Unlock the Power of React: A Comprehensive Guide to Deployment
Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of deploying your React application? Look no further! In this article, we’ll take you on a journey to explore the various options for preparing and deploying your React app, from initializing with Create React App to deploying on Heroku and DigitalOcean with Nginx.
Getting Started
Before we dive in, make sure you have the following prerequisites covered:
- Familiarity with CSS, HTML, and JavaScript ES6
- A web browser installed on your machine
- Familiarity with Git
- A code editor installed on your development machine
- A basic understanding of React
Initializing a React App with Create React App
Let’s begin by initializing a new React application using Create React App. Run the command npx create-react-app self-hosted-app in your working directory. This will generate a new React app with all the necessary files.
Preparing for Deployment
To prepare your app for deployment, create a production version by running npm run build. This will generate build files for your application and store them in a folder named build at the root directory of your app.
Next, remove the /build folder from .gitignore to ensure it’s pushed alongside other files to GitHub. Then, create a new repo on GitHub and push your web files.
Creating a Web Server
Create a folder called server at the root directory of your project, and add a file called server.js. This will handle all requests sent to your web application.
Deploying via Heroku
To deploy your app to Heroku, register for an account and create a new app. Then, click on the Git deployment option, search for your repository name, and click Connect. Enable auto-deployment and click the deploy branch to view your app on the live server.
Deploying via DigitalOcean with Nginx
To deploy to DigitalOcean, log into your server via SSH and navigate to the /www directory. Clone your web files from GitHub and create an Nginx server block to run your application. Add the code snippet below to point every request to the HTML file in the build folder.
Taking Control of Your Deployment
Self-hosting a React application can be economical and give you total control over your deployment, build tools, and workflow. With Create React App, Heroku, and DigitalOcean with Nginx, you have multiple options to choose from. Try out these methods and take control of your React app’s deployment today!
Error Tracking Made Easy
Get set up with LogRocket’s modern React error tracking in minutes. Visit https://logrocket.com/signup/ to get an app ID and install LogRocket via npm or script tag. Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any questions!