Create React Scripts

If you are faimilar with React, you must have heard of create-react-app announced by Facebook. create-react-app is great, you don't have to worry about the babel and webpack configuration before you start learning React. Its a good tool for React beginner.

How about experienced user? Is create-react-app still good? Yes and No. All the configuration are hidden by create-react-app. Configurations are put inside the sub package called react-scripts. How can we modify the configuration hidden by create-react-app.

1. Eject

create-react-app provides an official way to do that, which is react-scripts eject. By doing this way, it means that you cannot enjoy any benefit create-react-app will provide in the future. You have to maintain the configuration yourself and you may need to keep track of the updates from create-react-app.

2. Fork

Another way to extend the configuration is using a Fork of create-react-app. By doing this way, its just better, it would be easier to keep track of the updates from create-react-app. But... you still need to maintain the fork repository yourself. Is it worth to maintain the whole repository if you only need some modification on the configuration like sass and less supports?

3. React App Rewired

react-app-rewired is a moudle that you can easily extends the webpack and babel configuration by using config.override.js. But the config.override.js must be along with your project, and it is hard to share your configuration to your teammates as you cannot publish the modification into another version of react-script.

4. Roll Your Own Boilerplate

If you choose this way, then you don't even need create-react-app. But as a experienced user, setup webpack and babel configuration is a time consuming tasks. create-react-app is an official tool, I believe the choice she taken is good reference. Usually we only want to extend the configuration instead of completely rewrite.

5. Create React Scripts

I believe there are No Perfect Configurations Unless You Create Your Own. This module helps you easily extend the react-scripts to your own version of react-scripts.

Features

• Easy to create your own react-scripts by just a simple configuration
• Support similar way like what react-app-rewired did to modify the configuration
• Able to customize script like building script build:server and start:server to support universal rendering
• Composable react-scripts

How it works?

This module make use of require.cache, the following modules are replaced. Use this module at Your Own Risk.

This method would be broken if the implementaion or location of following files changed.

• react-scripts/config/paths.js
• react-scripts/config/env.js
• react-scripts/config/webpack.config.dev.js
• react-scripts/config/webpack.config.prod.js
• react-scripts/config/webpackDevServer.config.js
• react-scripts/scripts/util/createJestConfig.js

All the above are pre-required and the require.cache got replaced according to your setting in crs.config.js.

To understand more, you can see the rewire source code here.

Installation

npm i -D react-scripts create-react-scripts or yarn add --dev react-scripts create-react-scripts

How to use?

Option 1: Create your own react-scripts

Create a new node project

use npm init or yarn init

Modify package.json

Assume your script name is custom-react-scripts

// package.json
{
  "name": "custom-react-scripts",
+ "bin": {
+    custom-recat-scripts: "./bin/custom-react-scripts.js"
+  }
+ "main": "./crs.config.js"
   ...
}

Add bin/custom-react-scripts.js

Create file bin/custom-react-scripts.js with following content

// /bin/custom-react-scripts.js
const path = require('path');

// here we need to tell create-react-scripts whild folder to lookup crs.config.js
require('create-react-scripts')(path.join(__dirname, '..'));

Add crs.config.js

Create file crs.config.js with following content

// /crs-config.js
// The rewire procedule follow this life cycle 
// NODE_ENV==='development' env --> paths --> webpack --> devServer
// NODE_ENV==='production' env --> paths --> webpack
// NODE_ENV==='test' env --> paths --> jest

