Top 10 react packages for SaaS platforms

#react #nextjs #javascript #webdev

Why Use React Libraries?

When it comes to building a product with React, going it alone can be quite a challenge. While it's not impossible, it's certainly a lot easier—and often wiser—to seek assistance from the vast world of open-source packages. React libraries are like your trusty companions in the development journey, simplifying complex tasks, enhancing functionality, and accelerating your project's progress. In this blog post, we'll explore the top 10 React libraries that can be your go-to resources, making your React development experience more efficient and enjoyable. So, without further ado, let's delve into the world of React libraries.

1. React-Query : Your Ultimate Query and Mutation Companion

In the ever-evolving world of React development, optimizing queries (GET requests) and mutations (POST, PUT, DELETE) can be quite a task. That's where React-Query comes into play, and it's been a game-changer for us. This library simplifies frontend data management with an intuitive implementation using React hooks, offering a plethora of advantages that make it a must-have in your toolkit:

Easy and simplified query management
Infinite scroll/Pagination for queries
Effortless Invalidation and Data Refetching
Cache management
Robust Error handling

2. Streamline Form Management with React-Hook-Form

Forms are a cornerstone of web applications, but managing them can often be a daunting task. Dynamic field rendering, state management, and validations can quickly become a maze of complexity. If you've ever found yourself tangled in the web of form-related challenges, React-Hook-Form is here to rescue you. Here is what react-hook-form has to offer:

A simple hook which helps you initialise your form and provides all the methods that can be used in the
FormProvider wrapper with useFormContext hook which can help you manage states for clean and maintainable code.
useFieldsArray hook allows you to provide a dynamic fields form which allows users to add or remove fields.
Easy form validation using yup-resolver

3. Unleash Creativity with React-Flow

In the world of SaaS (Software as a Service), one tool that's invaluable for many is the flow builder. It's a canvas where you design the logic and the flow of your application. Among the numerous libraries out there, React-Flow stands out as a true gem, and it's undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable and creative libraries we've had the pleasure of using. Lets see how we can have some fun with this library:

Intuitive Flow Building
Very easy state management for nodes and edges
Easily create logic to connect nodes and build a drag and drop flow builder
No limits or hard and fast rule to use this library. Its upto you, to check how crazy you can get with it.

4. Plop: The Micro Generator Framework That Transforms Your Workflow

While not exclusively a React package, Plop has been an unsung hero in our development toolkit. This micro generator framework may not be a household name, but it's an absolute game-changer when it comes to saving time and streamlining repetitive tasks, it helps with:

Easy and consistent folder structuring in your project.
Easy files/folder creation with predefined content inside them.
Simple pattern to make sure uniformity is maintained, especially while working with large teams

5. Flat: Mastering Object Flattening and Unflattening with Precision

In the world of application development, handling complex nested objects is a common challenge. Whether you're working with JSON data, configuration files, or any application state, object flattening and unflattening can be a cumbersome task. That's where "Flat" comes to the rescue, offering a consistent and reliable solution for maintaining the structure of your objects without altering their underlying values.

Provides flatten and unflatten functions which flatten a nested object and unflatten it back to the original form. for example:

const nested_object = {
    "name": "Pranav",
    "age": 24,
    "company": "Fyno",
    "address": {
        "city": "Bengaluru",
        "state": "Karnataka",
        "country": "India"
    }
}

On using flatten(nested_object) we get

{
    "name": "Pranav",
    "age": 24,
    "company": "Fyno",
    "address.city": "Bengaluru",
    "address.state": "Karnataka",
    "address.country": "India"
}

And using unflatten(flattened_object) will give back the original object.

6. Simplify File Uploads with React-Dropzone

In the age of modern web applications, file uploads have become a routine part of our online experiences. Whether you're building an image-sharing platform, document management system, or any application that involves handling files, React-Dropzone is your answer to seamless file upload functionality. With its simple drag-and-drop interface, it empowers you to achieve remarkable feats. Lets see what we can achieve with this library:

Simple drag and drop zone/area where any file can be dropped to select/upload.
useDropzone react hook, to easily manage and use all methods provided by the library.
Defining file types to accept and number of files to accept.
Custom validation for files, like showing accepted and rejected files.

7. React-Hot-Toast: Elevating User Interaction with Alerts and Notifications

In the realm of user-centric applications, timely communication and feedback are essential. React-Hot-Toast has emerged as a personal favourite among developers for delivering real-time alerts, notifications, and in-app reminders, elevating the user experience to new heights. This library offers a powerful yet straightforward way to enhance user engagement through visual communication.

Very simple to use
Easily customisable, you can add many sorts of customisation like delay, ttl (time to live) and many more things.
Designs for these toasts are very flexible and easy to customise according to product design requirements.

8. Luxon: Mastering Time and Timezones for Precision Data Handling

In the world of application development, mastering time and timezone management is a fundamental requirement. Many platforms, whether they deal with analytics, activity logs, or any aspect of data that's time-sensitive, need a robust solution for handling time in different formats and working with timezone offsets. Luxon is that solution, offering a powerful toolkit to manage time with precision and confidence. Any sort of data management which is time sensitive would benefit from:

Comprehensive date and time manipulation
Timezone support
Variety of formatting with date and time, as suitable for different use cases

9. Empower Non-Technical Users with React-Query-Builder

In the world of application development, database queries are often a complex and intimidating aspect, particularly for those outside the technical domain. This challenge becomes even more significant in a no-code environment where users are looking for simplicity and empowerment. React-Query-Builder is the answer, simplifying the process of building queries through a user-friendly UI and providing the ability to export in various formats, including JSON, SQL, MongoDB, CEL, and SpEL.

10. Elevate User Experience with Use-Query-Params

In the realm of web applications, a seamless user experience often hinges on the ability to maintain and share URLs with filters, search parameters, and other states. Use-Query-Params steps in as an indispensable tool, simplifying the process of encoding and decoding data as query parameters. With the useQueryParam hook, it's easy to achieve the fine balance between URL sharing and an enhanced user experience.

Easily maintainable states with URL
Any data type can be encoded to the query params

In our journey at Fyno, these top 10 React libraries have been invaluable allies, simplifying our development process and addressing the diverse requirements that surface in the world of SaaS platforms. If you haven't already explored the potential of these packages, we encourage you to give them a try. They have the power to streamline your development workflow, enhance user experiences, and make life simpler for you too. So, dive in, experiment, and discover how these libraries can elevate your React projects to new heights. Your next big breakthrough might just be a package away.