Beginning ReactJS Foundations Building User Interfaces with ReactJS

15Initialize a React Project from Scratch

Using a pre-built build toolchain, such as Create React App, is convenient and allows React programmers to focus on the most important job at hand—programming with React. However, there are times when you'll need to customize your toolchain or adjust settings in one of the tools that make up Create React App. Knowing what tools make up your toolchain and learning how to install and configure each of them and wire them together will give you a head start.

In this chapter, you'll learn:

• How to install and configure a module bundler.
• How to install and configure ESLint.
• How to use Babel.
• How to automate tasks with npm scripts.
• How to create a production build of your React app.
• Options for organizing a React project.

BUILDING YOUR OWN TOOLCHAIN

Create React App is an invaluable tool for automating and simplifying many of the tasks involved in starting, testing, deploying, and maintaining React apps. Under the hood of Create React App, many different Node.js packages are working together, mostly seamlessly. As a React developer, having such a powerful set of tools that is continually being maintained and improved is liberating.

Create React App is not the only build toolchain for React, however. There are alternatives to each of the components of Create React App and there are other toolchains available that have strengths and features that Create React App lacks.

Prior to the creation of Create React App, it was common for React developers ...