https://github.com/scottwinkler/github-api-app
https://github.com/scottwinkler/github-api-app
Last synced: about 2 months ago
JSON representation
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/scottwinkler/github-api-app
- Owner: scottwinkler
- License: mit
- Created: 2017-04-26T22:10:52.000Z (about 8 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2017-04-26T22:21:44.000Z (about 8 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-21T11:45:37.016Z (4 months ago)
- Language: JavaScript
- Size: 69.3 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# create-react-app with a Node server on Heroku
A minimal example of using a Node backend (server for API, proxy, & routing) with a [React frontend](https://github.com/facebookincubator/create-react-app).
To deploy a frontend-only React app, use the static-site optimized
▶️ [create-react-app-buildpack](https://github.com/mars/create-react-app-buildpack)
⤵️ [Switching from create-react-app-buildpack](#switching-from-create-react-app-buildpack)?
## Design Points
A combo of two npm projects, the backend server and the frontend UI. So there are two `package.json` configs.
1. [`package.json`](package.json) for [Node server](server/) & [Heroku deploy](https://devcenter.heroku.com/categories/deployment)
* `heroku-postbuild` script compiles the webpack bundle during deploy
* `cacheDirectories` includes `react-ui/node_modules/` to optimize build time
2. [`react-ui/package.json`](react-ui/package.json) for [React web UI](react-ui/)
* generated by [create-react-app](https://github.com/facebookincubator/create-react-app)
## Demo
[Demo deployment](https://cra-node.herokuapp.com/): example API call from the React UI is [fetched with a relative URL](react-ui/src/App.js#L16) that is served by an Express handler in the Node server.
## Deploy to Heroku
```bash
git clone https://github.com/mars/heroku-cra-node.git
cd heroku-cra-node/
heroku create
git push heroku master
```
This deployment will automatically:
* detect [Node buildpack](https://elements.heroku.com/buildpacks/heroku/heroku-buildpack-nodejs)
* build the app with
* `npm install` for the Node server
* `heroku-postbuild` for create-react-app
* launch the web process with `npm start`
* serves `../react-ui/build/` as static files
* customize by adding API, proxy, or route handlers/redirectors
👓 More about [deploying to Heroku](https://devcenter.heroku.com/categories/deployment).
## Switching from create-react-app-buildpack
If an app was previously deployed with [create-react-app-buildpack](https://github.com/mars/create-react-app-buildpack), then a few steps are required to migrate the app to this architecture:
1. Remove **create-react-app-buildpack** from the app; [heroku/nodejs buildpack](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/nodejs-support#activation) will be automatically activated
```bash
heroku buildpacks:clear
```
1. Move the root React app files (including dotfiles) into a `react-ui/` subdirectory
```bash
mkdir react-ui
git mv [!react-ui]* react-ui/
# You'll see "fatal: Not a git repository"; let's fix that error
mv react-ui/.git ./
```
1. Create a root [`package.json`](package.json), [`server/`](server/), & [`.gitignore`](.gitignore) modeled after the code in this repo
1. Commit and deploy ♻️
```bash
git add -A
git commit -m 'Migrate from create-react-app-buildpack to Node server'
git push heroku master
```
## Local Development
### Run the API Server
In a terminal:
```bash
# Initial setup
npm install
# Start the server
npm start
```
### Run the React UI
The React app is configured to proxy backend requests to the local Node server. (See [`"proxy"` config](react-ui/package.json))
In a separate terminal from the API server, start the UI:
```bash
# Always change directory, first
cd react-ui/
# Initial setup
npm install
# Start the server
npm start
```