如何在 local.network 上部署 React + Express 应用程序？

Question

This is my first post here, let me know if I do it wrong. I would like to start by mentioning that I'm kind of a beginner developer. I've had a bunch of classes, but it's also my first time working on something of my own, from beginning to end (emphasis on "end").

I'm working on a relatively simple app, for user management (CRUD, with different levels of authorizations) and shop management. I was given the choice of the tools, framework, language, etc, to use, with the only constraints that 1/ the main device to use it will be a tablet most of the times 2/ nothing should be hosted online. I wanted to get more familiar with Javascript so I went with creating a React app (front) with Express Nodejs (back) and a MySQL database I access via Sequelize.

Development is going fine (for the most part thanks to many great posts here on SO), but I just got hit by the reality that I have never tried to build the app and see if it runs the way I intend. And I do not know how to do it. I should have researched that earlier.

So far, in development I always tested everything on PC and phone by running npm start (front end) and node server.js (back end), and the client runs in a browser (when using a phone I access the IP adress and port, like 192.168.xx:3000). Backend listens to the 8080 port no prob, access to the MySQL database works as intended thanks to Sequelize. Frontend listens to port 3000 to display the user interface on the browser, and React makes it easy to develop features in front, and quickly troubleshoot them. Everything works fine, and as expected, anyone in the same.network (and with a web browser) can access and use the app that way.

This is the behavior I want to replicate with a production build: having a computer host the build, and run the "server" so that the app is available to any device in the local.network. So I guess I need to somehow make my build in a way to make it possible to turn on and off the "server" at will, maybe via a.exe? Or turn it on at the same time as the computer?

I know I should have researched that earlier and not doing so was a mistake. All I know is I'll have to use npm run build , to get the build folder, but I don't know what to do from there. Could you help me figure it out? Among many things I'm not sure of, is whether or not the host computer (not mine) needs to have node.js installed? Does it also have to have MySQL installed? Do I make a single build that incorporates the backend and the frontend, or do I build both separately? If so, how?

Let me know if you need to see part of the code. Thanks in advance and have a great day.

EDIT: App was created using create react app

Answer 1

There are options to deploy on cloud like Cloud Servers. But I think you're looking for hosting the application on the local machine. You need to create a service, bundle the application and serve whenever you want.

Following link might be helpful https://www.section.io/engineering-education/compile-your-nodejs-application-into-a-exe-file/