Effortlessly Integrate Engaging Comment Sections in React with Replyke: Part 1
Tags: webdev, tutorial, react, frontend
Published: 2024-01-03 16:01:57

**Creating a vibrant, interactive community around your product is key to its success.** A lively comment section can be the heart of this community, facilitating user engagement and discussion. In this easy-to-follow tutorial, we'll explore how to **seamlessly integrate a dynamic and stylish comment section** into your React.js application using the **[Replyke library](https://replyke.com).**

## Why Choose Replyke?
**Replyke** is not just any comment system. It's designed to effortlessly blend into your existing infrastructure, leveraging your own user database and storing data on your own servers. This ensures a seamless user experience, as there's no need for your users to create separate accounts just for commenting. Additionally, **Replyke's UI is a breeze to customize** with its innovative design studio, making it a perfect fit for any website's aesthetic.


## Setting Up Replyke: A Two-Step Process

Integrating **Replyke** into your React app is surprisingly straightforward. We'll begin by setting up the component in your React application, followed by configuring your API routes. Let's dive in!

First, add **Replyke** to your project as a dependency. Open your terminal and run:

```
npm i replyke
--- or ---
yarn add replyke
```

Next, decide where you'd like to place the comment section in your app. Once you've chosen the spot, insert the following code snippet:

```
<CommentSection
  apiBaseUrl="YOUR_PUBLIC_API_URL"
  articleId="UNIQUE_ARTICLE_ID"
  callbacks={{
    loginClickCallback: LOGIN_CALLBACK,
    commentAuthorClickCallback: COMMENT_AUTHOR_CLICK_CALLBACK,
    currentUserClickCallback: CURRENT_USER_CLICK_CALLBACK
  }}
  currentUser={user ? {
    _id: USER_ID,
    name: USER_NAME,
    img: USER_IMAGE
  } : undefined}
/>
```

## Understanding the Parameters

Let's break down what each parameter means and how you should customize them:

**apiBaseUrl**
The apiBaseUrl should be the root URL of your own application's API. This is where your application handles all backend processes.
It should look like `https://yourapi.com`.
This URL will be the base for the requests that **Replyke** sends to handle comment-related operations. Make sure it's correctly formatted, without a trailing slash at the end.

By specifying your API's base URL, **Replyke** integrates directly into your existing backend infrastructure. It uses this endpoint to send and retrieve comment data, ensuring a seamless blend with your current systems.


**articleId**
The UNIQUE_ARTICLE_ID parameter plays a crucial role in ensuring that comments are properly organized and displayed in the correct sections of your application. It acts as a unique identifier for each comment section. Here's how to use it effectively:

- 
**For Static Pages:** Assign a simple, unique identifier to each page. For instance, use "home" for the homepage, "blog" for the blog page, etc. It's essential to ensure that each page has a distinct article ID to prevent comments from different pages from getting mixed up.

- 
**For Dynamic Pages:** In cases where your pages are dynamically generated (like a product page or an individual article), the UNIQUE_ARTICLE_ID should be the unique identifier of that item. For example, use the product's ID or the article's ID. This ensures that comments are tied to the specific item being viewed.


**Callbacks: loginClickCallback**
The LOGIN_CALLBACK function is vital for providing a smooth, integrated user experience. It dictates what happens when an unauthenticated user attempts to interact with the comment section. Here's how to tailor it to your needs:

- 
**Defining User Interaction:** Decide what should occur when a user clicks the "login" button. This could range from displaying a login modal within the current page to redirecting users to a separate login page. The choice is yours, and it should align with your website's user experience strategy.

- 
**Customizing the Callback:** Implement the logic that best suits your site's flow. Whether it's a popup for quick login or a redirection for a more detailed authentication process, ensure it aligns with your overall user experience.

**Callbacks: commentAuthorClickCallback & currentUserClickCallback**
These optional callbacks handle user interactions with comment authors and the current user's profile, respectively.

**currentUser**
Provide the currently logged-in user's details to **Replyke,** or set it to undefined if no user is logged in. Your user object can omit the name or the image properties (or both), but the `_id` property is always required. 


That's all it takes to integrate a fully-functional, customizable comment section into your React app using **Replyke.** By following these simple steps, you're one step closer to adding a thriving community to your website where your users can engage, share, and connect.

Next, let's explore how to build the required API routes.