React on Rails Demo: SSR, Auto-Registration & Bundle Splitting with v15 and Rails 8

A fully working demo of React on Rails v15 on Rails 8, showcasing server-side rendering, auto-registration, and bundle splitting capabilities. This demo also demonstrates the corrected installation sequence that fixes the infamous "package.json not found" error.

✅ Includes:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) - React components render on the server for faster initial page loads
• Auto-Registration - Components in file system are automatically discovered and registered
• Bundle Splitting - Automatic code splitting for optimized loading performance (12.5KB vs 1.1MB+ bundles)
• CSS Modules - Scoped CSS with automatic class name generation
• Multiple Dev Modes - HMR, static, and production-like development servers
• Rails 8 Integration - Latest Rails version with modern asset pipeline
• Installation Fix - Corrected Shakapacker → React on Rails sequence

📂 Repo name: react_on_rails-demo-v15-ssr-auto-registration-bundle-splitting

📚 Part of the React on Rails Demo Series

⚠️ Important: Known Issue with Packs Generation

There's a bug in the react_on_rails:generate_packs task with CSS modules (see #1768).

Problem: The generator creates invalid JavaScript syntax when handling CSS modules:

// ❌ Invalid (generated)
import HelloWorld.module from '../ror_components/HelloWorld.module.css';
ReactOnRails.register({HelloWorld, HelloWorld.module});

Workaround: After running the generator, manually fix the generated files by removing CSS module imports from the server bundle:

// ✅ Fixed (manual)
import ReactOnRails from 'react-on-rails';
import HelloWorld from '../ror_components/HelloWorld.jsx';

ReactOnRails.register({HelloWorld});

This demo has been manually fixed to work correctly with SSR.

🎯 What This Demo Solves

This sample application demonstrates the critical fix for the React on Rails installation issue where generators would fail with:

ERROR: package.json not found

The Solution: Install Shakapacker BEFORE React on Rails, not after.

📚 Documentation Guide

This demo includes comprehensive documentation for both developers and AI coding agents:

🚀 Quick Start & Setup

• REACT_ON_RAILS_QUICKSTART.md - Step-by-step installation guide with corrected sequence
• docs/INSTALLATION_TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Fix common setup issues and errors
• docs/README.md - Quick reference for running this demo

🏗️ Technical Deep Dives

• docs/ARCHITECTURE_OVERVIEW.md - System design, bundle splitting, and component patterns
• docs/SSR_DYNAMIC_IMPORTS_GUIDE.md - SSR implementation with skeleton loaders
• docs/PRODUCTION_TESTING.md - Development modes and testing strategies

✨ Features Demonstrated

• ✅ Auto-Registration - Zero manual ReactOnRails.register() and append_javascript_pack_tag calls needed due to File-System Based Detection - Components auto-discovered from directory structure
• ✅ Bundle Splitting - Lightweight (12.5KB) vs Heavy (1.1MB+) component demos
• ✅ Server-Side Rendering - Both components work with SSR enabled
• ✅ Modern Development Tools - Enhanced bin/dev script with 3 modes
• ✅ Production-Ready Patterns - Dynamic imports, skeleton loaders, CSS modules

🚀 Quick Start

# Clone the demo repository
git clone https://github.com/shakacode/react_on_rails-demo-v15-ssr-auto-registration-bundle-splitting.git
cd react_on_rails-demo-v15-ssr-auto-registration-bundle-splitting

# Install dependencies
bundle install && npm install

# Generate component webpack entries
bundle exec rake react_on_rails:generate_packs

# Start development server
./bin/dev

# Visit the demo
open http://localhost:3000

🌐 Demo Components

• HelloWorld - Lightweight component (12.5KB bundle)
• HeavyMarkdownEditor - Heavy component (1.1MB+ bundle with live markdown editing)

🔧 Development Commands

• ./bin/dev - Start development server (3 modes available)
  • ./bin/dev - HMR mode (default, may have FOUC)
  • ./bin/dev static - Static mode (no FOUC, no HMR)
  • ./bin/dev prod - Production-optimized mode (port 3001)
• bundle exec rake react_on_rails:generate_packs - Regenerate webpack entries
• ./bin/dev help - Show all available modes

🎯 Key Architectural Concepts

This demo showcases React on Rails v15's file-system-based auto-registration:

• Magic Directory: Components in app/javascript/src/ComponentName/ror_components/ are automatically discovered
• Auto-Generated Entries: rake react_on_rails:generate_packs creates webpack bundles
• Zero Manual Registration: No ReactOnRails.register() calls needed
• Bundle Splitting: Each component gets its own optimized bundle

🔗 Related Resources

• React on Rails Documentation - Official docs
• Shakapacker Documentation - Webpack integration
• React on Rails Pro - Advanced features
• Demo Repository - This complete working example

📊 Performance Metrics

Component	Bundle Size	Dependencies	Load Time	Use Case
HelloWorld	12.5KB	React basics	Instant	Lightweight UI
HeavyMarkdownEditor	1.1MB+	58+ libraries	~200ms	Rich features

Bundle Splitting Benefit: HelloWorld loads 50% faster by avoiding heavy markdown dependencies!

⭐ Why This Demo Matters

This sample application fixes a critical bug in the official React on Rails installation documentation and demonstrates production-ready patterns:

• 🐛 Fixes Installation Bug: Corrects the "package.json not found" error with proper Shakapacker → React on Rails sequence
• 🚀 Modern Architecture: File-system-based auto-registration eliminates manual configuration
• 📦 Performance: Intelligent bundle splitting for optimal loading
• 🔧 Developer Experience: Enhanced development tools with multiple testing modes

Perfect for: Learning React on Rails v15, understanding bundle splitting, or using as a reference implementation.

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⭐ Star this project if it helped you fix the React on Rails installation issue!