Implementing Star Rating Inputs in React Applications
These four packages provide ready-made star rating components for React, allowing users to select or view ratings using visual star icons. While they share a common goal, they differ significantly in customization options, API design, and long-term maintenance status. react-star-ratings is a legacy choice with widespread historical adoption but limited active support. react-rating offers flexible symbol customization. react-rating-stars-component and react-star-rating-component aim to provide lighter or more modern alternatives with varying degrees of CSS control and TypeScript support.
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React Star Rating Packages: Architecture, API, and Maintenance Compared
Choosing a star rating component seems simple, but architectural decisions here impact accessibility, theming, and long-term maintenance. These four packages solve the same problem but take different approaches to props, styling, and lifecycle management. Let's examine how they handle real-world requirements.
šØ Customizing Star Icons: SVGs vs Fonts vs Images
Visual consistency is critical in design systems. Some packages lock you into specific icon sets, while others allow full replacement.
react-rating allows you to pass custom components or strings as symbols.
- You can define empty, full, and placeholder states separately.
- Ideal for brands needing custom shapes beyond standard stars.
// react-rating: Custom symbols
import Rating from 'react-rating';
<Rating
initialRating={3}
symbol={<span className="custom-star">ā
</span>}
emptySymbol={<span className="custom-star">ā</span>}
/>
react-rating-stars-component relies on CSS classes or simple props for color.
- Customization is mostly done via CSS overrides or size props.
- Less flexible for replacing the star shape itself.
// react-rating-stars-component: CSS based
import ReactStars from "react-rating-stars-component";
<ReactStars
count={5}
size={24}
color="#ffd700"
activeColor="#ffd700"
/>
react-star-rating-component supports custom icons via props.
- You can pass specific elements for active and inactive states.
- Similar flexibility to
react-ratingbut with a different API structure.
// react-star-rating-component: Custom icons
import StarRating from 'react-star-rating-component';
<StarRating
value={4}
count={5}
onValueChange={(v) => console.log(v)}
starComponent={(filled) => filled ? 'ā
' : 'ā'}
/>
react-star-ratings uses SVGs or FontAwesome classes.
- You can pass
svgIconPathorfontAwesomeIcon. - Good for projects already using FontAwesome but rigid otherwise.
// react-star-ratings: SVG or FontAwesome
import StarRatings from 'react-star-ratings';
<StarRatings
rating={3}
starRatedColor="red"
numberOfStars={5}
name="rating"
/>
š±ļø Handling User Interaction: Readonly vs Interactive
Rating components often serve two purposes: input (editing) and display (viewing). Handling state changes correctly is vital for data integrity.
react-rating uses onClick and onHover callbacks.
- You manage the state externally using React hooks.
- Supports readonly mode by omitting the callback.
// react-rating: External state management
const [rating, setRating] = useState(0);
<Rating
initialRating={rating}
onClick={(rate) => setRating(rate)}
readonly={false}
/>
react-rating-stars-component uses an onChange prop.
- Similar to standard input handling.
- Readonly mode is controlled by passing a null handler or specific prop.
// react-rating-stars-component: onChange handler
const [value, setValue] = useState(2);
<ReactStars
count={5}
value={value}
onChange={(newRating) => setValue(newRating)}
/>
react-star-rating-component uses onValueChange.
- Explicitly separates value updates from rendering.
- Clear distinction between controlled and uncontrolled modes.
// react-star-rating-component: onValueChange
<StarRating
value={3}
count={5}
onValueChange={(val) => handleUpdate(val)}
edit={true}
/>
react-star-ratings uses changeRating callback.
- Requires a
nameprop to identify the input. - Older pattern that feels less aligned with modern React practices.
// react-star-ratings: changeRating callback
<StarRatings
rating={3}
changeRating={(newRating) => setRating(newRating)}
numberOfStars={5}
name="rating"
/>
š ļø Maintenance & Long-term Viability
For architectural decisions, maintenance status is as important as features. Unmaintained packages introduce security and compatibility risks.
react-rating has periodic updates but varies by fork.
- Check the specific maintainer profile before installing.
- Suitable for stable projects where frequent updates are not expected.
react-rating-stars-component sees moderate activity.
- Generally compatible with recent React versions.
- Lower risk than legacy packages but verify TypeScript definitions.
react-star-rating-component has limited recent activity.
- Use with caution in long-term enterprise applications.
- May require forks or patches for future React major versions.
react-star-ratings is largely unmaintained.
- Last significant updates were several years ago.
- Do not use for new projects; migrate existing usages to active alternatives.
