Evaluation of react-grid-layout

Introduction

For the project to move forward and to not spend all the available time recreating something that (probably) already exists, we need a grid system for our cards to exist within. We have decided that an external library could help us.

Requirements

• The project should be dependable in the sense that it is not likely to be abandoned or be bought up.
• The project should be maintained, which will be measured in project activity and its user-base.
• It should fit our needs, that being a grid that contains cards which are resizeable, moveable, "addable" and "deleteable".
• The project needs to be open-source.

Available options

We searched for open-source grid options that could fit our needs. In our search we found these projects:

• React-Grid-Layout
• DnD Kit
• Gridstask.js

We need to formally review and analyze what library should be used to handle the basic card functionality and grid. Since most libraries offer similar functionality it is more important that the chosen library offers good documentation and guarantee of future support.

Properties we consider:

• Dependability of creator: How long the project has been in development.
• Amount of contributors: How many contributors are in the project.
• Downloads: The amount of downloads the project has, or similar property.
• Activity frequency: How often the project receives activity.
• Functionality: Requirement compatibility.
• License: What license the project has.

Name	Dependability of creator	Amount of contributors	Downloads	Activity frequency	Functionality	License
React-Grid-Layout	Good, active for 10 years	133	57M	Every 2-3 months	Fully supports requirements	MIT
DnD Kit	Good, active in project for 10+ years	131	32M	Weekly	Does not support resize of card	MIT
Gridstask.js	Good, active in project for 10+ years	36	Unknown, but 16,2k stars	From daily to bi-weekly	Does not support resize of card	MIT

Individual assessment

React-Grid-Layout

Fits our requirements, has a lot of support and is kept alive by having both a large amount of contributors and downloads. Has been around for a long time so it is unlikely to be abandoned. Features a demo so that we can check if this is what we want.

DnD Kit

Would mostly fit into our needs, it is more bare-boned than we'd like. Missing features such as resizing of cards.

Gridstask.js

Not React specific and does not support all the functionality that we require. Also lower in downloads/stars and contributors.

Conclusion

We have chosen React-Grid-View due to the library having all required functionality. All other factors are better if not the same as other alternatives.