module.exports = {
  // Optional: Rewire the env
  // the env is the return result of getClientEnvironment from 'react-script/config/env.js'
  env(env, NODE_ENV, argv) {
    // modify env here...
    return env;
  },
  // Optional: Rewire the paths
  // the paths is from 'react-script/config/paths.js'
  paths(paths, NODE_ENV, argv) {
    // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
    // modify paths here...
    return paths;
  },
  // Optional: Rewire the webpack.config
  // if NODE_ENV === 'production'
  // the webpack config is from 'react-script/config/webpack.config.prod.js'
  // if NODE_ENV === 'development'
  // the webpack config is from 'react-script/config/webpack.config.dev.js'
  webpack(webpackConfig, NODE_ENV, argv) {
    // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
    // you can get the rewired paths from 'this.paths'
    // modify webpackConfig here...
    return webpackConfig;
  },
  // Optional: Rewire the webpackDevServer.config
  // the devServer is the return result of 'react-script/config/webpackDevServer.config.js'
  devServer: (webpackDevServerConfig, NODE_ENV, argv) {
    // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
    // you can get the rewired paths from 'this.paths'
    // you can get the rewired webpackConfig from 'this.webpack'
    // modify webpackDevServerConfig here...
    return webpackConfig;
  },
  // Optional: Rewire the jest configuration
  // the jestConfig is the return result of 'react-script/scripts/utils/createJestConfig.js'
  jest(jestConfig, NODE_ENV, argv) {
    // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
    // you can get the rewired paths from 'this.paths'
    // modify jestConfig here...
    return jestConfig;
  },
  // Optional: Add custom scripts
  scripts: {
    // you can add custom scripts here, for example
    // "start:server": path.join(__dirname, 'scripts/start-server.js')
  },
};

Publish

Choose either one

1. Publish your custom-react-scripts using npm publish
2. make use of lerna to connect pacakges.

Change package.json of your project

Modify pacakge.json to use custom-react-scripts instead of react-scripts

// package.json of your react app
{
-   "start": "react-scripts start",
+   "start": "custom-react-scripts start",
-   "build": "react-scripts build",
+   "build": "custom-react-scripts build",
-   "test": "react-scripts test --env=jsdom",
+   "test": "custom-react-scripts test --env=jsdom"
}

Option 2: Customize configuration directly into your project.

Change package.json of your project

Modify pacakge.json to use custom-react-scripts instead of create-react-scripts

// package.json of your react app
{
-   "start": "react-scripts start",
+   "start": "create-react-scripts start",
-   "build": "react-scripts build",
+   "build": "create-react-scripts build",
-   "test": "react-scripts test --env=jsdom",
+   "test": "create-react-scripts test --env=jsdom"
}

Add crs.config.js

Create file crs.config.js like what we did in Option1.

Option 3: Mix Option 1 and Option 2

Modify pacakge.json to use custom-react-scripts instead of create-react-scripts

// package.json of your react app
{
-   "start": "react-scripts start",
+   "start": "create-react-scripts start",
-   "build": "react-scripts build",
+   "build": "create-react-scripts build",
-   "test": "react-scripts test --env=jsdom",
+   "test": "create-react-scripts test --env=jsdom"
}

Add crs.config.js

Remember what we did in Option1's package.json "main": "./crs.config.js" Now we can extend our custom-react-scripts in Option1. Create file crs.config.js with following content

// compose is a helper to merge multiple crs.config into one
const { compose } = require('create-react-scripts');
module.exports = compose(
  // extend from custom-react-scripts
  require('custom-react-scripts'),
  {
      // Optional: Rewire the env
      // the env is the return result of getClientEnvironment from 'react-script/config/env.js'
      env(env, NODE_ENV, argv) {
        // modify env here...
        return env;
      },
      // Optional: Rewire the paths
      // the paths is from 'react-script/config/paths.js'
      paths(paths, NODE_ENV, argv) {
        // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
        // modify paths here...
        return paths;
      },
      // Optional: Rewire the webpack.config
      // if NODE_ENV === 'production'
      // the webpack config is from 'react-script/config/webpack.config.prod.js'
      // if NODE_ENV === 'development'
      // the webpack config is from 'react-script/config/webpack.config.dev.js'
      webpack(webpackConfig, NODE_ENV, argv) {
        // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
        // you can get the rewired paths from 'this.paths'
        // modify webpackConfig here...
        return webpackConfig;
      },
      // Optional: Rewire the webpackDevServer.config
      // the devServer is the return result of 'react-script/config/webpackDevServer.config.js'
      devServer: (webpackDevServerConfig, NODE_ENV, argv) {
        // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
        // you can get the rewired paths from 'this.paths'
        // you can get the rewired webpackConfig from 'this.webpack'
        // modify webpackDevServerConfig here...
        return webpackConfig;
      },
      // Optional: Rewire the jest configuration
      // the jestConfig is the return result of 'react-script/scripts/utils/createJestConfig.js'
      jest(jestConfig, NODE_ENV, argv) {
        // you can get the rewired env from 'this.env'
        // you can get the rewired paths from 'this.paths'
        // modify jestConfig here...
        return jestConfig;
      },
      // Optional: Add custom scripts
      scripts: {
        // you can add custom scripts here, for example
        // "start:server": path.join(__dirname, 'scripts/start-server.js')
      },
  }
);

