Get version number from package.json in React Redux (create-react-app)

Get Version Number from package.json in React Redux (create-react-app)

When working on a React Redux project created with create-react-app, you might need to access the version number specified in the package.json file. The version number can be useful for displaying the current version of your application or for other purposes. In this blog post, we will explore multiple solutions to retrieve the version number from package.json in a React Redux project.

Solution 1: Using require

The simplest way to access the version number from package.json is by using the require function in Node.js. Since create-react-app projects are built on top of Node.js, we can leverage this feature to retrieve the version number.

const packageJson = require('../package.json');
const version = packageJson.version;

console.log(version); // Output: The version number

In this code snippet, we use require to import the package.json file and then access the version property. The version number can be assigned to a variable for further use.

Solution 2: Using process.env

Another way to retrieve the version number is by using the process.env object. In create-react-app projects, the package.json properties are exposed through the environment variables.

const version = process.env.REACT_APP_VERSION;

console.log(version); // Output: The version number

In this code snippet, we access the version property from the process.env object by prefixing it with REACT_APP_. This is the convention used by create-react-app to expose environment variables from the package.json file.

Solution 3: Using Webpack DefinePlugin

If you want to access the version number during the build process, you can use the Webpack DefinePlugin. This plugin allows you to define custom global constants that can be accessed throughout your codebase.

First, you need to install the webpack plugin:

npm install --save-dev webpack

Then, add the following configuration to your webpack.config.js file:

const webpack = require('webpack');
const packageJson = require('./package.json');

module.exports = {
  // Other webpack configurations
  plugins: [
    new webpack.DefinePlugin({
      'process.env.VERSION': JSON.stringify(packageJson.version)
    })
  ]
};

After configuring the DefinePlugin, you can access the version number using process.env.VERSION in your code:

const version = process.env.VERSION;

console.log(version); // Output: The version number

By defining the process.env.VERSION constant with the value from package.json, you can access the version number throughout your codebase without explicitly importing the package.json file.

These are three different solutions to retrieve the version number from package.json in a React Redux project created with create-react-app. Choose the solution that best fits your requirements and implement it in your project.

Happy coding!