I'm building a game and want to use the HTML5 canvas for rendering. Is it common or recommended to use canvas alongside React and Vite? I've had trouble finding tutorials that explain how to combine them, so I'd appreciate guidance on the usual setup or any good learning resources.
3 Answers
Yes, you can use React and Vite for the surrounding application—menus, HUDs, settings, and other interface elements—while using a regular HTML5 canvas for the game itself. React can render the canvas element, but the drawing and game loop are usually handled with vanilla JavaScript through a ref.
That’s generally the better approach for performance. React isn’t designed to manage every shape or animation frame inside a canvas. Create the canvas with JSX, get its reference with useRef, and then use the Canvas 2D API in an effect or game-loop setup to draw and update the game.
There are libraries such as React Three Fiber that provide a React-style renderer for 3D scenes on a canvas, but they’re separate tools rather than built-in React features. For a 2D game, starting with the standard Canvas API and JavaScript is usually simpler; React can remain responsible for the surrounding UI.
So the canvas is still controlled with normal HTML5 canvas and JavaScript rather than React components?