The React Show

Have you ever wondered why your app is slow sometimes? Or why a specific action takes so long to fully run? Or maybe why it takes so long for your initial render? The React Profiler is a great tool for diagnosing these issues. In this episode we take a look at profilers in general and then dive deep into the React profiler and how you can use it to diagnose performance issues. Show Notes Intro 0:0...

Hosting can get overwhelming fast, because it isn’t just hosting anymore. You want something that is simple, fast, scalable, and reliable but you also want to spend your time coding and not fiddling with build failures, right? In this episode we’re going to take a look at the factors involved in making hosting, devops, and CI/CD decisions and a method for developing the right solution for you. Sho...

Usually we are focused on adding new features, fixing bugs, and meeting deadlines, but what if the software we are building was also killing the planet? In this episode we’re going to take a look at the ecological impact of React applications, how to measure it, and how to reduce the impact on the planet that sustains us all. Episodes now posted with show notes and links on https://www.owlcreek.st...

Do you find React Router cumbersome or tedious to work with sometimes? Or are you just curious how routing could be done better? In this episode we take a look at how routing is done in NextJS. We discuss what it looks like and how to use it. And we also offer our opinions on the NextJS routing mechanism itself. Show Notes Intro Overview What is routing? What are routes? routing is choosing which...

It can be tempting to take the lazy approach to debugging and just start trying things, but I believe there is a much better way. In this episode we take a look at a method that works well for ensuring your debugging is productive, targeted, and successful. Support the show

How long will that take? It’s the classic question from the boss or the client. How do you answer? Do you get stressed from trying to get things done within your answer? Or do you end up cutting corners? In this episode we’re going to discuss a method that I use to make estimates that has worked quite well and is designed to work with stakeholders to help them understand estimates and the effects...

In this episode Austin and I discuss various aspects of React program structure, like component size and files. We also take a look at learning this material in general and how you can learn the best methods yourself. Support the show

Do you ever feel like you’re not being heard? Or everyone on the team is just making the code worse? Does everything feel sloppy? Is there a lot of miscommunication? In this episode we’re going to look at why you might have answered yes to those questions and what a better way to organize your team might be. Support the show

How does React actually render your components? When is it going to invoke your component’s render code and when is it not? How intelligent is the fabled React tree diffing algorithm? We’re going to take an in-depth look at how React renders and talk about the internal algorithms and how that can and should influence the way you write React code. Support the show

Ever feel like you aren’t as good as the programmer next to you? Or just curious and want to know how you can get better? And not just a little better, but to become really good at programming? In this episode we discuss some techniques that will make that happen for you based on our research and experience. Support the show

The User Journey. A system used to define the interaction from acquisition to retention a user has with your web application. Our entire programming paradigm is built around discovering this journey, and then building an app around it. What if we instead built flows, extending further beyond our isolated use case amongst a fragmented collection of tools?  Support the show

Hooks are all the rage in React these days but they actually have a pretty bad API design that leads to bugs and frustration. In this episode we will take a look at the design, discuss what makes it bad, why it is that way, what the React team can do about it, and finally, what we as users of React can do about it in the meantime. So tune in and learn how to make hooks work better for you! Support...

Want to take your programs to the next level in quality and longevity? In this episode we learn about and discuss Domain Specific Languages and how you can use them in your React applications to write less code and higher quality applications that can be worked on by large teams without development slowing. Support the show

There are many React component toolkits you can choose from, but one of the best is Chakra UI. In the words of Chakra UI: if you want to create accessible react apps with speed, choose Chakra UI. Chakra UI is a simple, modular, accessible component library that gives you the building blocks you need to create your React Applications. Support the show

Ever gotten a huge mental block when programming and can't figure out how to move forward? Or maybe you planned everything out nicely but it turned in to a big mess? There is a better way to program that helps mitigate these issues: bottom-up programming. In this episode we talk about what bottom-up programming is, how to do it, and what it can do to make you a better and happier programmer....

This is the start of our series on building a new React App! But we’re not starting with just the technical nitty-gritty, we’re going to talk about the whole process of building a React based product, starting with branding. We have developed a process that helps us and our clients quickly understand, define, and develop a brand identity. In this episode we’re going to discuss the process where yo...

As programmers, what is our role in preventing unethical software from being developed? In this episode we discuss why it’s so important for programmers, especially, to formulate an ethical framework. Then we talk about how the framework can be utilized to make decisions about new features or products. Support the show

What’s the best way to write a React app, or a program in general? Are you trying to get it perfect the first time, following all the best practices? How should you do a code review? Write a comment every time someone has some code duplication? In this episode we’ll discuss why standard industry answers to those questions will actually lead to worse programs and we’ll talk about the right mentalit...

Just getting started with React? Or maybe you have built React apps for years but want to learn a better way of creating React projects? Next.js is a React based framework designed to improve the developer and user experience. In this episode we discuss Next.js, how it compares to Create-React-App, and when you might benefit from using Next.js instead. Support the show

Yes, you are probably using useEffect wrong. useEffect is a powerful tool for hook based React components but it comes with many potential pitfalls and one widely abused feature that can lead to difficult to locate bugs. Tune in to this episode to learn how to use useEffect correctly. Support the show

What will it take to drive React and the surrounding JavaScript ecosystem forward in a dramatic way? How much better can we make it in the next 20 years? In this episode we discuss major and fundamental improvements that should be made. Support the show

In this episode we talk about the upcoming React 18 release. This is a very exciting release, especially from a performance perspective, as it finally brings concurrent and interruptible rendering along with other exciting changes! Support the show

Do you have a bottleneck in your React application? If so, we're going to discuss the best ways to find and solve it based on the principles I've outlined in my follow-up book to "Foundations of High Performance React" called "High Performance React." We're going to use an example bottleneck I solved recently for a client that was making their application unusabl...

How do you both write code quickly but also minimize the number of times your weekend will be ruined by nasty bug reports? In this episode we're going to talk about how to write and ship React applications quickly while also minimizing the number and extent of the bugs that make it into production! Support the show

Debugging can be extremely frustrating and time consuming, but it doesn't have to be. In this Q & A session we will talk about techniques to more efficiently debug React applications and how to do it without wanting to tear your hair out. Support the show