JavaScript: Differences between document.createDocumentFragment() and document.createElement()

In JavaScript, both document.createDocumentFragment() and document.createElement() are used to create DOM elements, but they serve slightly different purposes. Here are the differences:

  1. document.createElement():

    • This method is used to create a new element node.
    • It takes a string parameter representing the name of the element to be created (e.g., ‘div’, ‘span’, ‘p’, etc.).
    • Example usage:
    const newDiv = document.createElement('div');

  2. document.createDocumentFragment():

    • This method creates a new empty DocumentFragment object, which is essentially a lightweight container for holding DOM nodes.
    • It’s useful when you need to create a group of nodes, manipulate them, and then append them to the DOM efficiently.
    • Unlike createElement(), it doesn’t create a specific element; instead, it creates a container for elements.
    • Example usage:
    const fragment = document.createDocumentFragment();
const newDiv = document.createElement('div');
fragment.appendChild(newDiv);

Key Differences:

  • Performance: createDocumentFragment() can be more efficient than createElement() when you’re dealing with multiple DOM manipulations. This is because appending elements to a DocumentFragment doesn’t trigger reflows or repaints in the browser until it’s appended to the DOM.
  • DOM Manipulation: createElement() creates single elements directly, while createDocumentFragment() is more suitable for creating a group of elements or a subtree of the DOM.
  • Use Cases: createElement() is typically used when you want to create individual elements that will be immediately added to the DOM, whereas createDocumentFragment() is useful when you need to create and manipulate a group of elements before adding them to the DOM in one go.

In summary, while both methods are used to create DOM elements, createElement() creates individual elements, whereas createDocumentFragment() creates a container for holding multiple elements, which can be manipulated efficiently before being appended to the DOM.