How do I avoid shape mismatch between React and Node?
Define and document the API shapes so both sides agree. If you use TypeScript, share types between frontend and backend. Standardize your error response shape too, so the frontend can handle errors uniformly.
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More FAQs in Common Full Stack Setup Mistakes in React + Node Projects
Because hardcoding http://localhost:5000 means production calls the wrong backend. Use environment variables for the API URL so each environment, development, production, uses the right value.
Configure CORS on the backend to allow the frontend's origin in development. In production, serve both from the same origin to avoid CORS entirely, or configure the backend to allow the production frontend domain.
Because putting it in client-side code exposes it to anyone. The JWT secret must stay on the backend, loaded from environment variables. The frontend only stores the token the backend issues, never the secret.
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