Building a Blogging Site with React and PHP: A Step-by-Step Guide
Building a Blogging Site with React and PHP: A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn How to Create Your Own Blogging Platform
Reading Time: 13 mins read
Table of Contents
- Essential Tools for Our React PHP Blogging Site Tutorial
- Environment Variables
- Database Schema
- Configuring CORS
- Database Configuration and Connection
- Create Single Post
- Display All Posts
- Single Post Display & Like/Dislike Feature
- Navbar
- App.js and Route
- Conclusion: Mastering the Art of Blog Development with React and PHP
Welcome to our comprehensive tutorial on building a React PHP Blogging Site. This step-by-step guide takes you through the process of creating a fully functional blog using the powerful combination of React for the frontend and PHP for the backend.
- CRUD Operations
- Like/Dislike Feature
By the end of this tutorial, I hope you will have a clear understanding how to integrate a React frontend with a PHP backend, along with a functional blogging site you can continue to expand and customize. Let’s get started on this exciting project and bring our blogging site to life!
Essential Tools for Our React PHP Blogging Site Tutorial
- React
- PHP
- MySQL
- Axios
- Bootstrap
Environment Variables
To handle our API endpoint configurations, we use an .env file in our React PHP Blogging Platform.
REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost/Projects/blogging-stie/server/api
Database Schema
Our blogging site has primarily two tables to store data: blog_posts for the blog entries and post_votes for counting likes and dislikes.
CREATE TABLE `blog_posts`
(
`id` INT(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
`title` VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
`author` VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
`content` TEXT NOT NULL,
`publish_date` TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
CREATE TABLE `post_votes`
(
`id` INT(11) UNSIGNED AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
`post_id` INT(11) NOT NULL,
`user_ip` VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
`vote_type` ENUM('like', 'dislike') NOT NULL,
`created_at` TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
`updated_at` TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (`post_id`) REFERENCES `blog_posts` (`id`)
ON DELETE CASCADE
ON UPDATE CASCADE
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
Configuring CORS
In today’s web application, security is crucial. To enable safe cross-origin requests, we implement CORS policies in our config.php file.
Key Components of Our CORS Configuration
- Allowed Origins
- Allowed Headers
- Handling Preflight Requests
// Define configuration options
$allowedOrigins = ['http://localhost:3000'];
$allowedHeaders = ['Content-Type'];
// Set headers for CORS
$origin = isset($_SERVER['HTTP_ORIGIN']) ? $_SERVER['HTTP_ORIGIN'] : '';
if (in_array($origin, $allowedOrigins)) {
header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: ' . $origin);
}
if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCESS_CONTROL_REQUEST_METHOD'])) {
header('Access-Control-Allow-Methods: ' . implode(', ', $allowedMethods));
}
if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCESS_CONTROL_REQUEST_HEADERS'])) {
$requestHeaders = explode(',', $_SERVER['HTTP_ACCESS_CONTROL_REQUEST_HEADERS']);
$requestHeaders = array_map('trim', $requestHeaders); // Trim whitespace from headers
if (count(array_intersect($requestHeaders, $allowedHeaders)) == count($requestHeaders)) {
header('Access-Control-Allow-Headers: ' . implode(', ', $allowedHeaders));
}
}
Database Configuration and Connection
To store and manage the data for our blogging platform, we use a MySQL database.
// Database configuration
$dbHost = "";
$dbUsername = "";
$dbPassword = "";
$dbName = "";
// Create database connection
$conn = new mysqli($dbHost, $dbUsername, $dbPassword, $dbName);
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
Create Single Post
Core Features of the CreatePost Component
- State Management with Hooks
- Form Validation
- Asynchronous Data Handling
- Navigation and Feedback
import { useState } from 'react';
import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';
import axios from 'axios';
function CreatePost() {
const [title, setTitle] = useState('');
const [content, setContent] = useState('');
const [author, setAuthor] = useState('');
const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);
const [error, setError] = useState('');
const navigate = useNavigate();
// Example validation function (extend as needed)
const validateForm = () => {
if (!title.trim() || !content.trim() || !author.trim()) {
setError("Please fill in all fields.");
return false;
}
return true;
};
const handleSubmit = async (event) => {
event.preventDefault();
setError('');
if (!validateForm()) return;
setIsLoading(true);
try {
const response = await axios.post(`${process.env.REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL}/create-post.php`, {
title,
content,
author
});
console.log(response.data);
navigate('/');
} catch (error) {
console.error(error);
setError('Failed to create post. Please try again later.');
setIsLoading(false);
}
};
return (
<div className="container mt-4">
<h2>Create a New Post</h2>
{error && <div className="alert alert-danger" role="alert">error</div>}
<form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
<div className="mb-3">
<label htmlFor="title" className="form-label">Title</label>
<input
type="text"
className="form-control"
id="title"
value={title}
onChange={(e) => setTitle(e.target.value)}
required
/>
</div>
<div className="mb-3">
<label htmlFor="content" className="form-label">Content</label>
<textarea
className="form-control"
id="content"
rows="5"
value={content}
onChange={(e) => setContent(e.target.value)}
required
></textarea>
</div>
<div className="mb-3">
<label htmlFor="author" className="form-label">Author</label>
<input
type="text"
className="form-control"
id="author"
value={author}
onChange={(e) => setAuthor(e.target.value)}
required
/>
</div>
<button
type="submit"
className="btn btn-primary"
disabled={isLoading}>
{
isLoading ?
