Use React.createRef() to track child nodes (Remove ReactDOM dependency)

[kjkta]

Here's a potential solution to removing ReactDOM peer dependency.

[taion]

there’s no guarantee the child will be a DOM node. among other things

[kjkta]

How does using refs to identify a node (if there is one) differ to using ReactDOM.findNode?

[Miklet]

ref can be a node but also can be a component's instance. Using ReactDOM.findNode always return underlaying node (unless it renders null or false). Passing explicitly a ref would guarantee it but it would break API.