zivka

Posted on Jan 4, 2020 • Updated on Feb 20, 2020

Dockerize Create-React-App in 3 minutes

#react #docker #javascript #beginners

First of all, I'm pretty excited since it's my first blog post ever... I hope you would like it

Lately I got a full stack home assignment which was included NodeJS micro services in the backend and React for the front-end.

I created a really nice project using Create React App.

If you don't know Create React App, It's creating in less then 20 seconds React App the works Simply by running the following command

npx create-react-app webapp

Ok, once I got my project, I coded my stuff, which was pretty straight forward using the basic templated. Then I wonder, what will be the easiest way to serve this page.
Remember that I need to submit this home assignment.

Since I already have micro-services I had docker-compose file for the rest of the services, so I was looking how to dockerized my React project.

I'm happy to tell you that it's really easy.

Let's say my project name is webapp.

Create two files under the project root folder Dockerfile and .dockerignore.

Copy the content into your files accordingly

Lines 1 - 6 are building the image:

Creating working dir
Copy all the files besides the one in the .dockerignore
Installing react-scripts which is using for serving the project
Running yarn insatll - Get the dependencis
Yarn run build - Build the project in optimized way

Lines 8-12 are the one used to serve the project.
Note the at we are serving this project in port 80.

Let's build this image just run on the Dockerfile folder
docker build -t react-webapp .

And run our container
docker run -it -p 8000:80 react-webapp
Once the container is running, you can open http://localhost:8000 and you'll be able to access the React app running inside the Docker container.

For docker-compose you can copy

That's it...
Now you got a dockerized UI solution in less then 3 minutes.

Top comments (21)

Prathamesh More • Oct 18 '20 • Edited

Hey Zivka,

I trying build an image but stuck at error

FROM node:12

WORKDIR /use/src/app

COPY package*.json ./

RUN npm install
RUN npm install react-scripts@3.4.1 -g --silent


COPY . .

EXPOSE 3000

CMD ["npm", "run", "build"]

My docker-compose.yml file

version: "3"

services:
  app:
    container_name: scan-app-backend
    restart: always
    build: ./api
    ports:
      - "3001:3001"
    links:
      - mongo
  mongo:
    container_name: mongo
    image: mongo
    ports:
      - "27017:21017"

  react-app:
    container_name: scan-app-frontend
    build: ./dashboard
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"

Error

> dashboard@0.1.0 start /use/src/app

> react-scripts start


ℹ ｢wds｣: Project is running at http://172.26.0.3/

ℹ ｢wds｣: webpack output is served from

ℹ ｢wds｣: Content not from webpack is served from /use/src/app/public

ℹ ｢wds｣: 404s will fallback to /

Starting the development server...

All other works fine but not running the react app.

zivka • Oct 18 '20

Try to map your ports to port 80 and to set your react app to expos it on port 80
CMD ["serve", "-p", "80", "-s", "."]

in your docker-compose
ports:
- "8000:80"

Prathamesh More • Oct 19 '20

Now I am getting this error

 internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:969
scan-app-frontend |   throw err;
scan-app-frontend |   ^
scan-app-frontend |
scan-app-frontend | Error: Cannot find module '/use/src/app/serve'
scan-app-frontend |     at Function.Module._resolveFilename (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:966:15)
scan-app-frontend |     at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:842:27)
scan-app-frontend |     at Function.executeUserEntryPoint [as runMain] (internal/modules/run_main.js:71:12)
scan-app-frontend |     at internal/main/run_main_module.js:17:47 {
scan-app-frontend |   code: 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND',
scan-app-frontend |   requireStack: []
scan-app-frontend | }
scan-app-frontend | internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:969
scan-app-frontend |   throw err;

Prathamesh More • Oct 19 '20

After installing serve as global

I getting this error

ERROR: for scan-app-frontend  Cannot start service react-app: network nanoheal_default not found

Prathamesh More • Oct 19 '20

Now image building well but not serving app

zivka • Oct 19 '20

Make sure you install serve globally on your image. Take a look on my Dockerbuild file how do I install the serve

Adam Klepacz • Feb 13 '20

Hey unfortunettlly this doesn't work

Unknown token: { line: 3, col: 2, type: 'INVALID', value: undefined } 3:2 in /app/yarn.lock

I have a basic CRA app, build with YARN and this is an error that I'm getting when running

docker build -t react-app .

zivka • Feb 13 '20

It seems to be related to yarn.lock file.
Try to add this file to dockerignore file and see if it’s still happen:)

Vipul Goel • Jan 4 '20 • Edited

Here codebase is locally on your dev system I assume, when your codebase is a git repository then how will docker work? I am very new to docker, may be a silly question.

zivka • Jan 4 '20

So it depends on the system that builds the image. You can build it locally, or build it part of CI/CD.

As you can see, we are using COPY command which means the build machine should have this code locally.. In case you are using some GitHub actions/Jenkins/circle ci just start with checkout step in order to clone the updated repo

Vipul Goel • Jan 4 '20

Awesome Thank's!!

Yosef Alnajjar • Jan 4 '20

Congrats for your first article, it was great, keep up the good work 👍

zivka • Jan 4 '20

Thank you man:)

Haikal Azmi • Jan 5 '20

What is the function of dockerize?

zivka • Jan 5 '20

Not sure I understand your question correctly. Any way the docker file is set of commands that by running docker build . is searching for this file, run the set of commands and create an image