What is ReactJS, and how is the ReactJS environment set up?
One of the tools that different programmers use to achieve their goals more quickly is ReactJS, which is discussed below in the ReactJS environment set up.
 | 15 minute(s) read | Published on: Jul 23, 2021 Updated on: Dec 14, 2021 |
There are many programming languages, each of which has many fans among programmers. Different programmers prefer to use them to do their jobs and create additional programs depending on their goals. One of the most popular programming languages among users is JavaScript. which we are going to describe briefly in the following, one of the most popular frontend JavaScript libraries for building web applications is ReactJS, which we are going to give you a brief explanation of it as well as ReactJS environment set up, so that you can be more aware of each item.
What is JavaScript?
JS which stands for JavaScript allows you to create dynamic content on the web, which ultimately has a high interaction with the user which can be considered as an essential factor which help you reach success as soon as possible, due to the fact that when the users have good interaction with the website, they will ultimately gain a positive user experience which can make them introduce your website to their friends which, as you know, can increase the traffic to your website and improve the ranking of your website as well, so that you should pay more attention to this factor more than before, also with the help of this language, features that are very complex can be easily implemented on the web, so that there is no need to waste your time and energy due to the fact that this language will make the process easier for you, so that if you are not into solving complicated problems, this language can be considered as the best choice for you, you should also note that any program written in JavaScript is known as a "script", this language can be run on both browsers and servers which means that it is not limited, and you can take the advantages of it easier compared to other languages, and there are JavaScript engines in various browsers, which are actually embedded by JavaScript scripts and can be used in order to convert the script into a language that can be understood by different devices, as a result, you can use this language in any device due to the fact that it can be understood by them which can be considered as a great possibility of this language.
Now consider the following example:
To understand programming topics better, you need to be familiar with the following terms. It is better to pay attention to the definition of each of them to be more aware of the topic.
- Frontend Development:
One of the most common terms in this field is Frontend Development, which is the part that the user is in direct contact with and can experience on the page. The most popular frontend frameworks available are React, Angular, and Vue.js.
React is the main topic of this article, but we are also going to give a brief overview of the other two as well because each of them is of great importance.
Angular:
Another popular framework is angular, which became obsolete with the advent of Reiki, and due to its many advantages over the version described above, many fans preferred to use it.
Vue.js:
In this version, to satisfy its consumers, it uses the concepts that are used in both versions that we described above to attract more users with more creativity.
React:
We will cover this in more detail in the following part, but in general, it is an open-source JavaScript-based Frontend library.
- Backend Development:
As the name implies, everything that happens on the server-side, and if an error occurs in this part, what is seen on the client-side will also have problems.
What is ReactJS?
It is one of the JavaScript libraries that can be used to create many programs quickly, and it is also used specifically to build a better user interface for single-page programs. There are many large companies these days that prefer to use this library because it allows programmers to change the data they want without reloading a page.
Another point that this library is used to achieve is to manage display layers for web and mobile applications. The React JS library also allows you to design and create reusable components, which is important.
The exciting thing about this library was that it was first implemented on the Facebook newsletter in 2011 and Instagram.com in 2012. In the following, we will provide you with more information about this library.
Features of this library include ease of use, high speed, supporting server side, and so on, all of which ultimately make the library popular among users and make them choose this among the other choices, in the following section, we are going to mention some other important and practical features of this library, but do not forget that one of the crucial reasons is the possibility to learn the way of working with this program easier compared to other programs with similar goals, so that anyone with a basic knowledge of programming can quickly learn React which is one of the most critical factors that make it possible for everyone to use it without the need to master it or the users do not need anyone else to get help from, and they can do their tasks by their own which is one of the factors that attracts lots of users because, as you know, everyone is willing to be independent, while Angular and Ember, which are known as "domain-specific languages" are difficult to learn which is considered as a negative point for them due to the fact that just people who master this field can use them, in general, in order to learn it, you only need a basic knowledge of CSS and HTML, which is so easy to understand.
- JSX:
In React, instead of using regular JavaScript for templating, JSX is being used. You can use it to quote in HTML and use HTML tags to provide subcategories with its help.
- React Native:
It gives you the ability to create highly mobile applications by using it, simply put, React-native is a framework for creating mobile applications, which only uses JavaScript, all of which is only possible after the introduction of React, which has led to a growing interest of various programmers in this program.
How is the ReactJS environment set up?
To install this program, first, you need to download some dependencies required for running the APP, one of the programs you need to install NodeJS and NPM, and after installing them, you will be able to continue the steps.
Another program that should be installed before installing the main program is NPM, the package manager for the JS. In fact, with its help, you can install the required JavaScript packages.
What you need to do in the next step is Install React JS. In fact, after you install NodeJS, you need to install ReactJS, which you can do in two ways, which we will discuss below.
- The first way is using npm command, webpack, and babel, in fact, by downloading the webpack.config file, it is possible for you to use this software package while developing the program, another factor is babel which you need to use to convert one source code to another, and finally, when this happens, the browser can execute the new code you enter, in general, to install ReactJS, you need to perform the following steps in order.
