Getting Started with React

✋ CAUTION

This third-party integration guide might not be up-to-date with Strapi v4. Contributions (opens new window) are most welcome.

This integration guide is following the Quick Start Guide. We assume that you have fully completed its "Hands-on" path, and therefore can consume the API by browsing this url (opens new window).

If you haven't gone through the Quick Start Guide, the way you request a Strapi API with React (opens new window) remains the same except that you will not fetch the same content.

Create a React app

Create a basic React application using create-react-app (opens new window).

Use an HTTP client

Many HTTP clients are available but in this documentation we'll use Axios (opens new window) and Fetch (opens new window).

yarn add axios

No installation needed

GET Request your collection type

Execute a GET request on the restaurant Collection Type in order to fetch all your restaurants.

Be sure that you activated the find permission for the restaurant Collection Type

Example GET request with axios

import axios from 'axios';

axios.get('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants').then(response => {
  console.log(response);
});

Example GET request with fetch

fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants', {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Example response

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Biscotte Restaurant",
    "description": "Welcome to Biscotte restaurant! Restaurant Biscotte offers a cuisine based on fresh, quality products, often local, organic when possible, and always produced by passionate producers.",
    "created_by": {
      "id": 1,
      "firstname": "Paul",
      "lastname": "Bocuse",
      "username": null
    },
    "updated_by": {
      "id": 1,
      "firstname": "Paul",
      "lastname": "Bocuse",
      "username": null
    },
    "created_at": "2020-07-31T11:37:16.964Z",
    "updated_at": "2020-07-31T11:37:16.975Z",
    "categories": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "French Food",
        "created_by": 1,
        "updated_by": 1,
        "created_at": "2020-07-31T11:36:23.164Z",
        "updated_at": "2020-07-31T11:36:23.172Z"
      }
    ]
  }
]

Example

./src/App.js

import React from 'react';
import axios from 'axios';

class App extends React.Component {
  // State of your application
  state = {
    restaurants: [],
    error: null,
  };

  // Fetch your restaurants immediately after the component is mounted
  componentDidMount = async () => {
    try {
      const response = await axios.get('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants');
      this.setState({ restaurants: response.data });
    } catch (error) {
      this.setState({ error });
    }
  };

  render() {
    const { error, restaurant } = this.state;

    // Print errors if any
    if (error) {
      return <div>An error occured: {error.message}</div>;
    }

    return (
      <div className="App">
        <ul>
          {this.state.restaurants.map(restaurant => (
            <li key={restaurant.id}>{restaurant.name}</li>
          ))}
        </ul>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default App;

./src/App.js

import React from 'react';

class App extends React.Component {
  // State of your application
  state = {
    restaurants: [],
    error: null,
  };

  // Fetch your restaurants immediately after the component is mounted
  componentDidMount = async () => {
    // Parses the JSON returned by a network request
    const parseJSON = resp => (resp.json ? resp.json() : resp);

    // Checks if a network request came back fine, and throws an error if not
    const checkStatus = resp => {
      if (resp.status >= 200 && resp.status < 300) {
        return resp;
      }
      return parseJSON(resp).then(resp => {
        throw resp;
      });
    };
    const headers = {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    };

    try {
      const restaurants = await fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants', {
        method: 'GET',
        headers: headers,
      })
        .then(checkStatus)
        .then(parseJSON);
      this.setState({ restaurants });
    } catch (error) {
      this.setState({ error });
    }
  };

  render() {
    const { error, restaurant } = this.state;

    // Print errors if any
    if (error) {
      return <div>An error occured: {error.message}</div>;
    }

    return (
      <div className="App">
        <ul>
          {this.state.restaurants.map(restaurant => (
            <li key={restaurant.id}>{restaurant.name}</li>
          ))}
        </ul>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default App;

POST Request your collection type

Execute a POST request on the restaurant Collection Type in order to create a restaurant.

Be sure that you activated the create permission for the restaurant Collection Type and the find permission fot the category Collection type.

