How to Deploy a React App: Step-by-Step Guide

If you are looking to make your web application available to the public, then this article is for you. Today, Aneeqa will guide you through the detailed steps for deploying your ReactJS App created using UXPin Merge.

UXPin Merge is an invaluable tool for crafting stunning web applications effortlessly, sans any coding. By leveraging its array of built-in components, you can generate functional code, eliminating the necessity for a dedicated designer within your team.

While this plugin is predominantly accessible through paid plans tailored to various requirements, it’s also available for a 14-day trial period, allowing users to explore its capabilities firsthand. Try it for free.

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What is React app deployment?

React app deployment is the process of making your React web application available online for users to access. 

To deploy your app, first, ensure that your code is optimized and ready for production. Then, choose a hosting service like GitHub Pages, Heroku, Netlify, or AWS Amplify where you’ll upload your app files. 

GitHub Pages allows you to host static websites directly from your GitHub repositories. Heroku provides a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) that enables developers to deploy, manage, and scale web applications effortlessly. Netlify offers a hosting platform with features like continuous deployment, and built-in CDN. AWS Amplify is a cloud platform that offers a comprehensive set of tools and services for building and deploying full-stack serverless and cloud-based web applications.

After deployment, thoroughly test your app across different devices and browsers to ensure it functions correctly. Monitor its performance, and optimize resources as needed. 

Finally, streamline future updates by implementing version control and automation techniques. 

By following these steps, you can effectively deploy and maintain your React app for users to enjoy.

Step 1: Create a React app

Firstly, let’s create a dashboard application to monitor analytics, order history, and sales.

1. Go to the UXPin Merge website and start the trial.
2. It’ll take you to the register account page. Enter your details and create your free account.
3. After your registration, it’ll take you to the dashboard screen which contains some trial kits with Ant Design, MUI and Bootstrap. 

4. I selected the MUI Trial Kit. It has some design examples available like a Store example, a Dashboard example, and a Blog example. You can also create your prototype by the bottom left button click.

5. I selected the dashboard prototype and clicked preview. You can also edit the design by clicking on the “Edit Design” button on mouse hover.

6. After you are satisfied with your application, you can get the code easily by switching to the “</>Spec” tab from the top menu bar.

7. Here you can copy the code, open it in StackBlitz, or download the application. I selected the download option. 
8. Open your app in StackBlitz and copy the package.json file code. You’ll need it later for running it on the local environment.
9. Once your application code is downloaded. Unzip it and add the package.json file to it. Now paste the downloaded package.json file code.
10. Run the following command to download the node modules and plugins and run the app on the local environment.

npm i && npm start

You’ve created the dashboard application in just 2 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the app for deployment

We’ll do the following steps to prepare the app for the deployment process:

1. Optimise the code: Check for all the unnecessary code and dependencies and remove it. It’ll help you minimise the size of your application. For instance, by installing and activating the ESLint extension in your VS Code editor, you can receive warnings about unused code and unnecessary dependencies.

2. Update Dependencies: Make sure that all the dependencies are up-to-date. Run the following command in the terminal to update packages to the latest version.

npm update

3. Enable Production Mode: Generate optimised production build by running the following command in the terminal.

npm run build

It’ll create a build file in the build/static/js folder of your app.

Step 3: Choose a hosting service

Choosing the right hosting service for your React application is crucial for its performance, scalability, and security.

It all starts with identifying your needs and considering factors such as expected traffic volume, scalability needs, budget constraints, technical expertise, and specific features required for your app.

Some popular hosting options are AWS Amplify, Netlify, Vercel, Heroku, Firebase, and traditional web hosting providers like Bluehost and DigitalOcean.

But today I want to focus only on Vercel (formerly Zeit Now), which provides a free tier for hosting static and server-rendered applications, including React apps. It offers features like automatic deployments from Git, custom domains, SSL encryption, and serverless functions.

You can also view real-time performance metrics such as response time, latency, and error rates for your deployed applications from the Vercel dashboard.

Step 4: Deploy the React app

To deploy the app on Vercel, we first need to make our code available on GitHub. 

1. Simply create an account on GitHub and create a new repository. Type the name for your repo and make sure to make it public for deployment purposes.

2. After creating the repo, it will take you to the repo creation screen. You can select to commit the files or you can directly upload it in the repo.

3. Make sure to commit/upload all folders and files except the “node_modules” folder.
4. Create a README.md file in the root directory to give the description of the project and instructions to run or build the application. 

# Dashboard

React MUI dashboard web app created using UXPin Merge tool

To run the app in the local environment

npm start

To create a build

npm run build

5. Now go to the Vercel website and log in with your GitHub account. It will take you to the Vercel dashboard.
6. Go to the Overview tab, click the “Add New” button from the right-hand side and select the “Project” from the dropdown.

7. It will take you to another screen to select the repo from your GitHub account. I selected my dashboard repo and clicked import.

8. After import is done, click the “Deploy” button at the bottom of the screen to deploy your web app.

9. Vercel will start the deployment process.

10. After the deployment is done (usually takes a few seconds), it will take you to another screen to display that the application is deployed. It also shows you the next steps you can take such as “Add Domain”, “Enable Speed Insights” etc.