š Summary: Feature Comparison
| Feature | react-rating | react-rating-stars-component | react-star-rating-component | react-star-ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Icons | ā Full Control | ā ļø CSS Only | ā Via Props | ā ļø SVG/FontAwesome |
| State Mgmt | External Hooks | onChange Prop | onValueChange | changeRating |
| Half Stars | ā Supported | ā Supported | ā Supported | ā Supported |
| Maintenance | ā ļø Variable | ā Moderate | ā ļø Low | ā Unmaintained |
| TS Support | ā ļø Community Types | ā Built-in | ā ļø Community Types | ā None |
š” The Big Picture
react-rating is the most flexible for design systems ā it lets you replace the star shape entirely. Use it when branding matters more than setup speed.
react-rating-stars-component offers a balanced approach ā easy to drop in with decent CSS control. Ideal for standard admin panels or customer review sections.
react-star-rating-component provides a simple API ā good for quick implementations where deep customization is not a priority.
react-star-ratings is a legacy tool ā avoid it for new work. It served many projects well in the past but lacks the support needed for modern React ecosystems.
Final Thought: While all four packages render stars, your choice should depend on customization needs and maintenance risk. For new projects, prioritize packages with active commits and TypeScript support to reduce technical debt.
How to Choose: react-rating vs react-rating-stars-component vs react-star-rating-component vs react-star-ratings
- react-rating:
Choose
react-ratingif you need full control over the visual symbols used for ratings, such as custom SVGs or emojis instead of standard stars. It is suitable for projects requiring unique branding where default star icons do not fit the design system. Be aware that maintenance cycles may be slower compared to newer alternatives. - react-rating-stars-component:
Choose
react-rating-stars-componentif you want a lightweight solution with straightforward CSS customization for star colors and sizes. This package works well for simple forms or review sections where deep configuration is not required. It is a good middle ground between feature richness and bundle weight. - react-star-rating-component:
Choose
react-star-rating-componentif you prefer a simple API focused on value binding and basic interaction handling. It fits well in admin dashboards or internal tools where rapid implementation is more important than extensive theming options. Verify current maintenance status before committing to long-term projects. - react-star-ratings:
Choose
react-star-ratingsonly for legacy maintenance or quick prototypes where stability is proven but new features are not needed. Do not use this in new greenfield projects due to lack of active maintenance and potential compatibility issues with modern React versions. Consider migrating to maintained alternatives for production systems.
Popular Comparisons
README for react-rating
React Rating
React Rating is a react rating component which supports custom symbols both with inline styles and glyphicons found in popular CSS Toolkits like Fontawesome or Bootstrap.
This React component was inspired by the jQuery plugin bootstrap-rating.
Demo
See react-rating in action.
Installation
You can install react-rating component using the npm package manager:
npm install --save react-rating
Dependencies
The react-rating component peer depends on the React library.
You can install React using npm too:
npm install --save react
Upgrade Warning
If you are using a version of React Rating < v1.0 be aware that there are API changes between anything < v1.0 and v1.0 . See the Properties and Deprecated Properties and Callbacks sections below for a documentation of the current API and how it compares to the old.
Usage
-
Require the Rating Component
var Rating = require('react-rating'); -
Start using it
With raw javascript:
React.createElement(Rating)Or with JSX:
<Rating />
Properties
| Property | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
start | number | 0 | Range starting value (exclusive). |
stop | number | 5 | Range stop value (inclusive). |
step | number | 1 | Describes how many values each Symbol represents. For example, for a start value of 0, a stop value of 10 and a step of 2, we will end up with 5 Symbols, with each Symbol representing value increments of 2. |
fractions | number | 1 | Number of equal subdivisions that can be selected as a rating in each Symbol. For example, for a fractions value of 2, you will be able to select a rating with a precision of down to half a Symbol. Must be >= 1 |
initialRating | number | 0 | The value that will be used as an initial rating. This is the old initialRate. |
placeholderRating | number | 0 | If you do not define an initialRating value, you can use a placeholder rating. Visually, this will have the same result as if you had defined an initialRating value. If initialRating is set placeholderRating is not taken into account. This is the old placeholderRate |
readonly | bool | false | Whether the rating can be modified or not. |
quiet | bool | false | Whether to animate rate hovering or not. |
direction | ltr or rtl | ltr | The direction of the rating element contents |
emptySymbol | element or object or string or array | Style.empty | React element, inline style object, or classes applied to the rating symbols when empty. Can also be an array of such symbols that will be applied in a circular manner (round-robin). This is the old empty. |
fullSymbol | element or object or string or array | Style.full | React element, inline style object, or classes applied to the rating symbols when full. Can also be an array of such symbols that will be applied in a circular manner (round-robin). This is the old full. |
placeholderSymbol | element or object or string or array | Style.placeholder | React element, inline style object, or classes applied to the placeholder rating symbols. Can also be an array of such symbols that will be applied in a circular manner (round-robin). This is the old placeholder. |
Callbacks
| Callback | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
onChange | function (value) {} | Gets called with the value when a different value than the currently set is selected. |
onClick | function (value) {} | Gets called with the value when a symbol is clicked. The value is equal to the value that corresponds to that part of the symbol. |
onHover | function (value) {} | Gets called with the value when you hover over a symbol. The value is equal to the value that corresponds to that part of the symbol. Gets called in quiet mode too. When hover ends, gets called with no value (i.e. undefined as the value). |
Deprecated Properties and Callbacks
This is a list of deprecated properties and callbacks from versions older than v1.0
onRateinitialRateplaceholderRateemptyfullplaceholder