In this example a japanese category has been created which has the id: 3.

Example POST request with axios

import axios from 'axios';

axios
  .post('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants', {
    name: 'Dolemon Sushi',
    description: 'Unmissable Japanese Sushi restaurant. The cheese and salmon makis are delicious',
    categories: [3],
  })
  .then(response => {
    console.log(response);
  });

Example POST request with fetch

fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: 'Dolemon Sushi',
    description: 'Unmissable Japanese Sushi restaurant. The cheese and salmon makis are delicious',
    categories: [3],
  }),
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Example response

{
  "id": 2,
  "name": "Dolemon Sushi",
  "description": "Unmissable Japanese Sushi restaurant. The cheese and salmon makis are delicious",
  "created_by": null,
  "updated_by": null,
  "created_at": "2020-08-04T09:57:11.669Z",
  "updated_at": "2020-08-04T09:57:11.669Z",
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": 3,
      "name": "Japanese",
      "created_by": 1,
      "updated_by": 1,
      "created_at": "2020-07-31T11:36:23.164Z",
      "updated_at": "2020-07-31T11:36:23.172Z"
    }
  ]
}

Example

./src/App.js

import React from 'react';
import axios from 'axios';

class App extends React.Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);

    // State of your application
    this.state = {
      modifiedData: {
        name: '',
        description: '',
        categories: [],
      },
      allCategories: [],
      error: null,
    };
  }

  // Fetch your categories immediately after the component is mounted
  componentDidMount = async () => {
    try {
      const response = await axios.get('http://localhost:1337/api/categories');
      this.setState({ allCategories: response.data });
    } catch (error) {
      this.setState({ error });
    }
  };

  handleInputChange = ({ target: { name, value } }) => {
    this.setState(prev => ({
      ...prev,
      modifiedData: {
        ...prev.modifiedData,
        [name]: value,
      },
    }));
  };

  handleSubmit = async e => {
    e.preventDefault();

    try {
      const response = await axios.post(
        'http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants',
        this.state.modifiedData
      );
      console.log(response);
    } catch (error) {
      this.setState({ error });
    }
  };

  renderCheckbox = category => {
    const {
      modifiedData: { categories },
    } = this.state;
    const isChecked = categories.includes(category.id);
    const handleChange = () => {
      if (!categories.includes(category.id)) {
        this.handleInputChange({
          target: { name: 'categories', value: categories.concat(category.id) },
        });
      } else {
        this.handleInputChange({
          target: {
            name: 'categories',
            value: categories.filter(v => v !== category.id),
          },
        });
      }
    };

    return (
      <div key={category.id}>
        <label htmlFor={category.id}>{category.name}</label>
        <input
          type="checkbox"
          checked={isChecked}
          onChange={handleChange}
          name="categories"
          id={category.id}
        />
      </div>
    );
  };

  render() {
    const { error, allCategories, modifiedData } = this.state;

    // Print errors if any
    if (error) {
      return <div>An error occured: {error.message}</div>;
    }

    return (
      <div className="App">
        <form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
          <h3>Restaurants</h3>
          <br />
          <label>
            Name:
            <input
              type="text"
              name="name"
              onChange={this.handleInputChange}
              value={modifiedData.name}
            />
          </label>
          <label>
            Description:
            <input
              type="text"
              name="description"
              onChange={this.handleInputChange}
              value={modifiedData.description}
            />
          </label>
          <div>
            <br />
            <b>Select categories</b>
            {allCategories.map(this.renderCheckbox)}
          </div>
          <br />
          <button type="submit">Submit</button>
        </form>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default App;

./src/App.js

import React from 'react';

// Parses the JSON returned by a network request
const parseJSON = resp => (resp.json ? resp.json() : resp);

