Is there a way to render multiple React components in the React.render() function?

Since the React v16.0 release you can render an array of components without wrapping items in an extra element when you are inside a component:

render() {
  return [
    <li key="one">First item</li>,
    <li key="two">Second item</li>,
    <li key="three">Third item</li>,
    <li key="four">Fourth item</li>,
  ];
}

Remember only to set the keys.

UPDATE

Now from the 16.2 version you can use the Fragments

  render() {
    return (
      <React.Fragment>
        <td>Hello</td>
        <td>World</td>
      </React.Fragment>
    );
  }

Short syntax

  render() {
    return (
      <>
        <td>Hello</td>
        <td>World</td>
      </>
    );
  }

In the ReactDOM.render you still can't render multiple items because react needs a root. So you can render a single component inside the ReactDOM.render and render an array of items in the internal component.

React >= 16.2

Since version 16.2 <React.Fragment /> (or <></> for short) was introduced, so you can use conditions.

This is the preferable way.

return (
    <React.Fragment>
        <h1>Page title</h1>
        <ContentComponent />
        {this.props.showFooter && (
            <footer>(c) stackoverflow</footer>
        )}
    </React.Fragment>
)

React 16

Since React 16, you can return from the render() method a list of components. The trade of is you cant easily condition the render and need to add key attribute to each component in the list.

return [
    <h1 key="page-title">Page</h1>,
    <ContentComponent key="content" />,
    <footer>(c)stackoverflow</footer>
]

React < 16

In older versions of React, you can't render multiple components without wrapping them in an enclosing element (tag, component). eg:

return (
  <article>
    <h1>title</h1>
    <meta>some meta</meta>
  </article>
)

If you want to use them realy as just one element, you have to create a module from them.

Just wrap your multiple components into single tag. For example:

React.render(
  <div>
    <PanelA />
    <PanelB />
  </div>, 
  document.body  
);