Create a React Web App From Scratch
How to Create a React Web App
Creating a React application from scratch is a crucial skill for web developers, especially given React’s widespread popularity as a front-end library for building user interfaces.
According to StackOverflow’s annual developer survey, React consistently ranks among the top choices for developers, and not surprisingly, many modern web applications are built using React.
But here’s the truth: creating a React application doesn’t have to be complicated. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to build a React app from scratch using modern tools and best practices.
What Is a React Web App?
A React web app is a dynamic, component-based web application built using React, a popular JavaScript library for creating interactive user interfaces.
React web apps allow developers to build scalable and efficient front-end applications that offer smooth user experiences. React is primarily focused on the front end, while it can be integrated with various backend technologies like Node.js, Express.js, or Firebase to build full-stack applications.
React Web Apps: Required Tools and Frameworks
React is a powerful, declarative JavaScript library designed for building user interfaces using a component-based architecture. It allows developers to create large, scalable applications that can update and render efficiently as data changes.
One reason React is so popular is its flexibility, high performance, and the vast ecosystem of tools and libraries available to enhance development.
For React apps that need navigation and routing, React Router is a must-have. It lets developers manage multiple views within a web app and ensures smooth transitions between components without reloading the entire page.
To handle state management effectively, Redux is a commonly used library. It helps manage data flow, ensuring that all parts of the app have consistent access to updates, which is particularly helpful in larger applications with complex data needs.
When it comes to building polished user interfaces quickly, Material-UI (MUI) is a popular choice. It provides pre-designed components that follow Google’s Material Design guidelines, making it easy to create modern, visually appealing, and user-friendly interfaces.
Other useful tools include Next.js for server-side rendering and libraries like React Hook Form for managing form state efficiently.
Five: The Fastest Way to Build a Web App for React Developers
Five offers React developers an incredibly efficient way to build web applications, providing an alternative for those looking to speed up development without sacrificing control or flexibility.
As a rapid application development environment, Five eliminates much of the repetitive work involved in web app creation, particularly when it comes to integrating with back-end data sources and managing complex functionalities.
One of the most compelling features of Five is its ability to auto-generate fully responsive interfaces, connected to almost any data source.
Whether you’re working with databases or APIs, Five simplifies backend integration, allowing developers to stay focused on the front-end user experience.
Alongside this, Five includes a built-in MySQL database modeler, enabling you to design and manage your database schema directly within the platform.
No need to switch between different environments—everything can be handled in one place, improving the entire process.
For developers needing to connect external services, Five’s connection wizard makes it easy to integrate REST APIs or external databases, saving time and effort. This is particularly useful for full-stack projects that require robust data management and fast, reliable integration capabilities.
On the front end, Five provides form, chart, and report wizards that allow you to quickly create intuitive components for data collection and visualization.
You won’t need to rely on additional libraries like React Hook Form or Chart.js—Five covers these needs directly, making it easier to deliver dynamic, user-friendly web apps.
Perhaps one of the most valuable features of Five is its single-click deployment capability. Whether you’re testing your app or deploying it to production, Five handles the backend setup with minimal friction. It allows you to go from development to launch in a few clicks, eliminating many of the traditional hurdles associated with deployment.
All of this is done within your browser, with no need for additional external tools or installations. Five covers the entire development lifecycle, from database modeling to deployment, making it an efficient solution for developers who want to focus on creating high-quality user interfaces without being bogged down by backend complexities.
Web App Tutorial: Build and Deploy an Web App
In this web app tutorial, you will learn step-by-step how to create a fully functional web app using Five. Whether you are starting from scratch or integrating with an existing project, this hands-on guide will walk you through everything you need to build a web app interface in no time.
Here’s what you’ll achieve by the end of this tutorial:
Database Creation:
We’ll start by creating a database from scratch using Five’s built-in MySQL modeler, so you can manage and structure your data with ease.
Auto-Generated Admin Panel:
With your database ready, you’ll instantly generate an admin panel that includes essential features like forms for data collection, interactive charts for visualization, and a PDF report generator.
User Management & Authentication:
Learn how to add user management and authentication features to control who accesses your admin panel.
Third-Party Integration:
Finally, you will integrate your admin panel with external services like Slack, giving your application the ability to send real-time notifications and alerts.
If you prefer written, step-by-step instructions for this web app tutorial, visit our code-along article here.
What Developers Say About Five
Here is what developers say about Five:
“Five is a great product for building admin panels or CRUD applications. It is easy to use, scalable and has great customer support. I highly recommend Five to anyone who needs to build a web application without much effort.” – Shweta Kale, Software Developer
“Five took away a lot of headaches of frontend development by providing a highly customizable UI and navbar alongside a MySQL database.” – Nebiyu Elias, Software Engineer
“Five is an excellent approach to that disconnect between relational database development and the web.” – Crag Jones
“With Five, we were able to very quickly develop a prototype of the solution we had in mind. We liked the fact that inside Five, we can work in no code, low code, or even full code, which gives us full flexibility to design software applications.” – Kurt Bornhutter, Group Manager, Revenue & Optimisation, Canstar
“Five is a rapid, robust way to take spreadsheet-based business processes, and replace them with better validated forms for data collection, and approval workflows. Five makes it easy to write custom functions, and perform traditional integrations, using JavaScript.” – Philip Antrobus, Data & AI Capability Lead, NCS Australia
Create a React Web App Tutorial
This React tutorial begins by introducing React as a JavaScript library designed to create dynamic and interactive user interfaces.
No prior knowledge of React is necessary, though a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is recommended. The course builds a production-grade video game discovery app with features like dark/light mode, dynamic page updates, and filtering by genre and platform. The app is developed using components, React’s core building blocks, which allow for modular, reusable code.
The course emphasizes building with Typescript, a superset of JavaScript that adds static typing, ensuring that errors are caught early. It explains JSX, a syntax extension that combines HTML with JavaScript, allowing developers to create complex UIs in an efficient, readable manner. The tutorial details how React’s virtual DOM optimizes updates by comparing changes before rendering them to the real DOM.
Students are guided through setting up a React environment, using VS Code, and choosing either Create React App or Vite as their project tool. The instructor provides step-by-step instructions on creating components, managing state with the useState hook, and handling events such as clicks.
Conditional rendering, dynamic class application, and passing data between components using props are thoroughly explored. Students also learn how to make components reusable by accepting dynamic content, further enhancing the modularity of the app.
The course includes practical advice on tools like React DevTools for debugging and optimizing React applications. By the end of the tutorial, students gain hands-on experience in creating dynamic, data-driven UIs using React components, mastering key concepts such as JSX, state management, event handling, and props. The tutorial is part of a larger, more comprehensive React course that delves into advanced topics like routing, state management, and performance optimization.