API

crs-config.js

Rewire Target

• env : The return result of getClientEnvironment of react-scripts/config/env
• paths: The module.exports of react-scripts/config/paths
• webpack: (NODE_ENV: development) The module.exports of react-scripts/config/webpack.config.dev.js
• webpack: (NODE_ENV: production) The module.exports of react-scripts/config/webpack.config.prod.js
• devServer: The return result of module.exports of react-scripts/config/webpackDevServer.config.js
• jest: The return result of module.exports of react-scripts/scripts/utils/createJestConfig.js

compose

You can compose multiple crs-config together to a single crs-config.

const { compose } = require('create-react-scripts')
const crsConfig1 = require('./crsConfig1');
const crsConfig2 = require('./crsConfig2');
....
const crsConfigN = require('./crsConfigN');

module.exports = compose(crsConfig1, crsConfig2, ..., crsConfigN);

rewire()

return: { env, paths, webpack, devServer, jest }

• env: rewired createClientEnvironment function
• paths: rewired paths
• webpack: rewired webpackConfig
• devServer: rewired createWebpackDevServerConfig function
• jest: rewired createJestConfig function

You can use the rewire function to obtain the rewired result. This function is useful for creating custom script. Example: react-scripts-ssr/scripts/start-server.js [source] react-scripts-ssr/scripts/build-server.js [source]

const { compose } = require('create-react-scripts')
const crsConfig1 = require('./crsConfig1');
const crsConfig2 = require('./crsConfig2');
....
const crsConfigN = require('./crsConfigN');

module.exports = compose(crsConfig1, crsConfig2, ..., crsConfigN);

Why This Project Exists

Create React App - Zero Configuration?

If you’re working with React, you’re probably familiar with the create-react-app. It’s an official command line interface for building React applications with ZERO Configuration.

ZERO Configuration? How is it possible?

create-react-app hides all the webpack configuration into a package react-scripts. With create-react-app, I can enjoy all the configuration created by Facebook without any effort and I don't need to configure myself.

But... you are not POSSIBLE to change the default configurations provided by Facebook create-react-app. Facebook provided 2 options to allow you to change the default configurations...

1. use the eject script, change the configuration.
2. fork the create-react-app, change and republish, keep the fork up-to-date.

Eject or Fork?

1. Eject This is a one-way operation. Once you eject, you can’t go back! This command will remove the single build dependency from your project. So you cannot enjoy any benefit or update from create-react-app in the future.

2. Fork There are many fork versions of create-react-app. But normally they only want some small changes to the configurations... Why they need to maintain a fork of create-react-app?

What most people want in create-react-app?

1. import sass support
2. import less support
3. server-side-rendering
4. vendor dll
5. ....

However, all of them are postponed or even rejected until the Plugin System is supported by create-react-app. But... only plugin got approved by Facebook can be used...

End-users (app developers) will only be able to use plugins which we approve and whitelist. Typically, this means it meets a set of criteria: 1.Use-case or functionality is popular 2.Adds value 3.Easy to maintain and underlying tools are stable 4.We have control to modify & publish updates to the package

There are no perfect configurations unless you create your own

I believe that create-react-app is a good reference. We just want to extend it to build our own react-scripts.... Why I have to eject or fork?

react-app-rewired

See the medium article https://medium.com/@timarney/but-i-dont-wanna-eject-3e3da5826e39 This is a good tool that can just provide a config.overrides.js to modify the default configuration of create-react-app. But... The config.overrides.js must be along with your project... It is not possible to create a custom version of react-scripts that could be shared with multiple projects.

How about create my own react-scripts based on create-react-app?

This is why I created create-react-scripts.

create-react-scripts

This package allow you to easily create your own 'react-scripts' based on 'react-scripts' package under create-react-app.

Inspiration

• facebookincubator/create-react-app
• timarney/react-app-rewired
• jaredpalmer/razzle
• react-boilerplate/react-boilerplate
• ctrlplusb/react-universally

Author

• Raymond Sze

License

MIT