You want to build a React app

Learning React is a smart move for your career. You know this. Plus you have a few app ideas you’d like to build.

You’ve tried to learn by reading docs / articles / tutorials on the web but… there's a problem.

You keep getting stuck

Getting stuck is frustrating. You want to jump into your text editor and start pumping out React apps, but there are so many places to get hung up.

You might download a complicated starter project and get stuck trying to figure out how it works. (what are all these dependencies for?)

You could get stuck trying to configure Webpack to do what you want it to. (split points? chunks? loaders?)

Some developers get stuck after following a tutorial. (okay, I built the TODO list app, now what?)

You might even get stuck on research. (which flux do I use? wait, do I need flux?)

These hangups are annoying. You don’t want to spend your time brute force google troubleshooting each little issue that comes up.

You need a way to sweep these roadblocks out of the way.

What if you could zoom through your app?

Would it be possible? Could you put your headphones on, open up your text editor, and make progress on your first app right away?

If so, you would have that feeling of momentum - that feeling of progress as you put component after component into your app, watching it take shape.

You CAN do it. But you may need a mindset change. It all starts with what you build.

Keep it simple, but unique

If your dream app has a server, database, and networking, it might be too complicated for a first project. If working on your app requires hours of Googling each day, you may get frustrated with a lack of progress.

But you do want to build SOMETHING while you learn. Using knowledge that you’ve just learned is the best way to solidify it in your mind.

The best approach is a simple, unique app of your own design.

A unique app requires that you think creatively and really learn as you go. It is one that you will feel ownership of and are confident sharing.

A simple app is one that you can finish.

What happens when you FINISH your first React app?

That app becomes proof that YOU KNOW REACT.

You could share it with others:

• friends, colleagues, potential employers
• put it on your resume and mention it in interviews
• share the code as well, because you own it

The app wouldn’t just be for showing to others though - it would be for yourself. Having completed one app gives you confidence to tackle bigger projects and apply for better developer positions.

Finishing your first app is a HUGE milestone in your learning.

Build your first app with “Your First React App”

“Your First React App” is an ebook that will guide you as you build your first app, all the way from deciding what to build to launching your app into the internet.

The book covers everything you need to know to finish your first React app, and nothing you don’t.

You’ll learn:

• How to plan your app out completely.
• How to leverage constraints to get your app done quickly.
• Concepts right before you need them. No need to memorize.

The book comes with two sample apps. Actual commits are referenced in each “action chapter, ” giving you concrete example code to reference.

How it Works

Each section of the book either covers a concept or suggests an action. Sections alternate concept, action, concept, action, and so on.

As you read the book, you'll first cover concepts, and then leverage those concepts in the action sections.

When you complete all the actions in the book, you will have created and deployed a complete React app.

What’s in the book

The book has 99 pages. Short enough to read in a weekend, long enough to teach you everything you need for your first app.

There are 9 chapters: