Set up React with Vite

You need Node.js LTS installed (node -v should print a version). npm comes with it.

Create the project

In a terminal, in a folder you own:

npm create vite@latest my-react-app -- --template react
cd my-react-app
npm install
npm run dev

Vite prints a local URL (usually http://localhost:5173). That command is the official Vite React template. Do not use npx create-react-app — CRA is unmaintained.

What the files are

• package.json — project name, scripts (dev, build), and dependencies. React itself is an npm package: react and react-dom.
• node_modules/ — downloaded packages. Do not commit this folder; package-lock.json is enough for others to run npm install.
• index.html — the only HTML file. It has a <div id="root">. React mounts your app there.
• src/main.jsx — createRoot(document.getElementById('root')).render(<App />).
• src/App.jsx — your first component. Edit this and the page hot-reloads.

Build for production

npm run build writes static files to dist/. You can host that folder on GitHub Pages, Netlify or Vercel — see host a site free.