Build a Full-Stack App with React, SvelteKit, and a Serverless Laravel Backend
Introduction
This article outlines how to build a modern full-stack application by combining the strengths of React for the frontend, SvelteKit for routing and build tooling, and a serverless Laravel backend for API endpoints. This approach allows for performant frontends, a smooth developer experience, and cost-effective backend infrastructure.
Project Setup
First, let's scaffold a new SvelteKit project:
npm create svelte@latest my-app
cd my-app
npm install
This will be our frontend. Now let's move to the backend.
Laravel Backend (Serverless)
We'll create a basic Laravel API endpoint, configured to be deployable in a serverless environment (like AWS Lambda or Vapor). For brevity, assume you have a Laravel project configured for serverless deployment.
Create a simple controller:
<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
class ExampleController extends Controller
{
public function index()
{
return response()->json(['message' => 'Hello from Laravel!']);
}
}
Define a route in routes/api.php
:
<?php
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
use App\Http\Controllers\ExampleController;
Route::get('/hello', [ExampleController::class, 'index']);
Remember to configure your Laravel project for serverless deployment. Services like Laravel Vapor provide excellent tools for this.
React Component in SvelteKit
Now, let's create a React component within our SvelteKit project to fetch data from our Laravel API.
First install React and ReactDOM as dev dependencies:
npm install react react-dom --save-dev
Create a file src/lib/ReactComponent.jsx
:
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
function ReactComponent() {
const [message, setMessage] = useState('');
useEffect(() => {
const fetchData = async () => {
try {
const response = await fetch('/api/hello'); // Proxy through SvelteKit
const data = await response.json();
setMessage(data.message);
} catch (error) {
setMessage('Error fetching data.');
}
};
fetchData();
}, []);
return (
<div>
<p>Message from Laravel: {message}</p>
</div>
);
}
export default ReactComponent;
SvelteKit API Endpoint (Proxy)
Create a SvelteKit API endpoint to proxy the request to your Laravel backend. This avoids CORS issues and allows you to manage API keys securely. Create src/routes/api/hello/+server.js
:
import { json } from '@sveltejs/kit';
/** @type {import('./$types').RequestHandler} */
export async function GET() {
const backendUrl = 'YOUR_LARAVEL_BACKEND_URL'; // Replace with your Laravel URL
try {
const response = await fetch(backendUrl + '/api/hello');
const data = await response.json();
return json(data);
} catch (error) {
return json({ message: 'Error proxying request.' }, { status: 500 });
}
}
IMPORTANT: Replace YOUR_LARAVEL_BACKEND_URL
with the actual URL of your deployed Laravel API.
Displaying the React Component in Svelte
Finally, let's display the React component in a Svelte page. Modify src/routes/+page.svelte
:
<script>
import ReactComponent from '$lib/ReactComponent.jsx';
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
import { render } from 'react-dom/client';
let container;
onMount(() => {
container = document.getElementById('react-container');
const root = render(<ReactComponent/>, container);
});
</script>
<h1>Welcome to SvelteKit</h1>
<div id="react-container" />
Conclusion
This example demonstrates a powerful stack for building modern web applications. By leveraging React's component model within SvelteKit's routing and build system, and connecting it to a serverless Laravel backend, you can create scalable and maintainable applications with excellent performance. Remember to handle error states and secure your API endpoints in a production environment.