React Component Philosophy: Composition over inheritance

React's component model encourages thinking in terms of composition rather than traditional object-oriented inheritance. This shift fundamentally changes how we structure applications.

The Composition Advantage

Composition offers several benefits over inheritance:

**Flexibility**: Components can be combined in unexpected ways

**Testability**: Smaller, focused components are easier to test

**Reusability**: Atomic components work in multiple contexts

**Maintainability**: Changes are localized and predictable

Practical Patterns

Container/Presentational Split

Separating logic from presentation creates clearer component boundaries.

Render Props

Functions as children enable flexible component reuse.

Hook Composition

Custom hooks encapsulate stateful logic for reuse across components.

Design System Integration

Component composition aligns naturally with design system thinking:

**Atomic components**: Basic building blocks

**Molecular patterns**: Common combinations

**Organism templates**: Complex compositions

**Page layouts**: Full implementations

This layered approach creates systems that are both consistent and adaptable.