LAST UPDATE: 30. January 2025
The Road to React: The React.js with Hooks in JavaScript Book (2025 Edition) - is a comprehensive and pragmatic yet concise React 19 with Hooks (+ opt-in TypeScript) book. Purchase of this book includes free online access to the always up-to-date digital book.
What you will learn.
"The Road to React" made its debut in 2016, and since then, I've almost rewritten it annually. This book teaches the core principles of React, guiding you through building a practical application in pure React without complex tooling. The book covers everything from setting up the project to deploying it on a server. Each chapter includes additional recommended reading and exercises. By the end, you'll have the skills to develop your own React applications.
In "The Road to React," I establish a solid foundation before delving into the broader React ecosystem. The book clarifies general concepts, patterns, and best practices for real-world React applications. Ultimately, you'll learn to construct a React application from scratch, incorporating features such as pagination, client-side and server-side searching, and advanced UI interactions like sorting.
Is it up to date?
Programming books are usually outdated soon after their release, but since this book is self- published, I can update it as needed whenever a new version of something related to this book gets released.
I am a beginner. Is this book for me?
Yes. The book starts from zero and takes you through the learning experience step by step. Every chapter builds up on the learnings from the previous chapter. In addition, at the end of every chapter, exercises fortify your lessons learned. If you got stuck in a chapter, you will always find a reference URL to the status quo of the actual code.
Core Concepts
- Pragmatic: Master React while building a complete application step by step.
- Problems Solving: You need to experience a problem first before solving it.
- The Why: Readers like how the book answers the Why, not only the How.
Table of Contents
Fundamentals of React
- Hello React
- Requirements
- Setting up a React Project
- Meet the React Component
- React JSS
- Lists in React
- Meet another React Component
- React Component Instantiation
- ReactDOM
- React Component Definition (Advanced)
- Handler Function in JSX
- React Props
- React State
- Callback Handlers in JSX
- Lifting State in React
- React Controlled Components
- Props Handling (Advanced)
- React Side-Effects
- React Custom Hooks (Advanced)
- React Fragments
- Reusable React Component
- React Component Composition
- Imperative React
- Inline Handler in JSX
- React Asynchronous Data
- React Conditional Rendering
- React Advanced State
- React Impossible States
- Data Fetching with React
- Data Re-Fetching in React
- Memoized Handler in React (Advanced)
- Explicit Data Fetching with React
- Third-Party Libraries in React
- Async/Await in React (Advanced)
- Forms in React
Styling in React
- CSS in React
- CSS Modules in React
- Styled Components in React
- SVGs in React
React Maintenance
- Performance in React (Advanced)
- TypeScript in React
- Unit Testing to Integration Testing
- React Project Structure
Real World React (Advanced)
- Sorting
- Reverse Sort
- Remember Last Searches
- Paginated Fetch
Deploying a React Application
- Build Process
- Deploy to Firebase
The Road to learn React teaches you the fundamentals of React. You will build a real world application along the way in plain React without complicated tooling. Everything from project setup to deployment on a server will be explained. The book comes with additional referenced reading material and exercises with each chapter. After reading the book, you will be able to build your own applications in React. The material is kept up to date by me and the community.
In the Road to learn React, I want to offer a foundation before you start to dive into the broader React ecosystem. It has less tooling and less external state management, but a lot of information around React. It explains general concepts, patterns and best practices in a real world React application.
You will learn to build your own React application. It covers real world features like pagination, client-side caching and interactions like searching and sorting. Additionally you will transition from JavaScript ES5 to JavaScript ES6 along the way. I hope this book captures my enthusiasm for React and JavaScript and helps you to get started.
