Here’s a rewritten version of the article:

Streamlining Full-Stack Development with Concurrently

In modern web development, building full-stack applications that combine a frontend framework like React with a backend framework like Express.js is a common practice. This approach allows React to handle the user interface while Express manages server-side logic, data storage, and API endpoints. To efficiently develop and test these applications, it’s essential to run both React and Express servers simultaneously.

The Power of Concurrently

Concurrently is a command-line tool that enables you to run multiple commands or scripts simultaneously from a single terminal window. This tool simplifies the development process by allowing you to start both the React frontend and Express backend servers with a single command. Concurrently also provides automatic restart of both servers whenever changes are made to the frontend or backend code, eliminating the need to manually stop and restart each server separately.

Setting Up the React Frontend

To set up the React frontend, navigate to the desired directory for your project and run the following commands:


npx create-react-app my-app
cd my-app
mkdir server
touch server/index.js


Setting Up the Express.js Backend

Next, install the Express and Nodemon packages:


npm install express nodemon


In the server/index.js file, add the following code:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const port = 3001;

app.get('/api/users', (req, res) => {
  res.json([
    { id: 1, name: 'John Doe' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Jane Doe' }
  ]);
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(<code>Server started on port ${port}</code>);
});

<p><strong>Integrating the React Component with the API</strong></p>

<p>Now, let's create a React component that fetches data from the backend API:</p>

<p>“`
import React, { useState, useEffect } from ‘eact’;

function App() {
const [users, setUsers] = useState([]);

useEffect(() => {
fetch(‘/api/users’)
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => setUsers(data));
}, []);

return (

);
}
“`

Configuring Concurrently

To integrate Concurrently, install it as a development dependency:


npm install concurrently --save-dev


Next, configure the “scripts” section of your project’s package.json file to use Concurrently:


"scripts": {
"start:frontend": "react-scripts start",
"start:backend": "nodemon server/index.js",
"start": "concurrently \"npm run start:frontend\" \"npm run start:backend\""
}


When you run the npm run start command, Concurrently will start both the React frontend and Express backend servers simultaneously.

Customizing Concurrently

To customize the console output, modify the “start” script to include options for process names, colors, and patterns:


"start": "concurrently -n FRONTEND,BACKEND -c red,blue -p '[{name}]' \"npm run start:frontend\" \"npm run start:backend\""


This custom configuration provides a foundation for scalability and adaptability, allowing you to easily modify the names, colors, and patterns to accommodate additional concurrent processes or specific requirements.

Simplified Development Workflow

Running React and Express with Concurrently greatly simplifies the development process and enhances workflow when building full-stack applications. By leveraging the capabilities of Concurrently, developers can effectively construct and test full-stack applications, guaranteeing smooth integration between the React frontend and Express backend. This streamlined approach enhances productivity, enables rapid iteration, and ultimately leads to better developer experiences.