What is the Virtual DOM?

The Virtual DOM is a JavaScript representation of the actual DOM. React creates and maintains a virtual representation of the UI in memory.\n\nHow it works:\n1. State changes trigger re-render\n2. New virtual DOM tree is created\n3. React compares (diffs) old and new trees\n4. Only necessary changes are applied to real DOM\n\nBenefits:\n- Better performance\n- Predictable updates\n- Cross-browser compatibility\n- Enables features like server-side rendering\n\nThe diffing algorithm makes updates efficient by minimizing DOM manipulations.