React is one of the most famous JavaScript frameworks out there. As a developer, your job is to make the best possible use of it and that’s where the tools come in. With an ever-growing React ecosystem, it becomes challenging to choose the right tools for your project.
To ensure that you do not have to struggle with choosing the right tools for your React project, we have listed 10 essential React Tools for 2023.
Let’s get started.
React Developer Tools
One of the essential tools that you need to add in your React tool kit is the React Developer Tools. It is a tool for the Chrome browser that lets you list components and subcomponents that are rendered on screen.
Apart from that, you also get a handy profiler tab where you can measure the React app’s performance.
So, the next time you open up Chrome or Chromium-based browsers, you will find those options listed in your DevTools options on the browser.
Bit
Bit is another Chromium-based addon that lets you create and manage your React components. It offers an interactive CLI tool to interact with your site. Also, you can use their online platform to publish and share your site. Moreover, you can also search for third-party components that can then be added to your site.
Clearly, the marketplace is an attractive feature for the tool as you can use it to find useful third-party components.
React Bootstrap
React Bootstrap is a simple bootstrap implementation for your React apps. So, if you want to use Bootstrap in your React project, then you need to use the React Bootstrap tool. It is built from the ground up to meet the unique feature-set of the React framework. It also has improved performance as they unnecessary jQuery dependencies.
It also works well with the React component model by giving you control over each component’s function and form. The tool comes with support for Bootstrap 4.
Storybook
The Storybook is an open-source React tool that lets you create UI components and test them. Generally, you will keep jumping from browser to code. But, with Storybook, you will get a UI editor to develop your app. This way, you will be in more touch with your development and can virtually inspect every aspect of your React app instantly. This means you are free to experiment with your code as much as you like.
To install Storybook to your project, you need to run the following command.
$ npx -p @storybook/cli sb init
Once done, you can review the project structure and choose the layer you will be working on.
To run Storybook, you need to use the command:
$ npm run storybook
Create React App
Bootstrapping your project can be one of the most time-consuming tasks. However, with the Create React App tool, you can create a new React project with a single command.
$ npx create-react-app my-new-app
Also, you need npm or yarn to use the command. If you are using yarn, then you need to use the following command.
$ yarn create react-app my-new-app
Alternatively, if you are using npm, you need to type the following command.
$ npm init react-app my-new-app
Make sure you replace the keyword, “my-new-app” with your React app name.
The tool works with all the major operating systems including macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Also, to start the project, you need to type
npm start or yarn start
Finally, visit http://localhost:3000 to view your app in your local browser.
VS Studio React Extension Pack
If you are using VS studio by any chance, then you must try out the React Extension Pack. The pack offers you a lot of features. For example, you can use ESLint in your VS Code or get your npm ready for action.
The list of features that the pack offers is as below.
- ReactJS Code Snippets → You get access to 40+ snippets and 34 proTypes-specific snippets
- ESLint → Adds ES Link support
- npm → Adds npm support to VS Studio
- JS ES6 Snippets → Get access to more JS ES6 Snippets
- npm intelliSense → Offers auto-complete for npm
- Path intelliSense → Offers auto-complete for your local imports
React Styleguideist
React Styleguideist is yet another tool that lets you showcase UI components.
To install the tool, you need to have a webpack installed and run the following command.
npm install –save-dev react-styleguidist
Once done, start the style guide server by using:
$ npx styleguidist server
To know more, you can check out their demo page.
Proxy Server
If you are working on multiple projects, then it is not always possible to change the local server address, i.e., localhost:3000.
With Proxy Server, it is now possible to make proxy API requests. This means that your local React App and back-end API can co-exist.
To set up the proxy server, you need to edit the package.json
In short, it gives you a seamless experience when working with backend API. It is also easy to set-up and eliminates CORS issues.
Proton Native
Proton Native lets you create native desktop applications with the React framework. So, you can clearly define the GUI elements and then define react components accordingly.
To install the Proton Native, you need to use the following command.
$ npm install -g create-proton-app
React-Proto
The last tool that we suggest is the React-Proto, which lets you use React apps without using any code. It is a visual design tool and can come in handy for creating minimum viable products(MVPs).
Conclusion
This leads us to the end of our ten essential React tools for 2023. You may also want to check out React Examples, an online platform that offers React component sharing with other developers.
Apart from that, we also suggest checking our Why did you Render, a tool that lets you avoid re-rendering issues in your React app.
Lastly, check out Material UI, which lets you use material design for your React app.
So, which tools do you think you can fully utilize in your project? Comment below and let us know.
