Build Fast, Scalable Apps with Crank.js: A JSX-Driven Approach

Unlock the Power of Crank.js: Building a Blogging App with JSX-Driven Components

What is Crank.js?

Imagine a framework that lets you create JSX-driven components with functions, promises, and generators. Sounds revolutionary? That’s what Crank.js is all about! Heavily inspired by React, Crank.js offers a unique approach to building UI components. Unlike Vue and Svelte, which rely on HTML template languages, Crank.js validates the idea that JSX-based components can be written with sync and async functions, as well as sync and async generator functions.

Getting Started with Crank.js

To experience the power of Crank.js, let’s build a blogging application using the JSONPlaceholder API. First, create a new directory for your project and initialize it with npm. Then, add Crank.js and Parcel as dependencies in your project.

Setting Up the Project Structure

Create an index.html file with the following content:
“`html


Next, create an `index.js` file inside a new `src` directory with the following content:
javascript
import { render } from ‘crank.js’;
import App from ‘./App’;

render(, document.getElementById(‘root’));
“`
Adding Tailwind CSS for Styling

To add some style to our application, we’ll use Tailwind CSS. Add the following line to your index.html file:
html
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/tailwind.min.css">

Create a Navbar component inside src/components/navbar directory with the following content:
“`javascript
import { html } from ‘crank.js’;

export function Navbar() {
return html
<nav class="flex justify-between items-center py-4">
<h1 class="text-3xl font-bold">Crank.js Blogging App</h1>
</nav>
;
}
“`
Fetching Data from JSONPlaceholder

JSONPlaceholder is a free service that provides a fake online REST API for testing and prototyping. We’ll use it to fetch a list of blog posts. Create a Posts component inside src/components/posts directory with the following content:
“`javascript
import { html, fetch } from ‘crank.js’;

export function Posts() {
const posts = fetch(‘https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts’);
return html
<ul>
${posts.map(post => html

)}
</ul>
;
}
“`
Showing a Loader While Fetching Posts

To show a loader while fetching posts, modify the Posts component as follows:
“`javascript
import { html, fetch } from ‘crank.js’;

let postCount = 1;

export function Posts() {
const posts = fetch(https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts?_limit=${postCount});
return html
<ul>
${posts.map(post => html

)}
<button onClick={() => postCount++}>Load More</button>
${postCount > 1? html

: ''}
</ul>
;
}
“`
The Result

With these steps, you’ve successfully built a blogging application using Crank.js! Visit http://localhost:1234/ to see the app in action.

Monitoring Your App’s Performance

As you add new JavaScript libraries and dependencies to your app, you’ll need more visibility to ensure your users don’t run into unknown issues. LogRocket is a frontend application monitoring solution that lets you replay JavaScript errors as if they happened in your own browser so you can react to bugs more effectively. Start monitoring for free today!