ReactJS vs React in Astro: Key Differences in Image Imports and Client-Side Interactivity

 

In 2025, many developers are combining React with Astro to build fast, modern websites. While both use React components, some practical differences in how you import images and enable interactivity can catch you off guard. Here’s a quick look at those differences:

1. Image Importing and Usage

For a standard ReactJS application, bringing in images is as easy as:

In js

import logo from ‘./logo.png.jp’;

And you can simply use:

<img src={logo} alt=”Logo” />

ReactJS apps refer to the logo image as a string URL which is directly usable in JSX.

In contrast, with Astro, the process is a bit different. Importing images will give you an object which has metadata as well as the URL, meaning you have to reference the image source with .src:

In astro

import logo from ‘../assets/logo/logo.png’;

<img src={logo.src} alt=”Logo” />

If you forget .src, the image does not show up because Astro’s build framework optimizes images and bundles metadata which is why images need to be treated distinctly.

1. Enabling Client-Side React Components

For ReactJS, components come with interactive functionalities enabled by default. For Astro, React components start off as static HTML until the framework is told to fully hydrate them on the client.

To accomplish this, add directives, for example:

astro

<MyComponent client:load />

In Astro, this means JST is only loaded when the page is displayed in the browser. This boosts performance by decreasing the amount of client-side JS that is loaded.

1. JavaScript Execution and Interactivity

Every JavaScript code is executed instantly on the browser for ReactJS while server-side rendering is preferred by Astro as well as partial hydration. Without the client: directive, React’s useEffect will not run and neither the animations nor event listeners will execute.