I'm really struggling to figure out how to effectively combine Spring MVC with React for my projects. While I can grasp React pretty well, Spring MVC is leaving me confused. I'm looking to start my own project to learn and build a portfolio, but there's a ton of information and a lot of it feels overwhelming. For instance, I keep hearing about installing dependencies like Thymeleaf and using Maven from the Spring Initializr, but I don't quite understand what that entails. I know Maven is a build tool, but that's about it.
Plus, the folder structure for Spring-React projects baffles me. I can't find clear explanations for what all the different files and folders are for. It seems like every tutorial shows a different setup, which makes it harder to learn.
I suspect that linking the front-end with the back-end should be straightforward, and I don't believe I need a template language like Thymeleaf with React. My previous internship had a setup using .jspx for views instead of the usual .html, and I'm just scratching my head trying to make sense of all this. I'm feeling burnt out from trying to find answers, so any help would be appreciated!
1 Answer
Just to clarify a few points:
1. If you’re using React, you don’t need Thymeleaf. Thymeleaf is meant for server-rendered HTML, but React manages the front-end completely.
2. Maven is not a database; it’s a tool for dependency management and project automation.
3. Start with Spring Initializr at start.spring.io. Select Maven as your build tool and add the Spring Web dependency for REST APIs. When you download the project from there, you'll have a working back-end skeleton to build on.
As for linking your projects, Spring Boot runs on localhost:8080 out of the box. Simply create a controller with mappings and run both your front-end and back-end when developing. For example, for retrieving a user with ID 1234, your React app would hit the endpoint http://localhost:8080/users/1234. Just make sure your mappings in your controller align with what your React app expects.
Start thinking of your project structure in terms of Repository, Service, and Controller. It’ll make understanding how everything fits together much easier.
Thanks for breaking that down! I’ll definitely check out Spring Initializr and see how the mappings work.