Guide to creating a React + FastAPI full stack application

Building a full-stack application with React and FastAPI can be a powerful combination, allowing you to create a dynamic front-end interface with React and a robust back-end server with FastAPI. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of building a React + FastAPI application from scratch.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have the following tools and technologies installed on your system:

1. Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) for building the front-end with React.
2. Python and pip for building the back-end with FastAPI.
3. Visual Studio Code or any other code editor of your choice.
4. Git for version control.

Step 1: Set Up the Back-End with FastAPI

1. Create a new directory for your project and navigate to it in the terminal.

2. Run the following command to create a new virtual environment for your FastAPI project:

   python -m venv venv

3. Activate the virtual environment with the following command:

   source venv/bin/activate

4. Install FastAPI and Uvicorn (ASGI server) using pip:

   pip install fastapi uvicorn

5. Create a new Python file for your FastAPI application, e.g., main.py, and import FastAPI:

   
   from fastapi import FastAPI

app = FastAPI()

6. Define a sample endpoint for testing:
```python
@app.get("/")
def read_root():
    return {"message": "Hello World"}

1. Run the FastAPI application using Uvicorn:

   uvicorn main:app --reload

2. Visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser to see the "Hello World" message.

Step 2: Set Up the Front-End with React

1. Create a new directory for your React project within the project directory.

2. Initialize a new React app using create-react-app:

   npx create-react-app client

3. Navigate to the client directory and start the React development server:

   cd client
   npm start

4. Your React app should now be running at http://localhost:3000.

Step 3: Connect the Front-End to the Back-End

1. Create a proxy configuration for the React app to communicate with the FastAPI server. Create a setupProxy.js file in the client/src directory and add the following code:

   
   const { createProxyMiddleware } = require('http-proxy-middleware');

module.exports = function (app) {
app.use(‘/api’, createProxyMiddleware({ target: ‘http://localhost:8000‘, changeOrigin: true }));
};

2. Modify the `package.json` file in the `client` directory to add a `proxy` configuration:
```json
"proxy": "http://localhost:8000"

1. Use the fetch API or any HTTP library of your choice in the React components to make requests to the FastAPI back-end. For example:

   fetch('/api/')
   .then(response => response.json())
   .then(data => console.log(data));

2. Build and deploy your React app by running:

   npm run build

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have walked you through the process of building a full-stack application with React and FastAPI. You have learned how to set up the back-end with FastAPI, set up the front-end with React, and connect the two parts to communicate with each other. Feel free to extend this project with additional features or integrate databases, authentication, or other functionalities to create a more robust full-stack application. Happy coding!