-hoc:

import { SortableContainer, SortableElement } from 'react-sortable-hoc';

const SortableItem = SortableElement(({value}) => <li>{value}</li>);

const SortableList = SortableContainer(({items}) => (
  <ul>
    {items.map((value, index) => (
      <SortableItem key={`item-${index}`} index={index} value={value} />
    ))}
  </ul>
));

react-draggable:

import Draggable from 'react-draggable';

const DraggableComponent = () => (
  <Draggable>
    <div>I can be dragged anywhere!</div>
  </Draggable>
);

react-sortable-hoc is more suited for creating sortable lists or grids, while react-draggable offers more general-purpose dragging functionality. The choice between them depends on the specific requirements of your project.

Pros of react-rnd

• Combines dragging and resizing functionality in a single component
• Supports both controlled and uncontrolled modes for more flexibility
• Includes built-in touch support for mobile devices

Cons of react-rnd

• Less focused on grid-based layouts compared to react-grid-layout
• May have a steeper learning curve due to more configuration options
• Smaller community and fewer contributors compared to react-draggable

Code Comparison

react-rnd:

<Rnd
  default={{
    x: 0, y: 0,
    width: 320, height: 200
  }}
>
  Resizable and draggable content
</Rnd>

react-draggable:

<Draggable>
  <div>Draggable content</div>
</Draggable>

react-rnd combines dragging and resizing in a single component, while react-draggable focuses solely on dragging functionality. react-rnd requires more configuration but offers more built-in features. react-draggable is simpler to use for basic dragging needs but may require additional components or libraries for resizing capabilities.

Both libraries are well-maintained and offer good performance, but react-draggable has a larger community and more frequent updates. The choice between them depends on specific project requirements, such as the need for combined dragging and resizing or preference for simplicity versus feature richness.

Pros of Moveable

• More versatile, supporting not just dragging but also resizing, rotating, and other transformations
• Framework-agnostic, can be used with various JavaScript libraries or vanilla JS
• Extensive set of events and hooks for fine-grained control over interactions

Cons of Moveable

• Steeper learning curve due to its more comprehensive feature set
• Potentially higher performance overhead for simpler use cases
• Less React-specific optimizations compared to React Draggable

Code Comparison

React Draggable:

import Draggable from 'react-draggable';

<Draggable>
  <div>I can be dragged anywhere</div>
</Draggable>

Moveable:

import Moveable from "moveable";

const moveable = new Moveable(document.body, {
  target: document.querySelector(".target"),
  draggable: true,
});

moveable.on("drag", ({ target, transform }) => {
  target.style.transform = transform;
});

Both libraries offer drag functionality, but Moveable provides a more low-level API that can be used in various contexts. React Draggable is more tightly integrated with React and offers a simpler API for basic dragging needs. Moveable's approach allows for more complex interactions and transformations beyond just dragging.