Building Interactive Dashboards: Why React-Grid-Layout Was Our Best Choice

After releasing our first version of the ilert dashboard as a static layout, we knew we wanted to take it further by allowing users to customize and arrange widgets freely. We aimed to provide a truly interactive experience, which led us to search for a library that could handle drag-and-drop and resizing functionalities while integrating well with our existing tech stack.

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In this post, I’ll walk you through our selection process, the essential features we prioritized, and why we ultimately chose React-Grid-Layout as the best solution for ilert’s needs.

Core Features We Needed for ilert's Dashboard

Before diving into specific libraries, we outlined the key requirements necessary to create a user-friendly and flexible dashboard. Here’s what we prioritized:

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• React and TypeScript support. To seamlessly align with our tech stack, we needed a library compatible with both React and TypeScript to ensure strong type safety and efficient development.
• Grid layout with drag-and-drop. This was a must for providing users with a dynamic and customizable dashboard. Users needed to move, rearrange, and resize widgets without hassle.
• Responsive Design. With a variety of screen sizes and devices in use, our dashboard needed to be fully responsive, adjusting across different layouts.
• Active maintenance and updates: Since we rely on the library for critical functionality, a strong, supportive community, and regular updates were crucial to ensure long-term reliability and security.

Evaluating grid and drag-and-drop libraries for ilert’s dashboard

We reviewed several popular libraries to find the best match. Each had its strengths and weaknesses, so we evaluated each one based on ease of integration, functionality, and level of customization. Below is a summary of the main options we considered:

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1. React-Grid-Layout

• Pros:
  • Purpose-built for React, making integration straightforward.
  • Comprehensive drag-and-drop and resizing support out-of-the-box.
  • Responsive design that adjusts to various screen sizes.
  • Strong community support, regular updates, and TypeScript compatibility.
• Cons:
  • Limited flexibility for non-traditional layouts beyond the standard grid.
  • Potential performance challenges in very complex or data-heavy dashboards.

2. dnd-kit

• Pros:
  • Lightweight and modular, ideal for custom drag-and-drop experiences.
  • High accessibility, with full keyboard navigation support.
  • Strong performance in custom interactions.
• Cons:
  • No built-in grid layout functionality, requiring manual setup.
  • Lacks widget resizing capabilities, adding complexity for custom implementations.

3. Packery

• Pros:
  • Ideal for masonry-style layouts
  • Supports draggable item repositioning.
• Cons:
  • The last major update was in 2018, so it's somewhat outdated.
  • Limited React and TypeScript compatibility, making integration difficult.

4. Gridster.js

• Pros:
  • Basic drag-and-drop and resizing functionalities are included.
• Cons:
  • Outdated with minimal support for React, with few updates.
  • Known bugs and limited community support, making maintenance challenging.

After carefully evaluating each option, React-Grid-Layout emerged as the most complete and efficient solution for our requirements. We chose React-Grid-Layout for its built-in drag-and-drop functionality, seamless React integration, active maintenance, and efficient grid support, which saved time and reduced complexity. Its performance and stability met our needs for interactive, data-heavy dashboards with minimal optimization required. 

Implementing React-Grid-Layout in ilert’s dashboard

To demonstrate the effectiveness of React-Grid-Layout, here’s a quick example of how we integrated its core features into our dashboard:

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• Drag-and-Drop configuration. Using React-Grid-Layout's API, we configured widgets to be draggable across grid cells. This allowed users to freely move widgets to desired positions with a smooth and responsive experience.
• Widget resizing. React-Grid-Layout’s resizing functionality was straightforward to implement, enabling users to expand or contract widgets. This was critical for enhancing the flexibility of our dashboards.
• Responsive adjustments. The library’s built-in responsive options allowed our dashboard layout to adjust automatically across devices, delivering a consistent experience on the desktop.

These features helped us provide a flexible and intuitive dashboard experience, greatly enhancing usability. You can check how ilert interactive dashboards work in this video:

Quick Comparison: React-Grid-Layout vs. Alternatives for ilert’s Use Case