What is the difference between createElement and cloneElement?

Both

React.createElement

and

React.cloneElement

are used to work with React elements, but they serve different purposes.

createElement:

Creates a new React element from scratch. JSX elements will be transpiled to

React.createElement()

functions to create React elements which are going to be used for the object representation of UI. Syntax:

React.createElement(type, props, ...children)

Example:

React.createElement('button', { className: 'btn' }, 'Click Me')

cloneElement:

The

cloneElement

method is used to clone an existing React element and optionally adds or overrides props.

Syntax:

React.cloneElement(element, newProps, ...children)

Example:

const button = <button className="btn">Click Me</button>;
const cloned = React.cloneElement(button, { className: 'btn-primary' });
// Result: <button className="btn-primary">Click Me</button>