React is one of the best modern JavaScript libraries for developing progressive web apps and interactive UIs. It uses a JavaScript syntax extension called JSX which combines HTML with JavaScript. React offers significantly more features than an old library like jQuery, rendering views extremely fast with its virtual DOM system.
To learn React, you just need a foundation in the three main front-end languages- JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. As long as you know these, you can get React and start working on exciting projects to improve your practical skills. The best way to learn something is by doing it.
This is why I have created a list of the top 20 React project ideas you can do today. These projects will teach you the basics of React, along with more advanced stuff- such as integration with 3rd party APIs and state management/ routing. You will also learn how to use the React library with frameworks like NextJS.
Instagram Clone
This is a nice way to learn the various intricacies of React and how it functions in a modern social media app. In fact, the actual Instagram is also based on React. To do this project, you’ll need to create the front end using React and the back end with Firebase.
The front end contains a login and registration system with user authentication. Successful authentication (done with Firebase) takes you to the dashboard which is basically your Instagram homepage. Here, you can view posts created by other users, open their profile page, and submit new posts of your own.
Dating App
If you want to create your very own Tinder clone, you can give this project a try. It is equipped with many of the same features you’d find in a social media app such as the Instagram clone we viewed earlier. But with a focus on meeting people, learning about them, and setting up dates.
You’ll learn how to create native apps for Android and iOS using React Native, and get hands-on experience with declarative routing through React Router. To create the UI, you’ll use React Vector icons. You will also set up an interface for users to select photos and videos from their device memory or capture photos/videos from the camera.
Personal Blog
You’ll use the Cosmic content management system and NextJS. React helps you create a general template that can be used for multiple website types. These could be blogs, news sites, entertainment sites, etc.
The project’s source files will provide you with the boilerplate code necessary to create multiple variations of this site. You’ll be able to register, log in, and create or edit posts (with images and links attached).
Instant Messenger
With React, you can create a simple yet highly performant instant messaging app. The design is done with Material UI, and deployment is done with Firebase. The homepage contains a top bar with various sections, and a login/ signup form (where you can use Google to sign in).
Once you sign in, you will be able to view a message page with previous messages and a text input box at the bottom for new ones. Images and emojis can be added, along with voice clips using your device microphone. Each message has a date and time attached to it.
Fitness Tracker App
An app that lets you track your workout progress by entering exercise type, duration, and the muscle group it stresses. You can create new activities and routines for them. Existing routines can be modified or removed, and new ones can be added.
The app has a profile section for each user along with an analytics page where users can monitor their weight changes and workouts based on dates. A graphical representation of the human body and its various muscle groups can be found on the homepage, along with a search bar for various exercises. Each exercise has a description attached to it, plus a log sheet with sets and intensity levels.
eCommerce Platform
If you want a project that deals with CRUD concepts, here’s a great one. It uses Firebase for user authentication, and account creation/deletion. The site itself is an emulation of an eyewear shop, where users can purchase glasses of various types.
But you can modify it to create something else, like a bookstore or electronics store. There is a homepage, feature page, shop page, and recommended page. Plus, users can search for items by name and add these items to their cart (there is a checkout page for items in the cart).
Music Player
To create a simple, but highly customizable music player for your website, check out this project. It is a responsive HTML5 player built with React and can switch between a full-sized bar or a miniaturized icon. The player can also switch between dark and light modes.
There are basic controls like play, pause, previous, volume up and down, etc., but you can also add playlists and remove songs. The player also has a download option that lets you download a song into your device storage. It can also loop songs and display lyrics on the screen.
Notes App
For learning state management with Redux, this is a pretty good project. You’ll create a basic notes app that has categories and a search bar. Notes are displayed in a card format with different colors for each card, and the option to edit or delete individual notes. The search bar on top allows users to search for notes based on their title or description.
Each note has a title and description, along with a category that you assign during creation (work, home, and personal). You’ll use Material UI components, and some JavaScript + CSS.
To-Do List
On the surface, this project is very similar to the notes app that we just discussed. However, it’s more of a reminder rather than a note-keeping system. You are reminded of basic activities like shopping, eating, taking your medicines, etc.
These tasks are sorted into two categories- active and completed. Each task has a title, but no description to keep things simple (since this is just a to-do list). Tasks can be added and removed from the list.
Admin Dashboard
In the future, you might have to design the dashboard for a content management system or administrative software. This template will give you a nice starting point for such tasks. It is clean, intuitive, and responsive.
The dashboard uses a vertically aligned menu on the left, with sections for user profiles and data analytics. Users can view their cloud storage space and upload files; they can also set notification settings from their profile page. The main dashboard page also contains a table and calendar at the bottom.
