+++
title = "Creating Frontend Website"
description = "Build a REST API quickly with Loco and then follow by building a React frontend app to use it. Learn about generators, configuring asset serving and client-side apps with Loco."
date = 2023-12-14T09:19:42+00:00
updated = 2023-12-14T09:19:42+00:00
draft = false
template = "blog/page.html"

[taxonomies]
authors = ["Team Loco"]

+++

## Overview

This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough on using `Loco` to build a Todo list application with a REST API and a React frontend. The steps outlined cover everything from project creation to deployment.

Explore the example repository [here](https://github.com/loco-rs/todo-list-example)

The key steps include:

- Creating a Loco project with the SaaS starter
- Setting up a Vite frontend with React
- Configuring Loco to serve frontend static assets
- Implementing the Notes model/controller in the REST API
- Reloading the server and frontend during development
- Deploying the website to production

## Selecting SaaS Starter

To begin, run the following command to create a new Loco app using the SaaS starter:

```sh
& loco new
✔ ❯ App name? · todolist
✔ ❯ What would you like to build? · SaaS app (with DB and user auth)

🚂 Loco app generated successfully in:
/tmp/todolist
```

Follow the prompts to specify the app name (e.g., todolist) and choose the SaaS app option.

After generating the app, ensure you have the necessary resources by running:

```
$ cd todolist
$ cargo loco doctor
✅ SeaORM CLI is installed
✅ DB connection: success
✅ Redis connection: success
```

Verify that SeaORM CLI is installed, and the database and Redis connections are successful. If any resources fail, refer to the [quick tour guide](@/docs/getting-started/guide.md) for troubleshooting.

Once `cargo loco doctor` shows all checks passed, start the server:

```
$ cargo loco start
   Updating crates.io index
   .
   .
   .

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 ██████  █████   ███ █████   ▀▀▀ █████   ███ ▄█▄
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 ██████  █████   ███  ████   ███ █████   ███ ████▀
   ▀▀▀██▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ██▀
       ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
                https://loco.rs

environment: development
   database: automigrate
     logger: debug
      modes: server

listening on port 5150
```

## Creating the Frontend

For the frontend, we'll use [Vite](https://vitejs.dev/guide/) with React. In the `todolist` folder, run:

```sh
$ npm create vite@latest
Need to install the following packages:
  create-vite@5.1.0
Ok to proceed? (y) y
✔ Project name: … frontend
✔ Select a framework: › React
✔ Select a variant: › JavaScript
```

Follow the prompts to set up the `frontend` as a project name.

Navigate to the frontend folder and install dependencies:

```
$ cd todolist/frontend
$ pnpm install
```

Start the development server:

```sh
$ pnpm dev
```

### Serving Static Assets in Loco

First, move all our rest api endpoint under `/api` prefix. for doing it go to `src/app.rs`. in `routes` hooks function add `.prefix("/api")` to the default routes.
```rust
fn routes() -> AppRoutes {
    AppRoutes::with_default_routes()
        .prefix("/api")
        .add_route(controllers::notes::routes())
}
```

Build the frontend for production:

```sh
pnpm build
```

In the `frontend` folder, a `dist` directory is created. Update the `config/development.yaml` file in the main folder to include a static middleware:

```yaml
server:
  middlewares:
    static:
      enable: true
      must_exist: true
      folder:
        uri: "/"
        path: "frontend/dist"
      fallback: "frontend/dist/index.html"
```

Now, run the Loco server again and you should see frontend app serving via Loco
```sh
$ cargo loco start
```

# Developing the UI

Install `react-router-dom`, `react-query` and `axios`

```sh
$ pnpm install react-router-dom react-query axios
```

1. Copy [main.jsx](https://github.com/loco-rs/todo-list-example/blob/main/frontend/src/main.jsx) to frontend/src/main.jsx.
2. Copy [App.jsx](https://github.com/loco-rs/todo-list-example/blob/main/frontend/src/App.jsx) to frontend/src/App.jsx.
3. Copy [App.css](https://github.com/loco-rs/todo-list-example/blob/main/frontend/src/App.css) to frontend/src/App.css.

Now, run the server `cargo loco start` and the UI pnpm dev in the frontend folder, and start adding your todo list!

## Improve Development

use [cargo-watch](https://crates.io/crates/cargo-watch) for hot reloading the server:

```sh
$ cargo watch --ignore "frontend" -x check -s 'cargo run start'
```

Now, any changes in your Rust code will automatically reload the server, and any changes in your frontend Vite will reload the frontend app.

## Deploy To Production

In the `frontend` folder, run `pnpm build`. After a successful build, go to the Loco server and run `cargo loco start`. Loco will serve the frontend static files directly from the server.

### Prepare Docker Image

Run `cargo loco generate deployment` and select Docker as the deployment type:

```sh
$ cargo loco generate deployment
✔ ❯ Choose your deployment · Docker
added: "dockerfile"
added: ".dockerignore"
```

Loco will add a `Dockerfile` and a `.dockerignore `file. Note that Loco detect the static assent and included them as part of the image

Build the container:

```sh
$ docker build . -t loco-todo-list
```

Now run the container:

```sh
$ docker run -e LOCO_ENV=production -p 5150:5150 loco-todo-list start
```