Table of contents

Why use React with WordPress? Headless WordPress with React Method 1 – Using the WordPress REST API Method 2 – Embed React components Method 3 – React UI Exploring frameworks Hosting and deployment tips FAQs Getting started

Get the industry’s fastest WordPress hosting ◦ 99.99% uptime
◦ Comprehensive security
◦ 24/7 support

WordPress Guide → Development → React

React and WordPress: How to supercharge your site with a headless frontend

WordPress has come a long way from simple blogs and clunky PHP themes. If you’re after performance, flexibility, and a more modern development experience, pairing React with WordPress is one of the smartest moves you can make.

Whether you’re building a fully headless frontend or just adding a few interactive React components, this guide covers everything you need to know.

Get fast, reliable hosting for WordPress

Power your site with the industry’s fastest, most optimized WordPress hosting

WordPress.org hosting

Why use React with WordPress?

React is a JavaScript library for building fast, dynamic user interfaces. WordPress is a content management system with a robust backend and editor experience. Using them together gives you the best of both worlds.

Speed: React’s virtual DOM and client-side rendering make for lightning-fast interactions.
Design freedom: You’re not limited by WordPress themes or PHP templates.
Scalability: React handles complex user flows and interfaces better than traditional WP setups.
Separation of concerns: You get a clean split between frontend and backend codebases.

This combo is especially useful for web apps, single-page applications, or custom ecommerce setups where WordPress handles content and users, and React powers the experience.

Headless WordPress with React: the core concept

Headless WordPress means using WordPress strictly for content—no themes, no frontend rendering. You manage content in the WP admin, and fetch it in your React app using either the WP REST API or GraphQL.

REST API endpoint example:
https://yourdomain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts

Key benefits:

Decouples your frontend from WordPress entirely
Gives you freedom to use modern frontend tools like React, Next.js, or Gatsby
Works well with static site generators, progressive web apps, or complex UI apps

When to use GraphQL instead:

You want to request multiple post types or deeply nested data in a single query.
You prefer custom schemas and more efficient querying.

Plugins like WPGraphQL expose a GraphQL endpoint for your React app to query content just like any headless CMS.

Method 1 – Build a React app using the WordPress REST API

This is the most popular method for full headless builds.

Create a new React app using create-react-app or a framework like Next.js.
Fetch posts from the REST API using fetch or axios inside your components.
Render posts dynamically with useEffect and useState.
useEffect(() => {
fetch(‘https://yourdomain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts’)
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => setPosts(data));
}, []);
Authentication: For private content or user data, use JWT auth or application passwords.
Routing: Use React Router for dynamic post pages like /post/:slug.

This approach lets you completely control the frontend while pulling content from your familiar WordPress dashboard.

Method 2 – Embed React components into WordPress

You don’t have to go headless. You can integrate React components into traditional WordPress themes for partial interactivity.

How to do it:

Build your React app and compile it using npm run build.
Use wp_enqueue_script() in functions.php to add the compiled JS bundle.
Use wp_localize_script() to pass WP data (like site_url) to your React app.
Add a container div in your theme like <div id=”react-app”></div>.
Mount your React component with ReactDOM.render().

Tools to simplify this:

ReactPress: lets you register and render React apps inside WordPress with minimal setup.

This method is great for calculators, booking tools, real-time search bars, and other interactive UI widgets.

Method 3 – Build a WordPress plugin with React UI

React also shines in the backend. You can build admin dashboards, block editors, or settings pages using React in a custom plugin.

Use cases:

Dashboard analytics
WooCommerce customizations
Custom Gutenberg blocks

Steps:

Use @wordpress/scripts or a custom Webpack config to bundle your React app.
Enqueue the JS with admin_enqueue_scripts inside your plugin.
Mount the React app in a settings page or metabox.
Use the WP REST API to fetch or send data.

React is already the foundation of Gutenberg, so you’re playing nicely with core WordPress here.

Exploring frameworks: Frontity, Gatsby, and Next.js

You’re not limited to vanilla React. These frameworks streamline development even further.

Frontity

React framework built specifically for WordPress
Uses the WP REST API
Supports server-side rendering (SSR) out of the box

Gatsby

Static site generator using GraphQL
Pulls data from WordPress using gatsby-source-wordpress
Ideal for blogs, portfolios, and fast-loading marketing sites

Next.js

Full-stack React framework
Supports SSG, SSR, and API routes
Great for hybrid apps and custom workflows

All three can replace the frontend of WordPress while keeping content editable in WP admin.

Hosting and deployment tips for WordPress + React setups

This is where a lot of devs run into confusion—especially if you’re deploying to separate environments.

Best practices:

Host React on a static CDN (like Vercel or Netlify)
Host WordPress on a VPS or managed WP host
Use subdomains (e.g., app.yoursite.com for React and cms.yoursite.com for WP)
Set up proper CORS headers to allow API requests between domains
Use .env or build-time environment variables for API endpoints

For tighter integration:

Use a monorepo and deploy both parts from a single Git repo
Add CI/CD for WordPress using SSH or GitHub Actions

React is statically compiled—so it’s fast. But your WordPress API should also be on a host that handles requests quickly and securely.

React + WordPress FAQs

Yes. WordPress can act as a backend-only CMS while React handles the frontend, typically via the REST API or GraphQL.

Yes—at least for the admin. Gutenberg is built in React, and more WP UI elements will follow suit.

They serve different purposes. WordPress manages content; React builds user interfaces. They’re better together, not in competition.

Yes. React runs in the browser, while PHP runs on the server. They interact via APIs, and many WordPress setups use both daily.

Next steps for using React with WordPress

Combining React and WordPress gives you the power of a dynamic, modern frontend with the ease and familiarity of the WP backend. Whether you’re building a headless blog or adding a single React widget, this setup can significantly improve performance and flexibility.

Start by picking your integration style—REST API frontend, embedded component, or plugin. From there, test locally, deploy smart, and build something awesome.

Ready to upgrade your WordPress experience? Professional hosting improves speeds, security, and reliability for a website and a brand that people find engaging and trustworthy. Liquid Web’s WordPress hosting options configure business-class servers and support plans specifically for WordPress websites.

Don’t want to deal with server management and maintenance? Our fully managed hosting for WordPress is the best in the industry. Our team are not only server IT experts, but WordPress hosting experts as well. Your server couldn’t be in better hands.

Click through below to explore all of our hosting for WordPress options, or chat with a WordPress expert right now to get answers and advice.