How to Design a React App Layout From Scratch
Designing the layout is the first UI step. Here is how to design a React app layout from scratch.
How to Design a React App Layout From Scratch
The layout is the first UI step in a React app. Here is how to design one from scratch.
Identify the Persistent UI
Decide what stays visible across pages: the header, a sidebar, a bottom navigation. This is the persistent UI that lives in a layout component.
Build a Layout Component
Create a Layout component that renders the persistent UI and an Outlet where page content goes. This is the shell every page uses.
Use Nested Routes
Define nested routes so the layout is the parent and pages are children. The matched child renders in the Outlet, and the parent stays mounted across navigations.
Design for Mobile and Desktop
Decide early if the layout is responsive. On mobile, a sidebar might become a bottom nav or a drawer. Plan these in the layout, not as an afterthought.
Keep the Shell Simple
Start with a simple shell: header, content, footer. Add complexity like sidebars or drawers only when the app needs them. Elaborate layouts early add confusion.
Handle Loading the Layout
The layout usually loads once on app start. Auth checks often live here, so the layout knows whether to render protected UI or redirect to login.
The Takeaway
Design a React layout by identifying the persistent UI, building a Layout component with an Outlet, using nested routes, planning responsive behavior early, keeping the shell simple initially, and handling layout-level concerns like auth.
Identify the persistent UI like the header and sidebar, build a Layout component with an Outlet for page content, use nested routes for children, plan responsive behavior early, keep the shell simple, and handle layout-level concerns like auth.
A component that renders the persistent UI like header and sidebar, plus an Outlet where page content goes. Every page uses this shell, so the shared UI lives in one place instead of being repeated on every page.
So the layout is the parent and pages are children. The matched child renders in the Outlet, and the parent stays mounted across navigations, preserving its state and avoiding re-mounting the layout on every page change.
Plan responsive behavior early. Decide if a sidebar becomes a bottom nav or a drawer on mobile. Plan these in the layout from the start, not as an afterthought, so the layout works on all screen sizes.
Often in the layout. The layout knows whether to render protected UI or redirect to login, since it wraps every page. This centralizes auth checks instead of repeating them on every page.
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