React with PHP: A Comprehensive Guide

Have you ever thought about how modern applications like Facebook and WordPress deliver a fluid frontend and backend development experience? By combining PHP with React JS, you can get the flexibility and scalability to build powerful applications. So, let’s dive into how this technology works to deliver robust and scalable apps.

Introduction to React and PHP

What is React?

React is a JavaScript library that is used for creating responsive user interfaces. Facebook first created it and is now utilized by developers for creating Single Page Applications for faster and more interactive user interfaces.

Virtual DOM: React renders more efficiently using a DOM that only updates the changed components.

Component-Based: React build reusable UI components optimizes ongoing development efforts, increases web development process speed, and reduces redundancy.

Real-Life Example:-

Facebook has rich user interfaces, which can update the site in real-time without user reloads, and is powered by React.

What is PHP?

PHP is an open-source server-side scripting language that deals with backend operations like server requests, authentication, database query, etc. Many websites are built on the backbone of PHP code, from small blogs to large-scale content management systems.

Widespread Use: The popular platforms Magento and WordPress run on PHP which powers 78.9% of all websites.

Dynamic Content: It’s used widely for dynamic site generation, database management, and server-side logic.

Real-Life Example:-

WordPress uses PHP for backend management of the CMS, which powers over 40% of websites.

Why Combine React with PHP?

Seamless React Front-End and PHP Backend Integration

React takes care of the front-end and user experience while PHP elegantly manages the back-end logic. The PHP and React technology combination guarantees uniform data flow and syncing between the user interface and server operations.

Dynamic UIs: Real-time updates of reusable UI components are achievable with React.

Backend Operations: Server-side operations like database queries and authentication are handled by PHP.

Real-Life Example:-

Etsy uses effective ReactJS features for a dynamic front end and PHP to manage user accounts and product listings.

Full-Stack Web Development

ReactJS handles client-side actions without wasting developer time while PHP being a server-side language is in charge of all the server-side actions. Thus, this architecture is scalable and flexible.

Efficiency: PHP’s processing is also faster with React’s fast rendering components.

“Looking to build robust and interactive development solutions with React and PHP? Consult eSparkBiz and hire ReactJS Developers in India to leverage our Core React expertise in your project.”

Performance and Flexibility

With ReactJS and PHP together, you can create feature-rich, high-performance web applications. Fast server-side rendering is handled by React, while strong back-end logic is provided by PHP.

Fact/Stats:-

• ReactJS improves performance by as much as 30% when used with PHP in comparison to traditional setups. 

Step-by-Step Process to Setting Up PHP and React

It is easy to set up ReactJS with PHP. Let’s see how you can set up a development environment.

Step 1: Install Node.js and Create a React App

Node.js Installation: ReactJS requires Node.js. So, download & install it from the official website.

Create React App: To create a React application, use the following command:

npx create-react-app my-app

With this command, you can generate a new React project with all dependencies.

Step 2: Set Up the PHP Server Environment

Install PHP: Use PHP and Apache to set up a local server. Configure your local domain by installing XAMPP or MAMP.

Create PHP Backend: Once you get PHP installed, Make a project directory for handling API requests and backend logic with PHP files.

Step 3: Integrating PHP Back-End with React Front-End

Backend Routing: Then, we set up PHP routes to respond to requests from React via APIs.

CORS Configuration: Make sure that CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) is enabled on the PHP development environment for the React front end to communicate with the PHP back end.

Real-Life Example:-

Shopify’s front end is built on ReactJS and for backend operations like order management it uses PHP.

Also Read: Why React JS Is A Picture Perfect Choice For Enterprise App Development?

Backend Routing with PHP and Frontend Rendering with React

In this step, React takes care of the front-end rendering, and PHP deals with the backend logic and API calls.

API Creation: Write a PHP API that works with a MySQL database.

Frontend-Backend Connection: In React, we will use Axios or Fetch API to request the PHP API.

Fact/Stats:-

• Combining both PHP and React code can improve API response time by 35%.

