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How to get started with React in 2020

selbekk on December 30, 2019

React is the most popular frontend framework by any standard today. There are in excess of two million developers using it, and a lot has been writ...
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miku86

The KCD Beginner Course is awesome.
I recommend it to every beginner, because it shows how React works under the hood.

In my own course, I start with building HTML elements in vanilla JS, showing how annoying this actually is, then going to the old React way and finally with JSX.

People go like "Oh, this all makes sense now."

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selbekk profile image
selbekk

Yeah that's the same approach I've followed as well. However, I feel it works best if the students have used React a little bit at first. People that are totally new to React (or front end development in general) typically respond better to just being served JSX at first, focusing on just "getting stuff on the screen".

But I love the approach in the KCD course - it's a great way to teach.

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Gábor Soós

For newcomers I would suggest to use CreateReactApp, saves a lot of time and you don't need to know how Webpack and bundling works and the start.

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David Dal Busco • Edited

Following the same idea, Ionic now supporting React too, could also be an alternative. There is even a Build Your First Ionic React App documentation followed by some interesting chapters about lifecycle and navigation.

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selbekk profile image
selbekk

Ionic is a great framework, and the guide you link to is really nice, but to be honest I'd try out React by itself for a while before I dove into frameworks like Ionic or Gatsby or Next. If you understand the fundamentals first, it's easier to learn what's a framework and what's React APIs.

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David Dal Busco

Well I would say that using Ionic with React is using React by itself.

Ionic isn't a framework, it's a UI components library.

Therefore the fundamental remains the same. Components, functional components, hooks, react-dom, JSX, state, or even redux and all other subjects, etc. same same.

But of course, what's really important, is to find the way which fits you the best 😃

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selbekk profile image
selbekk • Edited

Well, let's not split hairs. Framework or component library - Ionic is really cool, and it makes it very easy to make cross platform apps. The reason I suggest that you learn React by itself first, is that you don't have to learn the APIs of Ionic at the same time.

But for sure - finding your own path is important ✌️

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David Dal Busco

I understand your point better now, thx for the explanation. All cool 👍

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Duc Le

I am a fan of Ionic React.

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Prafulla Raichurkar

I've started learning react, I started with their game tutorial and then read the 'main concepts' sections, now I am moving to a video tutorial by Brad Traversey (Traversey Media React Crash Course), after that I'm thinking of taking a project in hand, is this the correct flow?I haven't gone through hooks or API Reference yet.

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selbekk profile image
selbekk

Very cool! I'd suggest that you'd start your project as fast as possible. It's really where you solidify your learning. There's always going to be a ton of edge cases the tutorials and guides won't cover, where you need to understand what's happening to figure out a solution. Mulling over those kinds of challenges is what really gets you ready real world projects.

It doesn't have to be huge projects either - a bunch of small (albeit varied) ones will do! Create a todo app, an "Add new Tweet" dialog replica, or even a small Twitter client!

If you're looking for projects, I would recommend frontendmentor.io - they give you an idea, an API and some nice looking sketches for you to implement.

Best of luck on your learning journey!

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Prafulla Raichurkar

Hey, thank you for such a helpful reply 😃 I'll surely try those

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Anthony R.

Thanks for this post. Some nice stuff here !

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Nick Trierweiler

Wes Bos also has a Podcast called Syntax. which is really great. I learned a lot about react and full stack just listening on my way to work.

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selbekk

Oh, don't even get me started on podcasts. There are so many great ones, like The React Podcast, Ladybug Podcast, The Undefined Podcast and - as you mention - Wes Bos' Syntax.

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Aleksandar Vasilevsk

I have started the Create React App from Scratch, step by step tutorial series about React on CodeSpot, feel free to check it

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selbekk

Very cool!