Creating a Single Page Application with ReactJS: A Beginner's Guide

Quick page loading, almost instant responses, and smooth movement through pages have made SPAs a solid choice for many businesses. According to Medium, the software development market will reach a cost of approximately $235 billion by 2028. Such drastic growth requires innovative web software solutions, and SPAs can become an answer to this demand. 

This article explores SPA intricacies, their differences from multi-page ones, and how to create one. 

Single Page and Multi Page Applications: What’s the Difference? 

Both single-page and multi-page applications have their relevance and cases of use. Each application type can solve its tasks efficiently. The best choice is the one that meets your goals and plans for the web software. 

How Do SPAs Work? 

Applications that operate on a single page work within a browser without constantly uploading new pages from a server. All the interactive elements and content are refreshed dynamically according to the visitors’ activity. Developers build SPAs on Ember.js, Meteor.js, React.js, and similar advanced libraries and frameworks. 

As a result, the users have a comfortable experience of the website usage, viewing its pages without interruptions. In sum, a react single-page app creates an experience similar to desktop applications.

Strong Sides and Drawbacks of SPAs

While being a popular and powerful solution, single page application react has its benefits and disadvantages. 

Advantages: 

• Decreased server load and usage of the bandwidth. 
• Improved chasing and online functionality. 
• Streamlined code updates and maintenance. 
• Flexibility in web application design and user interface. 

Disadvantages: 

• Potentially slow first load time. 
• SEO-related challenges. 
• Struggles with content-heavy pages. 

What Are Multi-Page Applications (MPAs)?

Multi-page applications upload a new web page from a server each time a user interacts with them. While maintaining a multi-page application takes more time and resources, it opens deep analytics and SEO optimization possibilities. 

Multi-page applications are created with ASP.Net, Django, and Flask, as well as other frameworks and libraries for PHP, Python, and HTTP. The result is more costly than an SPA. Yet, MPAs are easier to scale, analyze, and process users' behavior data. 

Developing a SPA in React Using a React Router

Creating a React SPA may seem daunting until you create your first one. In the following section, we’ll provide a detailed step-by-step guide on developing a SPA with Reactor.js. 

Preparing to Build Your SPA

A cornerstone of SPA development is planning. Start by outlining the app's key features and views, including the main page, interactive elements, or forms. Take care of folder organization; it will help significantly during the project development. 

Requirements and Setup

Before starting the project, you must meet the following prerequisites: 

• Install the latest version of Node.js on your device. 
• You need to have the latest React version. 
• IDE that supports React. 

Starting Your Project

First, you must execute this command in your terminal to initialize a React in your directory. It will initialize a react app build with no configuration. 

You must also install a React router package to ensure the app’s proper functioning. The following command will do the job: 

Developing Your First SPA with React

You can develop a React app following the approach of the parent component (App) and subsystems for individual pages. React Router will implement the logic of switching between the pages and controlling the display of the elements. 

First, you should clear the boilerplate code in the src and public folders. Then, create an index.html file in the public folder as your core structure and index.js in the src folder. It will serve as an entry point for the app rendering 

React spa example of Index.html code: 

Once the core is established, you can proceed with the creation of the main application component, App.js. In this component, you can set the layout of the page, including the navigation bar and content areas. 

You can define the routes between the components such as About, Main Page, or Contact Us via React Router. The router use will enable navigation between the pages without browser reloads. 

Finally, you can create individual components when the basic setup is complete. These components will populate the content areas on the route of your choice. It is a perfect opportunity to make unique content for each component or introduce dynamic elements for users’ engagement. 

This is the basic procedure for barebone web application development. More complex functions, API integrations, and stylization are built upon this foundation and can be found in single-page application examples. 

Life Cycle of SPA Software

An SPA’s lifecycle is a period from when a user makes the first request until they leave the page. The cycle follows the next steps: 

• Initialization. The application loads scripting files when the user launches the app. JavaScript methods handle the router and state management. 
• Routing. Depending on the URL, the router picks the best path after the initialization. 
• State Management. The application’s state is a сast of the information processed on the page and should be managed. Framework libraries like Redux can handle the state and trigger the re-rendering of the influenced web app components. 
• Rendering. React.js applies a diffing method to how many changes should be made to the DOM to fit updated elements of the page.
• API Calls. An API call occurs if a user requests information from a remote server. JavaScript code changes the page's state according to the server's response.
• Errors Management. If an error occurs, the application shows a respective notification and returns to a steady state.  
• Unloading. When the app is closed, JavaScript frees previously allocated data, which stops memory leaks and fixes the browser’s potential speed issues. 

Managing State in a React SPA

In a traditional multi-page application, each page has its own state, which resets when a user moves to a new page. In contrast, a single-page application’s state has to remain consistent with multiple interactions and views, requiring extra attention and management. 

React.js has several tools for effectively managing the page’s states. You can apply useState and useContext hooks to create and share states between the app’s components. The Redux library provides a unified storage space for all possible application states, which also contributes to ease of state management. 

How to Protect Your SPA with the Best Security Practices 

Like many other web applications, SPAs are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Consider applying security practices when building a single-page application to ensure its safety. React includes embedded means of protection, which also enhances security. It automatically avoids data supplied via components. React also has CSRF protection for queries made in AJAX.

Optimizing Performance in React SPAs

Fast loading times are one of the core advantages of single-page applications. React provides many tools and methods to optimize web application performance. You can also implement the code-splitting strategy. It divides your code into smaller sections so you can load them only when needed. Lazy loading is another viable coding strategy. It allows delayed loading of the app’s components until they’re called, which also contributes to the loading time optimization. 

Together, these strategies can help to build a single-page application with optimal performance. 

Testing React Single Page Applications

Testing is paramount if you wish to ensure the reliability of your SPA. React.js has a Testing library for that purpose. It is a simple and powerful package for testing React modules without unnecessary complexities. The Jest testing framework is also a popular but not the only option for SPA testing. It has test coverage reporting and snapshot testing, which help immensely during troubleshooting. 

Deploying a React Single-Page Application

Deployment is a concluding step in creating a single-page application and requires a few configurations. To streamline the deployment, it is better to use the creat-react-app utility, which is not a single option but a widespread one. Code-minification and cashing techniques from production-ready React features can also aid in smooth deployment. 

Final Words 

Single-page apps are a solution that will become increasingly relevant in the near future. It has faster loading times than MPAs and provides a smoother user experience. You can develop one with the React.js and customize it to your needs and aims. Or, if you need assistance with a professionally developed SPA on React, you can contact us! Learn more from our support team.