Setting up a React project takes minutes with modern tooling.
Create a Project (Vite)
Bash
npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react
cd my-app
npm install
npm run dev # starts at http://localhost:5173Project Structure
Code
my-app/
├── src/
│ ├── App.jsx # Root component
│ ├── main.jsx # Entry point
│ ├── index.css # Global styles
│ └── components/ # Your components go here
├── public/ # Static assets
├── index.html
├── package.json
└── vite.config.jspackage.json
JSON
{
"name": "my-app",
"private": true,
"scripts": {
"dev": "vite",
"build": "vite build",
"preview": "vite preview"
},
"dependencies": {
"react": "^18.2.0",
"react-dom": "^18.2.0"
},
"devDependencies": {
"@vitejs/plugin-react": "^4.0.0",
"vite": "^5.0.0"
}
}Adding Packages
Bash
npm install axios # HTTP client
npm install react-router-dom # Client-side routing
npm install lodash-es # Utility functionsRunning and Building
Bash
npm run dev # development server with hot reload
npm run build # production build to dist/
npm run preview # preview production build locallyTips
- Use Vite for new projects — it's faster than Create React App.
- Put reusable components in
src/components/. - Keep components small — one component, one job.
Next: components.