Y
Published on

Essential Chrome Extensions for React Developers

Authors
  • avatar
    Name
    Yinhuan Yuan
    Twitter
Introduction

This guide covers the most useful Chrome Extensions for React development, helping you debug, profile, and optimize your React applications more effectively.

1. React Developer Tools

Overview

The official React DevTools extension from the React team.

Features
  • Component tree inspection
  • Props and state viewing/editing
  • Hooks inspection
  • Performance profiling
  • Component filtering
Key Usage Tips
// Enable Strict Mode in your app for better debugging
const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'))
root.render(
  <React.StrictMode>
    <App />
  </React.StrictMode>
)
Best Practices
  • Use the "Components" tab for inspecting component hierarchy
  • Use the "Profiler" tab for performance analysis
  • Enable "Highlight Updates" to see what's re-rendering

2. Redux DevTools

Overview

Essential for applications using Redux for state management.

Features
  • State tree visualization
  • Action history
  • Time-travel debugging
  • State diff viewing
  • State export/import
Key Usage Tips
// Setup with Redux store
import { createStore } from 'redux'
import { composeWithDevTools } from 'redux-devtools-extension'

const store = createStore(rootReducer, composeWithDevTools())

3. Apollo Client DevTools

Overview

Must-have for GraphQL development with Apollo Client.

Features
  • Query/mutation testing
  • Cache inspection
  • GraphQL explorer
  • Network request monitoring
Usage Example
// Enable Apollo Client DevTools
const client = new ApolloClient({
  uri: 'your-graphql-endpoint',
  cache: new InMemoryCache(),
  connectToDevTools: true, // Enable DevTools
})

4. Web Vitals

Overview

Monitor Core Web Vitals in real-time.

Features
  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) monitoring
  • FID (First Input Delay) tracking
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) measurement
  • Real-time performance metrics
Integration Example
// Report Web Vitals
import { reportWebVitals } from 'web-vitals'

reportWebVitals(console.log)

5. React Performance Devtool

Overview

Analyze React component performance.

Features
  • Component render timing
  • Wasted renders detection
  • Props changes tracking
  • Hook performance analysis
Usage Tips
// Enable Performance Monitoring
import { withPerformanceMonitor } from 'react-performance-devtool'

export default withPerformanceMonitor(YourComponent)

6. JavaScript and CSS Code Coverage

Overview

Built into Chrome DevTools, helps identify unused code.

Features
  • Unused JavaScript detection
  • Unused CSS detection
  • Coverage percentage visualization
  • Source file analysis
Best Practices
  • Use with code splitting
  • Identify opportunities for lazy loading
  • Optimize bundle size

7. Lighthouse

Overview

Built into Chrome DevTools, comprehensive site analysis.

Features
  • Performance scoring
  • Accessibility testing
  • Best practices checking
  • SEO analysis
  • Progressive Web App validation
Usage Tips
  • Run in incognito mode for accurate results
  • Use mobile simulation
  • Generate reports for tracking improvements

8. Network Tab Enhancer

Overview

Enhances Chrome's network tab capabilities.

Features
  • Request filtering
  • Response time analysis
  • Headers inspection
  • Request/response body viewing
  • Resource size analysis

9. JSONView

Overview

Format and validate JSON data.

Features
  • JSON formatting
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Tree view
  • Collapsible nodes
  • Search functionality

10. React Context DevTool

Overview

Inspect React Context providers and consumers.

Features
  • Context value inspection
  • Context updates tracking
  • Provider/consumer relationship visualization
Usage Example
// Enable Context DevTool
import { devToolsEnabled } from 'react-context-devtool'

const MyContext = React.createContext({
  id: 'my-context',
  devtools: true,
})

11. CSS Grid/Flexbox Inspector

Overview

Visual tools for CSS layout debugging.

Features
  • Grid line visualization
  • Flexbox container inspection
  • Layout debugging
  • Responsive design testing

12. React Sight

Overview

Visualization tool for React applications.

Features
  • Component hierarchy visualization
  • State and props inspection
  • Router structure visualization
  • Redux store integration

Here’s a list of popular Chrome extensions that can make React development easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable:

1. React Developer Tools

  • Description: Essential for any React developer, this extension allows you to inspect the component hierarchy, see props and state, and profile component re-renders.
  • Key Features:
    • Inspect components and their states
    • See component props and hierarchy
    • Track component performance
  • Link: React Developer Tools

2. Redux DevTools

  • Description: For apps using Redux, this extension is invaluable for debugging. It shows state changes and the sequence of actions, making it easy to trace application behavior.
  • Key Features:
    • Inspect Redux state and actions
    • Time travel debugging to see past states
    • Replay actions to identify bugs
  • Link: Redux DevTools

