Over the years, our team at Omni Strategies has had the chance to build several products using several tools, resources, and programming languages. Our current favourite for building web apps is ReactJS. We noticed the advantages ReactJS has over other frontend libraries and frameworks when building web apps and other frontend applications.
Frontend libraries and frameworks provide structure for projects to help you keep track of components because many changes tend to happen with frontend app development, besides bootstrapping and optimization.
With libraries and frameworks, you can maintain consistency across the system, avoid having to rewrite/restructure the entire app when adding new features, and benefit from the additional boost in speed.
As many start-ups emerge, particularly in e-commerce, social media, and streaming industries, ReactJS has become the go-to for developers because of its advantages throughout the development process. With supporting frameworks such as Gatsby and NextJS, even deployment and hosting become a breeze.
If you’re building your first web app, here are 3 things to keep in mind (based on ReactJS).
1. You need a solid understanding of JavaScript
ReactJS is an open-source JavaScript library. Without knowledge of the basics of JavaScript, you can’t navigate ReactJS. You need to know how to create a basic JavaScript function, make functions return values, write a basic if statement, and create a basic loop.
One good thing about understanding JavaScript is that you can easily transition into Backend and eventually become a Full Stack developer (More on this in another article).
2. Structure (arguable but necessary)
Think about it like this, you’re going on a trip, and pack some luggage. If you don’t put your stuff in order, you’ll have a hard time finding that swimsuit. With an app build, you might find yourself editing or adding new features, and it can be unbearable to track old code without structure.
Here are two of our favourite articles on the structure:
- Article by Andela
- Article by Ali Raza
You should also know when to use functional or class components. Although functional components are shorter and simpler, class components provide consistency in your codebase, especially when you’re handling a lot of state management.
3. No one creates an app without any errors
Believe us when we say you’ve done enough reading and planning, but like with most development processes, the best approach is learning by doing. There are so many resources (books, articles, videos) that are available to help you learn as you build.
At Omni, we run our projects in an agile environment and understand that errors are commonplace. What’s good is that you can always look to your teammates for help.
Don’t worry about learning everything all at once, and don’t worry about what other people are doing. Start with a small project, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. A wrongly aligned button is not the end of the world.
*Bonus tip*
Use platforms like HEROKU and Vercel to host your site. This can help with your portfolio.
Whether you’re new to software engineering or a seasoned developer looking to strengthen your frontend skills, keep these points in mind and follow us for more tech tips.
