Installation

Node

React is a JavaScript framework, and so in order to use it we need a JavaScript runtime. When we are writing plain old JS for the front-end, that runtime is already provided by the browser itself.

However, when developing React code, it doesn't run in the browser, it runs in a separate runtime called Node. When we are ready to deploy our app, the code gets bundled and transpiled so that it runs in the browser.

In order to install Node and npm on your machine, follow our Node installation guide, and come back to continue when you're ready.

VS Code

Other editors are available, but VS Code has excellent support for React development, so it's a great choice. We have a VS Code installation guide to help you get going.

With Node and VS Code installed, we're ready to set up a React project.