Build a Full-Stack React Application

TUTORIAL

Introduction
Deploy and Host React App
Initialize local app
Add authentication
Clean up Resources

Task 1: Deploy and Host a React App

In this task, you will create a React application and deploy it to the cloud using the AWS Amplify web hosting service.

Overview

AWS Amplify offers a Git-based CI/CD workflow for building, deploying, and hosting single-page web applications or static sites with serverless backends. When connected to a Git repository, Amplify determines the build settings for both the frontend framework and any configured serverless backend resources, and automatically deploys updates with every code commit.

In this task, you will start by creating a new React application and pushing it to a GitHub repository. Then, connect the repository to AWS Amplify web hosting and deploy it to a globally available content delivery network (CDN) hosted on an amplifyapp.com domain. Finally, you will demonstrate continuous deployment capabilities by making changes to the React application, pushing a new version to the main branch, and observing how it automatically invokes a new deployment.

What you will accomplish

  • Create a React application
  • Initialize a GitHub repository
  • Deploy your app with AWS Amplify
  • Implement code changes and redeploy your app

Implementation

 Time to complete

10 minutes

 Services used

AWS Amplify

 Requires

 Get help

Troubleshooting Amplify

Learn about Hosting

  • 1. In a new terminal window, run the following command to use Vite to create a React application:

    npm create vite@latest notesapp -- --template react
cd notesapp
npm install
npm run dev

    2. In the terminal window, select and open the Local link to view the Vite + React application.

  • In this step, you will create a GitHub repository and commit your code to the repository. You will need a GitHub account to complete this step, if you do not have an account, sign up here.

    Note: If you have never used GitHub on your computer, follow the steps to generate and add an SSH key to your account before continuing to allow connection to your account.

    1. Sign in to GitHub at https://github.com/.

    2. In the Start a new repository section, make the following selections:

    • For Repository name, enter notesapp, and choose the Public radio button.
    • Then select, Create a new repository.

    3. Open a new terminal window, navigate to your app's root folder (notesapp), and run the following commands to initialize a git and push the application to the new GitHub repo: 

    Note: Replace the SSH GitHub URL in the command with your SSH GitHub URL.

    git init
git add .
git commit -m "first commit"
git remote add origin git@github.com:<your-username>/notesapp.git 
git branch -M main

git push -u origin main

  • 1. Open a new terminal window, navigate to your app's root folder (notesapp), and run the following command:

    npm create amplify@latest -y

    2. Running the previous command will scaffold a lightweight Amplify project in the app’s directory.

    3. In your open terminal window, run the following commands to push the changes to GitHub:

    git add .
git commit -m 'installing amplify'
git push origin main

  • In this step, you will connect the GitHub repository you just created to AWS Amplify. This will enable you to build, deploy, and host your app on AWS.

    1. Sign in to the AWS Management console in a new browser window, and open the AWS Amplify console at https://console.thinkwithwp.com/amplify/apps.

    2. Choose Create new app.

    3. On the Start building with Amplify page, for Deploy your app, select GitHub, and select Next.

    4. When prompted, authenticate with GitHub. You will be automatically redirected back to the Amplify console. Choose the repository and main branch you created earlier. Then, select Next.

    5. Leave the default build settings and select Next.

    6. Review the inputs selected, and choose Save and deploy.

    AWS Amplify will now build your source code and deploy your app at https://...amplifyapp.com, and on every git push your deployment instance will update. It may take up to 5 minutes to deploy your app.

    7. Once the build completes, select the Visit deployed URL button to see your web app up and running live. 

  • In this step, you will make some changes to the code using your text editor and push the changes to the main branch of your app.

    1. On your local machine, navigate to the notesapp/src/App.jsx file, and update it with the following code. Then, save the file.

    import reactLogo from "./assets/react.svg";
import "./App.css";

function App() {
  return (
    <div className="App">
      <header className="App-header">
        <img src={reactLogo} className="logo react" alt="React logo" />

        <h1>Hello from Amplify</h1>
      </header>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

    2. In your terminal window, run the following command to push the changes to GitHub:

    git add .
git commit -m 'changes for amplify'
git push origin main

    3. AWS Amplify will now build your source code and deploy your app.  

    4. Navigate back to the Amplify console, and select the Visit deployed URL button to view your updated app.

Conclusion

You have deployed a React application in the AWS Cloud by integrating with GitHub and using AWS Amplify. With AWS Amplify, you can continuously deploy your application in the Cloud and host it on a globally available CDN.

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Start Task Two

Initialize Local App