<span><span
className="spinner-border spinner-border-sm"
role="status"
aria-hidden="true"></span>
Creating post...</span> :
'Create Post'
}
</button>
</form>
</div>
);
}
export default CreatePost;
header('Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Content-Type'); // Allow Content-Type header
require_once('../config/config.php');
require_once('../config/database.php');
// Retrieve the request body as a string
$request_body = file_get_contents('php://input');
// Decode the JSON data into a PHP array
$data = json_decode($request_body, true);
// Validate input fields with basic validation
if (empty($data['title']) || empty($data['content']) || empty($data['author'])) {
http_response_code(400);
echo json_encode(['message' => 'Error: Missing or empty required parameter']);
exit();
}
// Validate input fields
if (!isset($data['title']) || !isset($data['content']) || !isset($data['author'])) {
http_response_code(400);
die(json_encode(['message' => 'Error: Missing required parameter']));
}
// Sanitize input
$title = filter_var($data['title'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
$author = filter_var($data['author'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
$content = filter_var($data['content'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
// Prepare statement
$stmt = $conn->prepare('INSERT INTO blog_posts (title, content, author) VALUES (?, ?, ?)');
$stmt->bind_param('sss', $title, $content, $author);
// Execute statement
if ($stmt->execute()) {
// Get the ID of the newly created post
$id = $stmt->insert_id;
// Return success response
http_response_code(201);
echo json_encode(['message' => 'Post created successfully', 'id' => $id]);
} else {
// Return error response with more detail if possible
http_response_code(500);
echo json_encode(['message' => 'Error creating post: ' . $stmt->error]);
}
// Close statement and connection
$stmt->close();
$conn->close();
Display All Posts
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
import axios from 'axios';
function PostList() {
const [posts, setPosts] = useState([]);
const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(true);
const [error, setError] = useState('');
const [currentPage, setCurrentPage] = useState(1);
const [totalPosts, setTotalPosts] = useState(0);
const postsPerPage = 10;
useEffect(() => {
const fetchPosts = async () => {
setIsLoading(true);
try {
const response = await axios.get(`${process.env.REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL}/posts.php?page=${currentPage}`);
setPosts(response.data.posts);
setTotalPosts(response.data.totalPosts);
setIsLoading(false);
} catch (error) {
console.error(error);
setError('Failed to load posts.');
setIsLoading(false);
}
};
fetchPosts();
}, [currentPage]);
const totalPages = Math.ceil(totalPosts / postsPerPage);
const goToPreviousPage = () => setCurrentPage(currentPage - 1);
const goToNextPage = () => setCurrentPage(currentPage + 1);
return (
<div className="container mt-5">
<h2 className="mb-4">All Posts</h2>
{error && <div className="alert alert-danger">{error}</div>}
<div className="row">
{isLoading ? (
<p>Loading posts...</p>
) : posts.length ? (
posts.map(post => (
<div className="col-md-6" key=post.id>
<div className="card mb-4">
<div className="card-body">
<h5 className="card-title">{post.title}</h5>
<p className="card-text">By {post.author} on {new Date(post.publish_date).toLocaleDateString()}</p>
<Link to=`/post/${post.id}` className="btn btn-primary">Read More</Link>
</div>
</div>
</div>
))
) : (
<p>No posts available.</p>
)}
</div>
<nav aria-label="Page navigation">
<ul className="pagination">
<li className=`page-item ${currentPage === 1 ? 'disabled' : ''}`>
<button className="page-link" onClick=goToPreviousPage>Previous</button>
</li>
{Array.from({ length: totalPages }, (_, index) => (
<li key=index className=`page-item ${index + 1 === currentPage ? 'active' : ''}`>
<button className="page-link" onClick=() => setCurrentPage(index + 1)>{index + 1}</button>
</li>
))}
<li className=`page-item ${currentPage === totalPages ? 'disabled' : ''}`>
<button className="page-link" onClick=goToNextPage>Next</button>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
);
}
export default PostList;
// Load configuration files
require_once('../config/config.php');
require_once('../config/database.php');
header('Content-Type: application/json');
