> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://shopify-1.gitbook.io/react/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://shopify-1.gitbook.io/react/1.-fundamentals/components.md).

# Components

Everything in React starts with a component. A component takes in parameters, called ***props***, and returns a hierarchy of views to display.

> Components let you split an application's UI into independent, reusable pieces, and think about each piece in isolation.
>
> Conceptually, components are like JavaScript functions. They accept arbitrary inputs (called “props”) and return React elements describing what should appear on the screen.