Build Your Own UI Library For React From Scratch

Ever feel like you’re repeating the same UI components across different projects?

A custom UI library can save you time, maintain consistency, and make scaling a breeze. It lets you reuse components, speed up development, and keep your design uniform across applications. Plus, it improves maintainability and makes collaboration easier for teams.

Whether you're working on a small app or an enterprise-level project, a well-structured UI library helps you build faster and smarter.

Let’s dive into the process step by step!

Below is a developer-centric guide outlining everything from setting up your environment to deploying your library.

Pro Tip: A well-maintained UI library not only accelerates development but also encourages team collaboration and component reusability.

Introduction to Building a UI Library

Building your own UI library provides several benefits:

• Consistency: Maintain a unified UI across different projects.

• Efficiency: Reuse components and reduce development time.

• Scalability: Easily extend and manage components as your application grows.

Setting Up the Development Environment

1. Install Prerequisites:

   • Node.js and your preferred code editor (e.g., VS Code) are essential.

2. Initialize Project:

   • Create a new folder and run npm init to initialize your project.

3. Install Dependencies:

   • Install React and TypeScript along with other necessary packages:

1npm install react react-dom typescript @types/react @types/react-dom

​

4. Directory Structure:

   • Organize your project as follows:

Folder/ File	Purpose
/src/components	Contains all React component files
/src/styles	CSS Modules and Styled Components files
/stories	Storybook stories for component visualization
package.json	Project configuration and dependencies

5. Git Repository:

   • Initialize a Git repository in your UI library folder.

Building a React Component Library

Creating a Basic Component

1. Component File:

   • Create Button.tsx in your components folder:

1import React from 'react';
2import styles from './Button.module.css';
3
4interface ButtonProps {
5  label: string;
6  onClick: () => void;
7}
8
9const Button: React.FC<ButtonProps> = ({ label, onClick }) => (
10  <button className={styles.button} onClick={onClick}>
11    {label}
12  </button>
13);
14
15export default Button;

​

2. CSS Modules:

   • Define your styles in Button.module.css:

1.button {
2  padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
3  border: none;
4  border-radius: 4px;
5  background-color: #007bff;
6  color: white;
7  cursor: pointer;
8}

​

3. Storybook Integration:

   • Create a story file Button.stories.tsx:

1import React from 'react';
2import { Story, Meta } from '@storybook/react';
3import Button from '../components/Button';
4
5export default {
6  title: 'Components/Button',
7  component: Button,
8} as Meta;
9
10const Template: Story<{ label: string; onClick: () => void }> = (args) => <Button {...args} />;
11
12export const Primary = Template.bind({});
13Primary.args = {
14  label: 'Click Me',
15  onClick: () => alert('Button Clicked!'),
16};

​

Styling with CSS Modules and Styled Components

Developers can choose between CSS Modules and Styled Components for styling:

• CSS Modules:

◦ Pros: Scoped styles, minimal configuration.

◦ Cons: Less dynamic styling.

• Styled Components:

◦ Pros: Dynamic styling, theming support, and better integration with React.

◦ Cons: Slightly larger bundle size.

Feature	CSS Modules	Styled Components
Syntax	Regular CSS with local scoping	Tagged template literals in JS
Dynamic Styling	Limited	Extensive with props and themes
Setup Complexity	Low	Moderate

Note: Choose the approach that best fits your project requirements. For example, if you need extensive theme management, Styled Components might be the ideal choice.

Type Safety with TypeScript

Leverage TypeScript to ensure your components are type-safe:

• Define Types: Create Button.types.ts to declare prop types.

• Component Integration: Import and enforce these types in your component.

1// Button.types.ts
2export interface ButtonProps {
3  label: string;
4  onClick: () => void;
5}

​

Highlight: Type safety reduces runtime errors and improves code maintainability.

Testing and Debugging

Effective testing is crucial. Use Jest and React Testing Library:

• Unit Tests: Write tests to validate component behavior.

• Example Test:

1// Button.test.tsx
2import React from 'react';
3import { render, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';
4import Button from './Button';
5
6test('Button renders with correct label and responds to click', () => {
7  const handleClick = jest.fn();
8  const { getByText } = render(<Button label="Test" onClick={handleClick} />);
9  fireEvent.click(getByText('Test'));
10  expect(handleClick).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
11});

​

• Debugging: Utilize browser developer tools to inspect component structure and styles.

Creating a Package and Publishing to npm

1. Package Configuration:

   • Update package.json with details like name, version, and main file.

2. Build and Publish:

   • Run the build process and publish your package:

1npm run build
2npm publish

​

3. Version Management:

   • Use semantic versioning to update your package.

Integrating Storybook into Your Library

Storybook is invaluable for visualizing and testing components:

• Installation: Run npx sb init to set up Storybook.

• Customization: Edit .storybook/main.js to add custom configurations.

• Usage: Develop stories for each component to showcase various states.

Dependency Management

• npm & peerDependencies:

◦ Ensure that your library lists React and other essential libraries as peerDependencies to avoid version conflicts.

• Updating Dependencies:

◦ Regularly update and test dependency upgrades to maintain library stability.

Footnote: Peer dependencies help ensure that your consumers don't inadvertently include conflicting versions of libraries.

Deployment and Demo Page

Create a demo page to showcase your UI library:

• Hosting Platforms: Use GitHub Pages, Netlify, or Vercel.

• Demo Setup: Deploy a static site that imports and demonstrates your UI components.

• Continuous Integration: Automate deployments using CI/CD tools.

Wrapping it Up

Building your own UI library for React makes development smoother. It keeps designs consistent, speeds up work, and helps projects grow without extra effort.

To keep things running well, update the library regularly and document any changes. This makes it easier for others to use and improves long-term usability. Also, getting involved with other developers can bring fresh ideas and improvements. Sharing knowledge benefits everyone.

Short on time? Speed things up with DhiWise!

Tired of manually designing screens, coding on weekends, and technical debt? Let DhiWise handle it for you!

You can build an e-commerce store, healthcare app, portfolio, blogging website, social media or admin panel right away. Use our library of 40+ pre-built free templates to create your first application using DhiWise.