// Define configuration options
$allowedMethods = ['GET'];
$maxPostsPerPage = 10;
// Implement basic pagination
$page = isset($_GET['page']) ? (int)$_GET['page'] : 1;
$offset = ($page - 1) * $maxPostsPerPage;
// Query to count total posts
$countQuery = "SELECT COUNT(*) AS totalPosts FROM blog_posts";
$countResult = mysqli_query($conn, $countQuery);
$countRow = mysqli_fetch_assoc($countResult);
$totalPosts = $countRow['totalPosts'];
// Check if total posts query is successful
if (!$countResult) {
http_response_code(500); // Internal Server Error
echo json_encode([
'message' => 'Error querying database for total posts count: ' . mysqli_error($conn)
]);
mysqli_close($conn);
exit();
}
// Query to get all blog posts with pagination and ordering
$query = "SELECT * FROM blog_posts ORDER BY publish_date DESC LIMIT $offset, $maxPostsPerPage";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);
// Check if paginated posts query is successful
if (!$result) {
http_response_code(500); // Internal Server Error
echo json_encode([
'message' => 'Error querying database for paginated posts: ' . mysqli_error($conn)
]);
mysqli_close($conn);
exit();
}
// Convert query result into an associative array
$posts = mysqli_fetch_all($result, MYSQLI_ASSOC);
// Check if there are posts
if (empty($posts)) {
// No posts found, you might want to handle this case differently
http_response_code(404); // Not Found
echo json_encode([
'message' => 'No posts found',
'totalPosts' => $totalPosts
]);
} else {
// Return JSON response including totalPosts
echo json_encode([
'posts' => $posts,
'totalPosts' => $totalPosts
]);
}
// Close database connection
mysqli_close($conn);
Single Post Display & Like/Dislike Feature
import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";
import { useParams } from "react-router-dom";
import axios from "axios";
const Post = () => {
const { id } = useParams();
const [post, setPost] = useState(null);
const [likeCount, setLikeCount] = useState(0);
const [dislikeCount, setDislikeCount] = useState(0);
const [ipAddress, setIpAddress] = useState("");
const fetchPost = async () => {
try {
const response = await axios.get(`${process.env.REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL}/post.php/${id}`);
const post = response.data.data;
setPost(post);
setLikeCount(post.likes);
setDislikeCount(post.dislikes);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
}
};
const fetchIpAddress = async () => {
try {
const response = await axios.get("https://api.ipify.org/?format=json");
setIpAddress(response.data.ip);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
}
};
const handleLike = async () => {
try {
const response = await axios.post(`${process.env.REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL}/post.php/${id}/like/${ipAddress}`);
setLikeCount(response.data.data);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
}
};
const handleDislike = async () => {
try {
const response = await axios.post(`${process.env.REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL}/post.php/${id}/dislike/${ipAddress}`);
setDislikeCount(response.data.data);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
}
};
useEffect(() => {
fetchPost();
fetchIpAddress();
}, []);
if (!post) return <div>Loading...</div>;
return (
<div className="container my-4">
<h1 className="mb-4">{post.title}</h1>
<p>{post.content}</p>
<hr />
<div className="d-flex justify-content-between">
<div>
<button className="btn btn-outline-primary me-2" onClick={handleLike}>
Like <span className="badge bg-primary">{likeCount}</span>
</button>
<button className="btn btn-outline-danger" onClick={handleDislike}>
Dislike <span className="badge bg-danger">{dislikeCount}</span>
</button>
</div>
<div>
<small className="text-muted">
Posted by {post.author} on {post.date}
</small>
</div>
</div>
</div>
);
};
export default Post;
// Load configuration files
require_once('../config/config.php');
require_once('../config/database.php');
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'GET') {
$requestUri = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
$parts = explode('/', $requestUri);
$id = end($parts);
$query = "SELECT bp.*,
(SELECT COUNT(*) FROM post_votes WHERE post_id = bp.id AND vote_type = 'like') AS numLikes,
(SELECT COUNT(*) FROM post_votes WHERE post_id = bp.id AND vote_type = 'dislike') AS numDislikes
FROM blog_posts AS bp WHERE bp.id = ?";
