How to Steal Any React Component (fant.io)

A recent deep-dive into React’s architecture reveals a technique for extracting and reconstructing components from production websites using just the browser. This process leverages React Fiber, the internal data structure that tracks component hierarchies and states, allowing developers to bypass source code access. By mapping out the properties and resulting HTML outputs of components, the technique uses large language models (LLMs) to generate clean React code that mirrors the original functionality. This breakthrough is significant for the AI/ML community as it showcases the potential of combining frontend technologies with AI for reverse engineering tasks. By walking through the DOM and matching it with React Fiber's component tree, developers can build an understanding of a site’s structure and recreate it accurately. The method addresses challenges like dependency sorting and interactive states, although it faces limitations with dynamic elements like animations. Ultimately, this approach not only reinforces the power of AI-assisted development but also highlights the valuable insights embedded within modern web frameworks.