Introduction

React is one of the most powerful and widely used libraries for building user interfaces with JavaScript. From small components to large-scale front-end and full-stack applications, React gives you the flexibility to create interactive, efficient, and modern features.

But learning React can feel overwhelming. With so many new terms, patterns, and frameworks like Next.js in the mix, it’s easy to feel lost.

That’s why this book focuses on React itself without unnecessary distractions. Once you’ve mastered React at its core, you’ll have the confidence to use it with or without frameworks to build anything you can imagine.

This isn’t a book about theory alone. The fastest way to learn React is by building and that’s precisely what you’ll do here.

Each chapter covers an essential concept and then demonstrates how to apply it in hands-on examples and projects. By the end, you’ll understand React because you wrote code, solved problems, and built working applications.

Think of this book not as a tutorial, but as a launchpad to get you out of “tutorial hell” and into shipping real-world projects.

Your main project in this book will be a shopping cart application. This practical, scalable app ties together React’s core concepts. If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry; this book provides the tools you need to make the process enjoyable and approachable.

Along the way, you’ll also build smaller, focused projects to reinforce your skills and deepen your understanding.

To ensure a smooth learning experience, this book utilizes specific versions of dependencies. It’s best to stick with these versions. That way, you’ll stay focused on mastering the concepts rather than debugging surprises caused by newer releases.

Once you’ve completed the book, you’ll be ready to upgrade, experiment, and even troubleshoot when things inevitably break—that’s where the real growth happens.

You’ll get the most value out of this book if you’re familiar with:

• JavaScript fundamentals (variables, functions, arrays, objects)
• Basic CSS for styling
• HTML basics for structure

If you’ve ever written a small JavaScript file or built a simple “Hello World” website, you’re ready.

If you ever get stuck, have questions, or just want to share your progress, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at contact@codesweetly.com or on Twitter at @oluwatobiss.

By the time you finish this book, you’ll have the skills and confidence to build, style, and deploy real-world React applications.

So, open up your code editor, roll up your sleeves, and let’s dive in.

We’ll start with the foundation: What React is, why it exists, and how to use it effectively.