Isomorphic JavaScript with Node, WebPack, and React
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This document discusses isomorphic JavaScript, which refers to code that can run both on the server during rendering and in the browser. It notes some key libraries like React that enable isomorphic code by allowing the same code to render markup on both the server and client. It also discusses pushing inconsistencies between the server and client environments up to higher levels of code or down into common libraries. The document demonstrates how to set up a basic isomorphic JavaScript project using Webpack and React, and discusses the perspectives of library authors and application developers in building isomorphic code.
Isomorphic JavaScript with Node, WebPack, and React
- 2. AKA • Isomorphic • Universal – Not to be confused with a Universal Module • Portable
- 3. Isomorphic JavaScript • Narrowly: Same Code Renders Markup on Server and Client – React, Rendr, Meteor • Broadly: CodeThat Is At Home on the Server and the Browser. – Superagent, lo-dash, Q Presented by FamilySearch
- 4. Significant Common Ground • JavaScript language: prototypes, expressions, functions as objects. • JavaScript libs such as Math, Date, Error, JSON, RegExp. • Can solve a lot of problems without running into inconsistencies.
- 5. Libraries Built on Common Ground • The community already has interest in creating libs built on common ground and easily loaded in the browser or node. – Ex: Q, underscore/lodash, moment.js, Chai
- 6. Inconsistencies In the Browser • XMLHttpRequest() • DOM • Local storage et al. In Node • http.request() • None/Replacement (React) • Files and databases Presented by FamilySearch
- 7. Fighting Inconsistency? • Push it up • Push it down • Detect and differentiate
- 8. Pushing Inconsistency Up • Make your caller deal with it • Accept the fruits – Example: use a hierarchy of React components. Only at the top do you differentiate between React.render() and ReactDomServer.renderToString().
- 9. Pushing Inconsistency Down • Make a dependency deal with it • Interact with a façade – Example: Have a service that fetches data. Consumers act like data is fetched uniformly. Under the covers it uses different URLs inside the data- center versus outside the firewall.
- 10. Lots Already Pushed Down • The community is already attracted to pushing inconsistency down into universal libraries. – Ex: superagent
- 11. Detect and Differentiate • if (typeof window === ‘undefined’) you’re on the server, bub. • Can add sentinels, depending on your control
- 12. Packaging • Pick something that lets you transparently use modules in node or in Browser. – WebPack is gaining popularity – Browserify does the job, too
- 14. Setting up WebPack (with React) • Check out Radu Brehar’s instructions at http://jslog.com/2014/10/ 02/react-with-webpack- part-1/ – Some updates in the code at https://github.com/tylerpeterso n/isojs
- 15. How Useful Is This Anyway? • Perspective of a Library Author • Perspective of an App Author
- 16. As a Lib Author • If meant for common use, you should make your code into a universal module at a the minimum. Be kind to your users. • Your library might target one environment at first and be useful enough to shim to work in both.
- 17. As App Author • Let’s you write logic once and run in both places – Caution: Different concerns on client and server. • Many new ideas haven’t been fully explored
- 18. React Changes Applicability • I’m using react in my demos because portable UI increases the possibilities of universal JS. • Now you can push inconsistency above, below, or into the UI and still have a large amount of Universal JavaScript.
- 19. Demo: Rendering Portability • Example of rendering your page entirely on server or entirely in client. – https://github.com/DavidWells/i somorphic-react-example
- 20. Demo: Request Hand-off • Start all the work on the server, stream above-the- fold content, respond to bandwidth in a beacon feedback loop, let client finish up the work. – https://github.com/tylerpeterso n/isojs
- 21. Thank You! • Tyler Peterson – ty@managerjs.com – @ManagerJS