Weather App
In addition to JavaScript and JSX, you can also use TypeScript for your React apps. This weather app makes use of TypeScript, so you can use it to polish up your skills. It also uses the Geolocation API to find the location of a user, so it can request weather data for that spot from OpenWeatherMap.
The app is designed to display all its information visually, through icons and animations. It can switch from Celsius to Fahrenheit and has a dark mode. Users can also manually input a location into the search box if they don’t want to provide geolocation info to the app.
Calculator
A responsive calculator app that has a streamlined UI and works on mobile, tablet, and desktop. It has three themes- a light theme, a dark theme, and a purple theme. There are no advanced functions, only basic ones such as addition and multiplication.
However, there is also a section at the top of the display which shows the operation being performed (with the result displayed underneath). You will learn about Tailwind CSS, mobile-first design, hooks, and state management from this project.
Cryptocurrency App
Sites like CoinGecko provide live exchange rates for various cryptocurrencies. Along with other useful info such as market cap, historical data, charts, API id, and community links. With this project, you’ll try to create a similar app using the CoinGecko API to retrieve live data on various cryptos.
The app has coin listings, trends, detailed views, and more. It also contains information for ongoing ICOs, upcoming ICOs, and the total number of active cryptocurrencies. You can view a list of active crypto exchanges such as Binance, GDAX, Kraken, etc. along with the exchange rates.
Password Generator
Perhaps you can use this project to create your very own passwords for sites that you frequently use. It uses Semantic UI in combination with React, and stores data locally. Users are offered multiple options to configure their passwords.
There is a slider to select the password length (3 to 24 characters). Another slider decides the number of passwords to be generated. Checkboxes are used to turn on the lower case, upper case, numbers, and special characters (each password can be copied to the clipboard with the copy button).
Image Gallery
You can combine the blog project with this one to create a more visual, highly interactive experience. Or you can implement this gallery in your very own portfolio website. Either way, it’s an excellent project for learning the basics of React components and responsive design.
Images in the gallery can be taken fullscreen and touchscreen swiping is supported. Arrow keys can also be used for navigation, and a slideshow function is built in. Thumbnails can be used to switch between images and the slideshow speed can be adjusted.
YouTube Clone
One of the best clone projects ever created, this Youtube clone looks exactly like the real deal. However, it doesn’t support the full set of features that Youtube has. It primarily emulates the homepage, search bar, and recommendations.
Data is taken from YouTube’s API and that’s how you get actual search results when you type something in the search bar. You will use Material UI, JOTAI, React-Router, and Axios to develop this app. It teaches state management and styled components.
Image Compressor
The app has a simple homepage where you upload an image (JPG or PNG) and press “Compress” to get an output that is smaller in size. This is especially useful if you’re creating profile pics or header pics for a social media site that has limitations on image size. Browser image compression is used, and the results aren’t particularly impressive when the image file is small, to begin with.
Portfolio
As a developer, you should try creating your very own portfolio page. Here, you can list your skills, experience, accomplishments, etc. in a format that is both eye-catching and informative. In fact, the portfolio project I have linked does exactly that.
It has a home section with your name and a short biography. Then, there is an about page for those who want to know more about your experience and skills. A projects page contains all your previous work arranged in a tile format with images and links to GitHub/ demos.
Meme Creator
Memes fuel our online experience and are an entertaining way to express opinions or abstract thoughts. While there are plenty of meme generators out there, I think you can easily create your own with React. This app uses the Imgflip API to source the 100 most popular meme templates at any given time.
Then, you use some CSS and JavaScript to insert your very own text into these templates and create a personalized meme, ready for download. You’ll learn about React hooks, conditional rendering, forms, and event listeners through this project.
Movie Search App
Ever sat down on your couch, wondering which movie or TV show you should watch while your brain draws a blank? Wonder no more, because you can now create your very own recommendation app that will suggest highly rated shows and movies. You can type a name into the search bar, and it will show information on the movie- genre, description, runtime, trailer, and more.
If you like a movie or wish to watch it in the future, you can add it to your favorites list. Clicking on a movie or TV show thumbnail will take you to its page where you can view the cast and reviews. Clicking on individual actors will show which other shows or movies they have done.
Conclusion
I hope you have as much fun working on these React projects as I had while creating this list. If you ever run into any issues along the way, there is no shortage of online documentation, forums, and tutorials within the React community. It is one of the most popular open-source libraries out there.And there are tons of 3rd party component libraries for React that will help you create the exact kind of app you want. If you are learning React to become a professional, know that this is a very lucrative career path with an average salary of $92K in the US. It is also one of the most developer-friendly front-end tools ever created.