// Checks if a network request came back fine, and throws an error if not
const checkStatus = resp => {
  if (resp.status >= 200 && resp.status < 300) {
    return resp;
  }
  return parseJSON(resp).then(resp => {
    throw resp;
  });
};
const headers = {
  'Content-Type': 'application/json',
};

class App extends React.Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = {
      modifiedData: {
        name: '',
        description: '',
        categories: [],
      },
      allCategories: [],
      error: null,
    };
  }

  componentDidMount = async () => {
    try {
      const allCategories = await fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/categories', {
        method: 'GET',
        headers: headers,
      })
        .then(checkStatus)
        .then(parseJSON);
      this.setState({ allCategories });
    } catch (error) {
      this.setState({ error });
    }
  };

  handleInputChange = ({ target: { name, value } }) => {
    this.setState(prev => ({
      ...prev,
      modifiedData: {
        ...prev.modifiedData,
        [name]: value,
      },
    }));
  };

  handleSubmit = async e => {
    e.preventDefault();

    try {
      await fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: headers,
        body: JSON.stringify(this.state.modifiedData),
      })
        .then(checkStatus)
        .then(parseJSON);
    } catch (error) {
      this.setState({ error });
    }
  };

  renderCheckbox = category => {
    const {
      modifiedData: { categories },
    } = this.state;
    const isChecked = categories.includes(category.id);
    const handleChange = () => {
      if (!categories.includes(category.id)) {
        this.handleInputChange({
          target: { name: 'categories', value: categories.concat(category.id) },
        });
      } else {
        this.handleInputChange({
          target: {
            name: 'categories',
            value: categories.filter(v => v !== category.id),
          },
        });
      }
    };

    return (
      <div key={category.id}>
        <label htmlFor={category.id}>{category.name}</label>
        <input
          type="checkbox"
          checked={isChecked}
          onChange={handleChange}
          name="categories"
          id={category.id}
        />
      </div>
    );
  };

  render() {
    const { error, allCategories, modifiedData } = this.state;

    // Print error if any
    if (error) {
      return <div>An error occured: {error.message}</div>;
    }

    return (
      <div className="App">
        <form onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
          <h3>Restaurants</h3>
          <br />
          <label>
            Name:
            <input
              type="text"
              name="name"
              onChange={this.handleInputChange}
              value={modifiedData.name}
            />
          </label>
          <label>
            Description:
            <input
              type="text"
              name="description"
              onChange={this.handleInputChange}
              value={modifiedData.description}
            />
          </label>
          <div>
            <br />
            <b>Select categories</b>
            {allCategories.map(this.renderCheckbox)}
          </div>
          <br />
          <button type="submit">Submit</button>
        </form>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default App;

PUT Request your collection type

Execute a PUT request on the restaurant Collection Type in order to update the category of a restaurant.

Be sure that you activated the put permission for the restaurant Collection Type.

We consider that the id of your restaurant is 2, and the id of your category is 2.

Example PUT request with axios

import axios from 'axios';

axios
  .put('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants/2', {
    categories: [2],
  })
  .then(response => {
    console.log(response);
  });

Example PUT request with fetch

fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/restaurants/2', {
  method: 'PUT',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    categories: [2],
  }),
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log(data);
  });

Example response

{
  "id": 2,
  "name": "Dolemon Sushi",
  "description": "Unmissable Japanese Sushi restaurant. The cheese and salmon makis are delicious",
  "created_by": null,
  "updated_by": null,
  "created_at": "2020-08-04T10:21:30.219Z",
  "updated_at": "2020-08-04T10:21:30.219Z",
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Brunch",
      "created_by": 1,
      "updated_by": 1,
      "created_at": "2020-08-04T10:24:26.901Z",
      "updated_at": "2020-08-04T10:24:26.911Z"
    }
  ]
}

Starter

• React Blog starter (opens new window)

Conclusion

Here is how to request your Collection Types in Strapi using React. When you create a Collection Type or a Single Type you will have a certain number of REST API endpoints available to interact with.

We just used the GET, POST and PUT methods here but you can get one entry, and delete an entry too. Learn more about API Endpoints.