The Death of Create React App (CRA): What to Use Instead?

Published at: July 10, 2022

Create React App (CRA) was once the go-to tool for quickly bootstrapping new React projects. It provided a simple, opinionated setup with Webpack and Babel, allowing developers to get started without worrying about configurations. However, in 2022, CRA is starting to feel outdated, and new tools have emerged that offer better performance, flexibility, and modern features.

In this blog post, we’ll explore why Create React App has fallen out of favor and the best alternatives you should consider in 2022, such as Vite, Next.js, and Remix.

1. Why CRA Fell Out of Favor in 2022

Create React App (CRA) has been a staple of the React ecosystem for many years, but it’s facing several issues that make it less ideal for modern web development. Here are some key reasons why developers are moving away from CRA:

a) Slow Development Builds

CRA uses Webpack under the hood, which can be quite slow, especially for larger projects. While Webpack has made significant improvements over the years, it still struggles with long build times during development. This is especially noticeable in larger applications where the build process can lead to a sluggish developer experience.

b) Heavy Bundle Size

CRA’s configuration results in large JavaScript bundles, which can affect page load times and performance, especially on slower networks or devices. This issue has become more significant as modern web apps have become more complex, and users expect fast load times.

c) Lack of Modern Features

Although CRA has been a great tool for many years, it hasn’t kept up with the latest advancements in the JavaScript ecosystem. Features like hot module replacement (HMR), fast refresh, and ES modules weren’t part of CRA’s core setup. This led many developers to look for tools that provided out-of-the-box support for these modern features.

d) Difficult Customization

While CRA is opinionated to help developers get started quickly, this also limits customization options. For advanced use cases where you need to tweak configurations like Webpack or Babel, CRA can become frustrating because you either have to eject the configuration or rely on workarounds.

With all these challenges in mind, Create React App is losing its charm in 2022, and developers are turning to newer, faster alternatives.

2. Best Alternatives to CRA in 2022

Let’s take a look at the top alternatives to CRA: Vite, Next.js, and Remix.

a) Vite: The Fast Alternative

Vite is a next-generation build tool that has quickly gained popularity as the go-to choice for modern JavaScript projects. It’s designed to be extremely fast by leveraging modern browser features like ES modules and native support for hot module replacement (HMR).

Why Vite is a Great Alternative to CRA:

Lightning-fast Development Builds: Vite uses ES modules in the browser during development, resulting in near-instantaneous startup times and faster hot module reloading (HMR).
Optimized Build Process: Vite uses Rollup under the hood for production builds, which offers better optimizations, smaller bundles, and more efficient tree-shaking than CRA’s Webpack setup.
Out-of-the-box Support for Modern Features: Vite provides native support for features like TypeScript, JSX, and CSS modules without additional configuration.
Smaller Bundle Sizes: By optimizing code and utilizing tree-shaking and other modern techniques, Vite creates smaller, faster-to-load bundles compared to CRA.

If you’re looking for a tool that’s fast, simple, and future-proof, Vite is a solid choice. It’s particularly well-suited for single-page applications (SPAs) and small-to-medium-sized projects.

b) Next.js: The Full-Stack React Framework

Next.js is a full-stack React framework that offers much more than CRA. It’s packed with features that make it perfect for building modern, scalable applications. Unlike CRA, which is focused purely on client-side rendering (CSR), Next.js supports server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), and API routes for building full-stack applications.

Why Next.js is a Great Alternative to CRA:

Hybrid Rendering: Next.js allows you to choose between SSG, SSR, or CSR on a per-page basis. This gives you fine-grained control over how your app’s pages are rendered, improving SEO, performance, and user experience.
Automatic Code Splitting: Next.js automatically splits your JavaScript into smaller bundles, reducing the initial load time and improving performance.
Built-in API Routes: Next.js includes API routes, which means you can build a full-backend with the same framework, making it easier to handle server-side logic without requiring a separate backend.
Optimized Performance: Next.js comes with built-in features like image optimization, automatic static optimization, and server-side caching, which significantly improve performance out of the box.
SEO-Friendly: With server-side rendering, Next.js makes it easier to achieve excellent SEO results, as the content is fully rendered on the server before it reaches the client.

If you’re building a larger, more complex application or need features like SSR, SSG, or API routes, Next.js is the perfect alternative to CRA.

c) Remix: The Modern React Framework

Remix is a newer framework that’s gaining a lot of attention in the React community. It takes inspiration from Next.js but focuses more on leveraging the power of the web and modern web standards to improve performance and developer experience.

Why Remix is a Great Alternative to CRA:

Built-in Data Fetching: Remix uses React Suspense for data fetching, which allows for seamless loading states and improved performance when dealing with API calls.
Server-side Rendering and Caching: Remix offers server-side rendering, caching, and advanced data pre-fetching techniques that ensure faster page loads and optimized performance.
Optimized for Fast Navigations: Remix optimizes client-side navigation by using native browser caching and only loading new data when necessary, resulting in incredibly fast page transitions.
Full Control Over Data: Remix allows you to handle data fetching directly within the routes, giving you full control over how data is fetched, cached, and rendered.

If you’re looking for a modern framework that combines the best of SSR, React Suspense, and web standards, Remix is an excellent choice.

3. Which One Should You Choose?

So, which alternative should you choose in 2022? It all depends on the kind of application you’re building and the features you need.

If you want a fast, simple tool for building modern React apps with an emphasis on performance, go with Vite. It’s an excellent choice for single-page applications and smaller projects.
If you need a full-stack React framework with server-side rendering, static site generation, and API routes, Next.js is the way to go. It’s perfect for large-scale applications and complex use cases.
If you’re looking for a modern React framework focused on web standards, data fetching optimization, and fast navigation, Remix is a fantastic choice.

4. Conclusion

In 2022, Create React App has become outdated as modern tools like Vite, Next.js, and Remix provide faster, more flexible, and feature-rich alternatives. Whether you’re building a small app or a complex, full-stack application, the ecosystem has evolved, and you should consider moving away from CRA.

Choose the tool that fits your needs, whether it’s Vite for lightning-fast development, Next.js for full-stack features, or Remix for cutting-edge web development.

The future of React development is bright, and it’s time to embrace these new, more powerful tools to stay ahead of the curve.