SpringBoot Application bundled with ReactJs in single jar

Looking for creating a single jar-based server for both frontend and backend? This project will help you out.

How to use during development?

We need to run both the application serprately and continue your developement.
These command can be used to run these application while development.
Root directory: ./gradlew bootRun
Frontend directory inside root: npm start

How to build for production deployment?

Once development completed and ready for deployment, update your build.gradle file to build react app as well during this.

plugins {
    id 'org.siouan.frontend-jdk11' version '6.0.0'
}

frontend {
    nodeVersion = '16.1.0'
    packageJsonDirectory= file("${projectDir}/frontend")
    nodeInstallDirectory = file("${projectDir}/frontend/node")
    assembleScript = 'run build'
}
*Above task will do the react app build for you
Now we need to copy this build to our spring application build folder

task copyReactApp(type: Copy) {
    from "${projectDir}/frontend/build"
    into "${projectDir}/build/resources/main/public/."
}
bootJar.dependsOn(copyReactApp)

And you are done with gradle changes to be done. Next gradle build will give you jar file with react application in it.

How this work?

Modified build.gradle helps to execute node/npm command while building springboot application.

'org.siouan.frontend-jdk11' plugin helps to manage node related enviroment and scripts and excute them. We ne to provid it the location where my react-app is located and node-version required and it downloads that on the go while building the spring application which actually helps to create a single jar with react production build static file to be served.