Table for Setting Up React with PHP

Data Handling Between React and PHP

Fetching Data from PHP with React JS

In a full-stack application development, React deals with building user interfaces and PHP manages the server-side processing like fetching data from the database interactions. Here’s how ReactJS fetches data from PHP APIs:

React Fetching Data: Make GET / POST requests with Axios or Fetch API to PHP APIs.

Data Flow: The data sent by PHP is rendered as dynamic content with React.

Real-Life Example:-

Airbnb’s display listings are fetched from a PHP backend using React.

Managing Forms and Authentication

On the front end, React can handle forms and on the back end, PHP can process the form data (authentication and database entry) to submit.

React Form Handling: One of the remarkable ReactJS Trends – Form submissions are seamlessly handled by React; the data is sent to PHP via APIs for authentication.

Authentication Logic: By comparing form data to database records, PHP authenticates users.

Real-Life Example:-

Facebook uses React for User Interface form handling and PHP to handle user logins and session management.

Fact/Stats:-

• Connect React with PHP to reduce the time for form handling and processing by 25%. 

RESTful APIs with React and PHP

Building REST APIs with PHP

ReactJS can consume the dynamic content rendered by the REST APIs built using PHP.

API Creation: Using PHP, you can create RESTful APIs that access the databases and return JSON data.

Routing: In PHP, define the routes so that different API requests are handled.

Real-Life Example:-

Slack is powered by ReactJS for displaying real-time messages and PHP for backend APIs.

Consuming APIs in React

After building the REST APIs using PHP, React consumes the APIs it built, via Axios or Fetch for data interchange between frontend and backend.

Fetch API: To get/post data from PHP React uses Fetch or Axios.

JSON Parsing: PHP APIs send out JSON responses; React fetches parses for rendering in components.

Real-Life Example:-

Netflix’s front end uses efficient ReactJS development services and the HTTP APIs use PHP to handle all the heavy queries from users around the globe.

Fact/Stats:-

• React and PHP API integration with the web application speed up response time by 40% compared to conventional setups

Table for Data Handling and RESTful APIs

Optimizing Performance in React with PHP

Optimizing Frontend Rendering in React

Fast server-side rendering is one of React’s trademarks, but some additional tips and tricks can make the performance much better.

Lazy Loading: This React performance optimization technique improves initial page load times by deferring the loading of non-essential components until they’re needed.

Code-Splitting: React apps can load just the JavaScript necessary for the current view to reduce load times.

Virtual DOM: React’s Virtual DOM renders very quickly ensuring minimal re-renders because of which it is faster than traditional frontend frameworks.

Real-Life Example:-

The front end of Instagram runs on ReactJS, which uses lazy loading for nonessential things, such as images, leading to faster page load times.

Caching and Database Optimization in PHP

It’s also important to optimize the backend language PHP performance so that data is delivered efficiently to React. Response times can improve significantly by the use of caching and database optimization techniques.

Caching: PHP can use caching systems such as Memcached or Redis to store commonly accessed data in memory, alleviating load on the server.

Database Optimization: To get data as fast as possible in ReactJS, indexing and query optimization in MySQL or PostgreSQL is necessary.

Real-Life Example:-

Walmart makes use of PHP for backend operations and ReactJS for the front end development. Large amounts of user data management are done efficiently by the use of caching systems.

Fact/Stats:-

• 70% of PHP database query times are reduced with caching.

Real-World Use Cases of React with PHP

E-Commerce Applications

Often both PHP and React are used side by side when building enterprise e-commerce applications. Building interactive user interfaces is handled by React, and PHP handle server-side logic such as Database interactions and payment processing.

Scalable & Robust Solution: React gives real-time updates on the stock and user orders while the PHP manages the inventory and payment systems.

Seamless Checkout Process: Advantage of using ReactJS is its fast rendering means the user experience is still smooth, even during peak shopping times.

Real-Life Example:-

Etsy uses React for a fast seamless frontend, and PHP for backend operations; used to make millions of transactions around the world.

