React SSR With ExpressJS

React SSR (Server-Side Rendering) with ExpressJS is a powerful combination that allows you to build dynamic and fast-loading web applications. In this article, we will explore the process of setting up and integrating React SSR with ExpressJS.

Setting Up ExpressJS

To get started, you will need to have Node.js and npm installed on your machine. Once you have those installed, you can create a new ExpressJS application by running the following commands in your terminal:


$ mkdir react-ssr-express
$ cd react-ssr-express
$ npm init -y
$ npm install express


Next, create a new file called server.js and add the following code to set up a basic ExpressJS server:

    const express = require('express');
    const app = express();
    
    app.get('/', (req, res) => {
      res.send('Hello, World!');
    });
    
    app.listen(3000, () => {
      console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
    });
  

Integrating React SSR

Now that we have our ExpressJS server set up, we can integrate React SSR into our application. First, we need to install the necessary dependencies:


$ npm install react react-dom
$ npm install babel-core babel-loader babel-preset-env babel-preset-react
$ npm install webpack webpack-cli webpack-node-externals
$ npm install @babel/register @babel/preset-react @babel/preset-env


Next, create a new directory called src and add a new file called App.js with your React component:

    import React from 'react';

    const App = () => {
      return (
        

          
Hello, React SSR!
        
      );
    };

    export default App;
  

Creating Server-Side Rendering

Now, let’s create a server-side rendering for our React component. Add a new file called renderer.js in the src directory:

    import React from 'react';
    import { renderToString } from 'react-dom/server';
    import App from './App';

    const renderer = (req, res) => {
      const html = renderToString();
      res.send(`
        
        
        
          
        
        
          
${html}
          
        
      `);
    };

    export default renderer;
  

Updating the ExpressJS Server

Finally, we need to update our server.js file to incorporate server-side rendering into our ExpressJS application:

    const express = require('express');
    const app = express();
    const renderer = require('./src/renderer');

    app.use(express.static('public'));

    app.get('/', renderer);

    app.listen(3000, () => {
      console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
    });
  

With these changes, our ExpressJS server is now set up to serve server-side rendered React components. You can run the server using the command $ node server.js and access it in your web browser at http://localhost:3000.

Conclusion

React SSR with ExpressJS is a powerful combination for building fast and dynamic web applications. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can set up and integrate server-side rendering for your React components within an ExpressJS application, providing a seamless and efficient user experience.