11. Now click on the deployed app image from the above screen or go to the dashboard by clicking the “Continue to Dashboard” button from the top. 

12. Here you can either click the “Visit” button or the link mentioned below the “Domains”. It will take you to the deployed web application.
13. Now you can add this deployed app link in your README.md file in GitHub.

Live [Demo](https://dashboard-uxpin.vercel.app/)

Step 5: Test the React app

Testing an app after deployment is crucial to ensure that it functions correctly and delivers a seamless user experience in the production environment.

• Cross-Browser Testing: Test your app across different web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) to ensure compatibility and consistent behaviour.
• Mobile Responsiveness Testing: Test your React app on various mobile devices and screen sizes to ensure it’s responsive and displays correctly on smartphones and tablets.

Here is an example of using the browser developer tool by toggling the device toolbar.

• Integration Testing: If your React app integrates with external services or APIs, perform integration testing to verify that data is being exchanged correctly and that integrations are functioning as expected. But our dashboard app doesn’t have any API integration yet so we do not need it.

Step 6: Monitor performance

Monitoring the performance of your web application is crucial to ensure its reliability and optimal user experience.

Here’s how you can monitor the performance of your web app in Vercel:

Deployment Logs

Check the deployment logs for your app in Vercel to monitor the deployment process and identify any issues or errors that may occur during deployment. 

You can see it on the Vercel dashboard by selecting the “Logs” tab.

Enable Speed Insights

Vercel Speed Insights provides a detailed view of your website’s performance metrics, facilitating informed decisions for its optimization. 

You can enable this feature by following these simple steps.

1. Go to the “Speed Insights” tab from the top toolbar in the Vercel dashboard.

2. Install the package by running this command

npm i @vercel/speed-insights

3. Add the <SpeedInsights/> component in the main file i.e., index.js 

import React from "react";

...

import { SpeedInsights } from "@vercel/speed-insights/react";

...

root.render(

 <div>

   <UXPinBox />

   <SpeedInsights />

 </div>,

 document.getElementById("root")

);

4. Push the code to the GitHub. Vercel will automatically start the build process.
5. You should start seeing the speed insights after some deployment. You can learn more about this here.

Enable Web Analytics

You can enable the web analytics on the Vercel dashboard to get valuable insights on user behaviour and site performance.

1. Go to the Web Analytics tab from the top toolbar and click the Enable button.

2. Select the paid or free option according to your project needs.

3. Next install the package by running this command.

npm i @vercel/analytics

4. Add the <Analytics/> component in the main file i.e., index.js

import React from "react";

...

import { Analytics } from '@vercel/analytics/react';

...

root.render(

 <div>

   <UXPinBox />

   <SpeedInsights />

   <Analytics />

 </div>,

 document.getElementById("root")

);

5. Deploy the application again and you can start seeing the analytics on the dashboard after some time.Learn more about Web Analytics from the Vercel Docs.

Step 7: Streamline future updates

Streamlining future updates in a Web app is essential for maintaining its relevance, fixing bugs, and adding new features efficiently.

Implement version control

Take advantage of version control systems like Git to manage changes to your React app’s codebase. By using branches, commits, and pull requests, you can track changes, collaborate with team members, and safely experiment with new features without risking the stability of your main codebase.

Adopt Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Set up CI/CD pipelines to automate the process of building, testing, and deploying your React app. CI/CD allows you to automatically run tests, verify code quality, and deploy updates to production environments with minimal manual intervention. This not only reduces the time and effort required for deployments but also ensures a consistent and reliable release process.

Implement feature flags

Introduce feature flags to control the release of new features in your React app. By toggling feature flags on and off, you can gradually roll out new features to specific user segments, gather feedback, and monitor performance before fully releasing them to all users. Feature flags also provide the flexibility to roll back changes quickly if any issues arise during deployment.

Invest in Automated Testing

Prioritize automated testing to ensure the stability and reliability of your React app. Write unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests to verify the functionality of individual components and the app as a whole. Integrate testing frameworks like Jest and Cypress into your CI/CD pipeline to automatically run tests on every code change, catching bugs early in the development process.

Stay Up-to-Date with Dependencies

Regularly update dependencies, including React, React Router, and other third-party libraries used in your app. Stay informed about new releases, security patches, and deprecations to keep your app up-to-date and secure. Tools like npm audit can help identify and address security vulnerabilities in your dependencies, ensuring the reliability and integrity of your app.

Conclusion

In wrapping up, deploying a React app involves more than just putting it online; it’s about guaranteeing its functionality, speed, and adaptability as it grows. By adhering to the steps outlined in this guide, you can deploy your React app confidently and position yourself for success in the long haul.

Starting from the creation phase using tools like UXPin Merge and moving through the optimisation of code and updates of dependencies, each step is vital in the deployment process. Selecting an appropriate hosting service, such as Vercel, and conducting thorough testing across various browsers and devices will ensure a seamless experience for your users.

Furthermore, monitoring performance metrics and collecting user feedback will help you pinpoint areas for enhancement and guide your decisions for future updates.

In essence, deploying a React app isn’t a one-and-done deal; it’s an ongoing journey of refinement and creativity. By embracing these best practices and maintaining a proactive stance, you can ensure that your React app continues to meet the evolving needs of your users and remains a valuable asset for your endeavours.

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