CMS Development

The pairing of React with PHP is a boon for Content Management Systems (CMS). The dynamic UI/UX Design is handled by React, and server-side operations such as content management and user authentication are done by PHP.

Dynamic Interfaces: PHP stores the content, while React returns a real-time preview of the content and how it would appear.

User Authentication: Secure user login and access are managed by PHP, and user-facing UI is managed by React.

Real-Life Example:-

WordPress (with React Headless CMS): React is used for the front end while PHP is used for backend CMS operations, and hence WordPress developers have the basic knowledge of ReactJS and often use it for the more interactive and modern interface.

Also Read: Step-by-Step Guide To Implement Headless WordPress Using React

Fact/Stats:-

• Stats show that 43% of all websites use WordPress and that many use React along with PHP to provide a more dynamic user experience.

Table for Performance Optimization and Use Cases

Security Best Practices for React with PHP

CSRF Protection in PHP

While using React with PHP, there is an imperative to have a safe data approach. If server-side PHP APIs are not protected, Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks will happen.

CSRF Tokens: Using CSRF tokens in PHP will prevent malicious websites from making unauthorized requests on your server.

Input Validation: All incoming data in PHP should be validated so malicious entries do not corrupt the backend or manipulate data.

Real-Life Example:-

Trello’s frontend is written in React and backend in PHP which uses API with CSRF protection to keep user data safe.

Implementing CSRF protection in #php…3 main steps:

1️⃣ Generate a session CSRF token
2️⃣ Add a hidden _token field in your form
3️⃣ Check if the posted ‘_token’ matches the token stored in the session

📺 Watch me do thishttps://t.co/7bUIOb4lbf pic.twitter.com/pbvznm7P87

— Gary Clarke (@garyclarketech) May 2, 2024

Securing React Components

User-facing forms, as well as any React-built application, manage sensitive data. To prevent attacks like cross-site scripting(XSS) or data leaks, a React component needs to be secured.

Sanitize Input: Make sure that every data you input in forms is sanitized before sending it to your PHP backend.

Use HTTPS: Use HTTPS for all API requests and secure the communication between the front end and back end.

Real-Life Example:-

LinkedIn implements strong security measures on its platform making sure Components are secure and data flows to its PHP backend securely.

Fact/Stats:-

• There are over 1 Million websites vulnerable to XSS attacks. This risk can be greatly reduced by using proper security measures.

Also Read: React Best Practices – Step towards Boosting Development Performance

Testing and Debugging React with PHP

Unit Testing for PHP APIs

Software Testing is vital to make sure your PHP backend APIs play nice with React. Each API endpoint can be tested using unit tests, and make sure it behaves as it should, and handles all requests correctly.

PHPUnit: Then use PHPUnit to write tests to ensure your PHP APIs respond correctly to requests from the React frontend.

Mocking and Stubbing: Try simulating different request scenarios to see how your PHP API handles differently shaped data.

Real-Life Example:-

Netflix’s backend PHP services are built with PHPUnit to make sure their React frontend interacts properly with all API endpoints.

Debugging React Components

If you are building a React-PHP web application, debugging can help pinpoint performance problems and bugs in the codebase.

React Developer Tools: Popular tool to inspect the state of components, and find components that re-render too slowly or have too expensive renders.

PHP Debugging Tools: Tools like Xdebug are helpful when tracing and debugging backend issues in real-time for PHP.

Real-Life Example:-

PayPal uses React DevTools for frontend optimization and Xdebug for tracing their backend issues in PHP-based services.

Fact/Stats:-

• Inefficient frontend code is responsible for 60% of the performance issues, and 30% are due to backend misconfigurations.

Table for Security and Testing

Chintan Gor

CTO, eSparkBiz

Enthusiastic for web app development, Chintan Gor has zeal in experimenting with his knowledge of Node, Angular & React in various aspects of development. He keeps on updating his technical know-how thus pinning his name among the topmost CTO's in India. His contribution is penned down by him through various technical blogs on trending tech. He is associated with eSparkBiz from the past 14+ years where one can get premium services.