3. Apollo Client Devtools

  • Description: Great for apps using Apollo Client with GraphQL, this extension lets you inspect queries, mutations, and cached data.
  • Key Features:
    • View GraphQL queries and mutations
    • Inspect the Apollo Client cache
    • Debug GraphQL errors and responses
  • Link: Apollo Client Devtools

4. Wappalyzer

  • Description: This tool detects the tech stack of any website, making it easy to identify libraries, frameworks, and more.
  • Key Features:
    • Detects libraries like React, Angular, Vue
    • Shows server and backend technologies
    • Insight into front-end frameworks and CDNs
  • Link: Wappalyzer

5. JSON Formatter

  • Description: Formats JSON in a readable way when viewing API responses or JSON files, making data easier to inspect.
  • Key Features:
    • Beautifies JSON responses in the browser
    • Collapsible JSON object views
    • Syntax highlighting for readability
  • Link: JSON Formatter

6. Postman

  • Description: Useful for testing APIs during development, Postman’s web client enables you to send requests, set headers, and inspect responses.
  • Key Features:
    • Send HTTP requests to test APIs
    • Save and manage API requests
    • Inspect responses and data structures
  • Link: Postman

7. Augury

  • Description: Designed primarily for Angular but can help with inspecting the overall state and interactions in complex applications that may also use React.
  • Key Features:
    • Explore application states and dependencies
    • Monitor router state
    • Visualize component trees
  • Link: Augury

8. Pesticide for Chrome

  • Description: Adds visual outlines around elements on a webpage, making it easier to debug layout issues, which can be very helpful in React component styling.
  • Key Features:
    • Visualize layout boundaries
    • Debug layout and CSS issues
    • Works on both dev and production pages
  • Link: Pesticide

9. Lighthouse

  • Description: Built by Google, Lighthouse provides insights into the performance, accessibility, and SEO of web applications, which is useful for React developers aiming for optimal front-end performance.
  • Key Features:
    • Performance and SEO analysis
    • Accessibility checks
    • Best practices recommendations
  • Link: Lighthouse

10. AXE Accessibility Checker

  • Description: Developed by Deque, AXE is a powerful accessibility testing tool that integrates into the Chrome DevTools.
  • Key Features:
    • Detect accessibility issues in web apps
    • Provides recommendations for fixing issues
    • Supports WCAG 2.1 standards
  • Link: AXE Accessibility Checker

11. React Context DevTool

  • Description: A specialized tool for inspecting React Context API usage, showing Context state and helping debug Context-based applications.
  • Key Features:
    • Inspect and track context values
    • Identify which components use context
    • Easy debugging for apps using React Context API
  • Link: React Context DevTool

12. ColorZilla

  • Description: A color picker tool that helps to identify colors on a webpage, which can be handy for designing or customizing components in a React app.
  • Key Features:
    • Pick colors from web pages
    • Copy RGB/HEX codes to clipboard
    • History of previously selected colors
  • Link: ColorZilla

Setup Recommendations

1. Development Environment
{
  "recommendations": {
    "chrome": "latest",
    "react-devtools": "^4.0.0",
    "redux-devtools": "^3.0.0"
  }
}
2. Extension Configuration Best Practices
  • Enable extensions only in development mode
  • Use incognito mode for testing
  • Disable unnecessary features for better performance
  • Regular cache clearing

Usage Tips

1. Keyboard Shortcuts
  • React DevTools: Ctrl + Shift + J (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + J (Mac)
  • Elements Panel: Ctrl + Shift + C
  • Console: Ctrl + Shift + J
  • Network Panel: Ctrl + Shift + E
2. Performance Optimization
  • Use the Performance tab with React Profiler
  • Monitor memory usage
  • Track network requests
  • Analyze bundle sizes

Common Workflows

1. Debugging
  1. Open React DevTools
  2. Locate component in tree
  3. Inspect props and state
  4. Use console for logging
  5. Set breakpoints in source
2. Performance Analysis
  1. Start React Profiler
  2. Perform actions
  3. Analyze render times
  4. Identify bottlenecks
  5. Optimize component lifecycle

Conclusion

These Chrome Extensions form an essential toolkit for React development:

  • Use React DevTools as your primary debugging tool
  • Add specific tools based on your stack (Redux, Apollo, etc.)
  • Monitor performance with Lighthouse and Web Vitals
  • Keep extensions updated
  • Combine tools for comprehensive debugging and optimization

Remember to:

  1. Only enable necessary extensions
  2. Regular clear cache and data
  3. Use incognito mode for testing
  4. Keep extensions updated
  5. Monitor performance impact of extensions themselves
Discuss on Twitter • View on GitHub