Babel is a toolchain that is mainly used to convert ECMAScript 2015+ code into a backwards compatible version of JavaScript in current and older browsers or environments..
Similarly one may ask, what is transpiler Babel?
Babel is a JavaScript transpiler that converts edge JavaScript into plain old ES5 JavaScript that can run in any browser (even the old ones).
Also Know, what are presets in Babel? In Babel, a preset is a set of plugins used to support particular language features. The two presets Babel uses by default: es2015 : Adds support for ES2015 (or ES6) JavaScript. react : Adds support for JSX.
Then, do I need Babel for react?
React doesn't "need" babel or webpack but the library is built on the concept of using ES6 javascript syntax and JSX (essentially HTML in JS). React however can be used without ES6 and JSX which would remove the initial need for Babel but you would lose the potential benefits of ES6 and JSX.
Do I need to use Babel?
You must use Babel to be sure that everyone will be able to run your code, else you can develop without it. Absolutely can and do use ES6 W/O babel. All major browsers support the vast majority of features natively (see CanIUse.com), in fact the only major feature not supported is the import/export of modules.
Related Question Answers
Is Babel a compiler?
Babel is a JavaScript compiler. Use next generation JavaScript, today.What does ECMA stand for?
European Computer Manufacturers Association
Who owns Babel?
Babbel is operated by Lesson Nine GmbH in Berlin, Germany. Babbel has around 450 full-time employees and freelancers. The company is based in the Berlin neighborhood of Mitte. The company was founded in August 2007 by Markus Witte and Thomas Holl.What is Webpack used for?
Webpack is a static module bundler for JavaScript applications — it takes all the code from your application and makes it usable in a web browser. Modules are reusable chunks of code built from your app's JavaScript, node_modules, images, and the CSS styles which are packaged to be easily used in your website.How does Babel transpiler work?
What is Babel-Transpiler? Babel-transpiler converts the syntax of modern JavaScript into a form, which can be easily understood by older browsers. For example, arrow function, const, let classes will be converted to function, var, etc.Who created Babel?
The Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94 CE), recounted history as found in the Hebrew Bible and mentioned the Tower of Babel. He wrote that it was Nimrod who had the tower built and that Nimrod was a tyrant who tried to turn the people away from God.What does Transpile mean?
A source-to-source compiler (S2S compiler), transcompiler or transpiler is a type of compiler that takes the source code of a program written in a programming language as its input and produces the equivalent source code in the same or a different programming language.How install Babel preset react?
If you want to use this Babel preset in a project not built with Create React App, you can install it with the following steps. First, install Babel. Then install babel-preset-react-app. This preset uses the useBuiltIns option with transform-object-rest-spread and transform-react-jsx, which assumes that Object.Is JSX only for react?
As you can see, JSX just allows you to have XML-like syntax for tags, representing components and elements in React. It's transpiled into pure JavaScript: React.Why do we need Webpack for react?
We need its packages for the following reasons: webpack: The main webpack plugin as an engine for its dependents. webpack-cli: To access some webpack commands through CLI like starting dev server, creating production build, etc. webpack-dev-server: A minimal server for client-side development purpose only.Should I use Babel node?
A common reason Babel is frequently involved in the build process for Node webapps is that Babel allows us to easily compile ES6 code to older versions (usually ES5), because it has better browser support. For a purely server-side app, there is no reason, other than maybe slight performance gains, to compile to ES5.Where is Babel config file?
babelrc file is your local configuration for your code in your project. Generally you would put it in the root of your application repo. It will affect all files that Babel processes that are in the same directory or in sibling directories of the .What does polyfill mean?
A polyfill is a piece of code (usually JavaScript on the Web) used to provide modern functionality on older browsers that do not natively support it. 
