How to build Authentication/Login/Signup with ReactJS, Redux and Firebase (Instagram Clone)

If you want to build an Instagram clone with ReactJS, Redux and Firebase, one of the key features you’ll need to implement is authentication/login/signup functionality. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to build this feature using the aforementioned technologies.

Step 1: Set up Firebase

First, you’ll need to create a Firebase project and set up authentication with email/password and/or social logins, such as Google or Facebook. Once you’ve set this up in the Firebase console, you’ll need to install the Firebase SDK in your ReactJS project.

Step 2: Create the Login/Signup Forms

Using ReactJS, you’ll need to create a login form and a signup form. You can use libraries like Formik or react-hook-form to easily manage form state and validation. Be sure to connect your forms to the Firebase authentication methods and handle the submission of the forms accordingly.

Step 3: Implement Redux for State Management

Redux is a popular state management library for ReactJS applications. You’ll want to set up a Redux store, reducers, and actions to manage the user authentication state. When a user logs in or signs up, you’ll dispatch actions to update the state in the Redux store.

Step 4: Create Protected Routes

Once a user is authenticated, you’ll want to create protected routes for certain pages in your app, such as the user’s profile or the feed. You can use the privateRoute higher order component to handle this in ReactJS, and use the Redux state to check if the user is authenticated before allowing access to these routes.

Step 5: Create a Navbar with Login/Signup Links

Finally, you’ll want to create a navbar component with links to the login and signup pages. You can use conditional rendering based on the user’s authentication state to either show the sign out button or the login and signup links.

Conclusion

Building authentication, login, and signup functionality for an Instagram clone using ReactJS, Redux, and Firebase is a crucial step in creating a full-fledged social media application. By following the steps outlined in this article, you’ll be well on your way to creating a seamless user experience for your users.