$stmt = $conn->prepare($query);
$stmt->bind_param('i', $id);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
if ($result->num_rows === 1) {
$post = $result->fetch_assoc();
$response = [
'status' => 'success',
'data' => [
'id' => $post['id'],
'title' => $post['title'],
'content' => $post['content'],
'author' => $post['author'],
'date' => date("l jS \\of F Y", strtotime($post['publish_date'])),
'likes' => $post['numLikes'],
'dislikes' => $post['numDislikes']
]
];
header('Content-Type: application/json');
echo json_encode($response);
} else {
$response = [
'status' => 'error',
'message' => 'Post not found'
];
header('Content-Type: application/json');
echo json_encode($response);
}
$stmt->close();
$conn->close();
}
// Additional helper functions for voting logic
function checkVote($conn, $postId, $ipAddress, $voteType) {
$query = "SELECT * FROM post_votes WHERE post_id=? AND user_ip=? AND vote_type=?";
$stmt = $conn->prepare($query);
$stmt->bind_param("iss", $postId, $ipAddress, $voteType);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
return $result->num_rows() > 0;
}
// Functions for inserting and removing votes
function insertVote($conn, $postId, $ipAddress, $voteType) {
if (!checkVote($conn, $postId, $ipAddress, $voteType)) {
$query = "INSERT INTO post_votes (post_id, user_ip, vote_type) VALUES (?, ?, ?)";
$stmt = $conn->prepare($query);
$stmt->bind_param("iss", $postId, $ipAddress, $voteType);
$stmt->execute();
return $stmt->affected_rows() > 0;
}
return false;
}
Navbar
import React from 'react';
import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
const Navbar = () => {
return (
<nav className="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
<div className="container-fluid">
<Link className="navbar-brand" to="/">
Blog Application
</Link>
<button
className="navbar-toggler"
type="button"
data-bs-toggle="collapse"
data-bs-target="#navbarNav"
aria-controls="navbarNav"
aria-expanded="false"
aria-label="Toggle navigation"
>
<span className="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
</button>
<div className="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarNav">
<ul className="navbar-nav">
<li className="nav-item">
<Link className="nav-link" to="/">
Home
</Link>
</li>
<li className="nav-item">
<Link className="nav-link" to="/create-post">
Create Post
</Link>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
);
};
export default Navbar;
App.js and Route
import React from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';
import './App.css';
import Navbar from './components/Navbar';
import CreatePost from './components/CreatePost';
import Post from './components/Post';
import PostList from './components/PostList';
function App() {
return (
<div className="App">
<BrowserRouter>
<Navbar />
<Routes>
<Route path="/" element={<PostList />} />
<Route path="/create-post" element={<CreatePost />} />
<Route path="/post/:id" element={<Post />} />
</Routes>
</BrowserRouter>
</div>
);
}
export default App;
Conclusion: Mastering the Art of Blog Development with React and PHP
Congratulations on completing this comprehensive guide to building a blogging site with React and PHP! Now you’ve a good idea to integrate a React frontend with a PHP backend, implementing essential features like CRUD operations and a like/dislike system.
This project not only enhances your development skills, but also serves as a solid foundation for future web applications.
Thank you for choosing this tutorial to advance your web development journey on how to create a blogging site using React and PHP.
Get the full React and PHP tutorial for a blogging platform on Code on GitHub.
🚀 Before You Go:
- 💬 Got thoughts? Share your insights!
- 📤 Know someone who needs this? Share the post!
- 🌟 Your support keeps us going!
💻 Level up with the latest tech trends, tutorials, and tips - Straight to your inbox – no fluff, just value!
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
You might also like
-
-
Essential ES6 Features for Mastering React
-
HTTP Requests in JavaScript: Popular Libraries for Web Developers
-
Modern Software Development Practices, Terms and Trends
-
Integrate Dropbox API with React: A Comprehensive Guide
-
OneDrive Integration with React: Step-by-Step Guide
Note: Some links on this page might be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Comments (48)