Step1:
You need to use the command mkdir to create a folder, then you need to put a name on that to your liking, and after that, you should install all the files you need in it.
Use this code.
Step2:
In the next step, after you have created the folder mentioned in the previous step, it is time to complete the pack.json file. You need to execute the following command in your terminal to do this.
Step3:
So far, we have done two steps, and now it is time to install React and DOM packages, which require you to execute the following command.
Step4:
The next step is to install webpack, webpack-dev-server, and webpack-cli.
To be able to do this, follow the command below.
Step5:
In this step, you need to install babel and its plugins such as babel-preset-env, babel-core, babel-loader, Html-webpack-plugin, and, babel-preset-react. To perform this step of the installation, you should pay attention to the following command.
Step6:
In this step, you must create the required files such as index.html, App.js, main.js, webpack.config.js, and .babelrc to use and install React application now; pay attention to the following command.
Step7:
It contains setting up the server, compiler, and loaders. Here, we set the webpack entry point as main.js.
The output path is the one where the bundled app is served. Go to your webpack-config.js file created in the previous step and add the following code.
Now it's time to build and run the program after we've done all these steps so far.
Step8:
It's time to open the package.json file and finally add the following commands.
Step9:
In the ninth step, adding the component and rendering the page is necessary.
Note the following command.
- The second way is using create-react-app (boiler-plate), you have read the first way, which has been mentioned and reviewed step by step, you may think that it is a difficult way, so we suggest you pay attention to the second and more accessible way so that you can reach your goal this way easily, to do this, you need to open the terminal and finally enter the following command.
npx create-react-app my-app
You can use any name at the place of "my-app." It denotes the name of the application.
Then go to the folder directory by typing the following command:
cd my-app
Finally, you need to use the following command and run the program.
npm start
Step10:
To set up the server, you need to execute the following command.
Step11:
If you want to run the project for the production mode, you can use the following command. It will generate the production build, which is best optimized.
Execute the following command in the terminal.
One of the essential points to note is that to build the project successfully, some files must exist with exact filenames, which are:
- public / index.html is the page template. The index.html in your public folder is basically what gets loaded in your browser.
- src / index.js is the JavaScript entry point. Src contains all the files like App.css, App.js, App.test.js, index.css, index.js, and serviceWorker.js files.
- App.js holds the responsibility for displaying the React output screen.
- package.json holds the metadata for the project. It has the information of the project dependencies as well as the project.
- README.md includes the React topics and their documentation
So far, we have taught you how to install this program. Now we need to address the answer to the question: Why is the popularity of React JS increasing day by day? Which may not have been given so far.
Why is the popularity of React JS increasing day by day?
For programmers to modify existing components, they need to alter a lot of code, which ultimately means that they have to spend a lot of time doing so. In fact, in the past, there were things like Angular, and programmers could use these frameworks to make the changes they wanted, but it was still necessary for each programmer to do a lot of coding that required a lot of time.
Given all this, imagine that there was a program that could quickly implement their goals as efficiently as possible. Hence, all programmers became very interested in it. They could be able to use this framework to solve the complexities of the components and reuse them to make the project easier and faster.
These features have led to the growing popularity daily and the number of people who install and use them. Simply put, it provided the solution that most developers were looking for. As you know, there are many websites today that use it. Suppose you ask the developers of these websites why they use this program. In that case, you will find out every single strength of this program, such as simplicity, high flexibility, the ability to combine several components at the same time at a specific time, and so on.
Of course, it should be noted that it seems that one of the other reasons for the popularity of this program is that large sites that have many fans among various users and developers, such as Facebook, Uber, Instagram, Airbnb, and so on, use this program to solve problems related to the user interface. Eventually, users are getting more and more attracted to React JS.
It also allows its developers to write their applications in JavaScript; JSX is a great feature that makes it easy and fun. Developers can easily view a new UI while creating it. It even allows your HTML code to be imported directly into JavaScript.
Components allow developers to parse complex UI. The idea of components makes it unique, so there are no more worries about the whole web or mobile application because the complex UI or UIX can be broken down into simpler components.
Last word:
In this article, we have described React JS, and we have tried to explain it so that you can use it to get a good understanding of this program and finally achieve your desired goals. As we have mentioned above, it has a lot of simplicity that you can learn it as soon as possible, in fact, by increasing your awareness in this field, you can easily design professional applications for mobile and also try to design different websites, all of which can lead you to great success.
React uses a unique language called JSX that allows you to merge HTML and JavaScript, which help you write your code or implement your changes to different code quickly since it is so easy to learn. You do not need to master this field to get help from it. In addition to explaining why this program is so popular, we have presented the installation methods step by step, and the ways that exist, including two ways, one of which was more straightforward and the other one was more complicated. It is up to you to choose one of which. We have also mentioned the instructions that you must enter to implement your goals in the terminal. We hope this article can be helpful for you, and you can get the advantages of it to achieve your goals.Looking for the best React developer for your project? Check out this guide by EcDev Studio that offers helpful hiring tips.
