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Ian Ochieng
Ian Ochieng

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Introducing Jengo React Starter Kit – Build CI4 Apps with React & Inertia.js Effortlessly

Hi devs πŸ‘‹,

After working with CodeIgniter 4, React, and Inertia.js across a few projects, I found myself repeating the same setup steps over and over again β€” composer configs, Webpack, directory structure, React + Inertia integration... You know the drill.

So I decided to package it all up into something clean and reusable:

jengo/react-starter-kit

A Composer-powered starter kit for building full-stack apps using:

  • βœ… CodeIgniter 4 – a fast PHP framework
  • βš›οΈ React – frontend library of choice
  • 🧭 Inertia.js – the glue between backend and frontend
  • 🎨 Tailwind CSS + DaisyUI – modern UI styling

✨ Features

  • ⚑ Pre-configured Inertia.js bridge for CI4
  • βš›οΈ React + Webpack setup ready to go
  • 🎨 Tailwind CSS + DaisyUI support out of the box
  • πŸ“ Opinionated folder structure for smooth separation of concerns
  • πŸš€ Dev server powered by CI4's php server at port :8080
  • πŸ§ͺ Includes a clean welcome page with layout structure

πŸš€ Quick Start

composer create-project jengo/react-starter-kit my-app

cd my-app
npm install
npm run dev
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Visit http://localhost:8080 and you're up and running!


πŸ” Folder Structure

app/Controllers/       # Backend routes/controllers
resources/js/Pages/    # React components
resources/js/Shared/   # Shared layouts/components
public/                # Web root
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πŸ“Έ Welcome Page Preview

A basic layout is already set up with a simple welcome message:

// Home.jsx
export default function Home() {
  return (
    <Layout>
      <h2>πŸŽ‰ Welcome to Jengo React Starter Kit</h2>
      <p>
        You're now running a full-stack app powered by{" "}
        <strong>CodeIgniter 4</strong>, <strong>React</strong>, and{" "}
        <strong>Inertia.js</strong>.
      </p>
    </Layout>
  );
}
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πŸ€” Why This?

There wasn’t a starter kit that bridged CodeIgniter 4 with React and Inertia.js in a clean, modern way β€” especially one that embraced Tailwind and developer ergonomics.

So I created one β€” and I’ll keep improving it as I use it in real-world projects.


πŸ“¦ Package Link

πŸ‘‰ https://packagist.org/packages/jengo/react-starter-kit


πŸ› οΈ Maintained by Me

I’m also maintaining a modern InertiaJS adapter for CI4 that this starter kit uses under the hood.


🧠 Let Me Know What You Think

Would love your feedback!
Try it out, drop a star ⭐ on the repo if it helps you, and feel free to suggest improvements or contribute.


Happy coding,
β€”Ian (a dev who believes AI & tools should empower creators everywhere)

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