Understanding Inertia.js 2.0: Building Modern Monolithic Applications with Laravel and React/Vue

javascript inertia.js laravel react vue.js monolithic-applications

Published on Jan 31, 2025

Understanding Inertia.js 2.0: Building Modern Monolithic Applications with Laravel and React/Vue

Understanding Inertia.js 2.0: A Comprehensive Guide for React and Vue Integration with Laravel

Inertia.js 2.0 bridges the gap between Laravel backend and modern JavaScript frontend frameworks like React and Vue, offering a seamless way to build single-page applications (SPAs) without the complexity of traditional API-driven architectures. Let’s explore its key features and capabilities in detail.

What’s New in Inertia 2.0?

Inertia 2.0 introduces several groundbreaking features that enhance the development experience:

Server-side rendering (SSR) support
Enhanced form handling
Improved asset loading
Better state management
Advanced routing capabilities

Let’s dive into each major aspect of working with Inertia 2.0.

Pages and Components

In Inertia, pages are simply React/Vue components that map to your Laravel routes. Here’s how to create a basic page:

// resources/js/Pages/Users/Index.jsx
import { Head } from '@inertiajs/react'

export default function Users({ users }) {
  return (
    <>
      <Head title="Users List" />
      <div className="container">
        {users.map(user => (
          <div key={user.id}>
            {user.name}
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>
    </>
  )
}

Inertia seamlessly integrates with Laravel’s routing system while providing client-side navigation:

// web.php
Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index'])
     ->name('users.index');

// Client-side navigation
import { Link } from '@inertiajs/react'

function Navigation() {
  return (
    <Link
      href={route('users.index')}
      className="nav-link"
      preserveScroll={true}
    >
      Users
    </Link>
  )
}

Forms and Data Handling

Inertia 2.0 provides enhanced form handling with automatic CSRF protection and validation:

import { useForm } from '@inertiajs/react'

export default function CreateUser() {
  const { data, setData, post, processing, errors } = useForm({
    name: '',
    email: '',
    password: ''
  })

  function handleSubmit(e) {
    e.preventDefault()
    post(route('users.store'))
  }

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input
        type="text"
        value={data.name}
        onChange={e => setData('name', e.target.value)}
      />
      {errors.name && <div>{errors.name}</div>}
      <button disabled={processing}>Submit</button>
    </form>
  )
}

File Uploads

Inertia 2.0 simplifies file uploads with progress tracking:

import { useForm } from '@inertiajs/react'

export default function FileUpload() {
  const { data, setData, post, progress } = useForm({
    document: null,
  })

  function submit(e) {
    e.preventDefault()
    post(route('documents.store'), {
      forceFormData: true
    })
  }

  return (
    <form onSubmit={submit}>
      <input
        type="file"
        onChange={e => setData('document', e.target.files[0])}
      />

      {progress && (
        <progress value={progress.percentage} max="100">
          {progress.percentage}%
        </progress>
      )}
    </form>
  )
}

Shared Data and Props

Inertia allows sharing data across all components:

// AppServiceProvider.php
public function boot()
{
    Inertia::share([
        'app' => [
            'name' => config('app.name'),
        ],
        'auth' => fn () => [
            'user' => Auth::user() ? [
                'id' => Auth::user()->id,
                'name' => Auth::user()->name,
            ] : null,
        ],
    ]);
}

Partial Reloads and Deferred Props

Inertia 2.0 introduces efficient partial page reloads and deferred prop loading:

// Partial reload example
import { router } from '@inertiajs/react'

function refreshComments() {
  router.reload({ only: ['comments'] })
}

// Deferred props
export default function Show({ user, posts }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{user.name}</h1>
      <Suspense fallback={<div>Loading posts...</div>}>
        <Posts posts={posts} />
      </Suspense>
    </div>
  )
}

Show.deferred = {
  posts: true
}

State Management

Inertia 2.0 provides built-in state preservation:

import { router } from '@inertiajs/react'

router.visit('/users', {
  preserveState: true,
  preserveScroll: true,
  only: ['users']
})

Pros and Cons of Using Inertia 2.0

Pros	Cons
Seamless Laravel integration	Learning curve for new developers
No API boilerplate needed	Limited to server-side routing
Full-stack developer experience	Tighter coupling between frontend and backend
Built-in security features	May not fit all use cases (e.g., mobile apps)
Progressive enhancement	Initial page load might be slower
SEO-friendly with SSR	Requires server-side rendering setup
Automatic asset versioning	Framework-specific limitations

Advanced Features

Prefetching

Improve perceived performance with link prefetching:

import { Link } from '@inertiajs/react'

<Link href="/users" prefetch>
  Users
</Link>

Polling

Implement real-time updates with polling:

export default function Dashboard({ stats }) {
  useEffect(() => {
    const interval = setInterval(() => {
      router.reload({ only: ['stats'] })
    }, 3000)

    return () => clearInterval(interval)
  }, [])

  return <div>{stats.activeUsers} active users</div>
}

Load When Visible

Optimize performance by loading content only when visible:

import { useIntersectionObserver } from '@inertiajs/react'

export default function LazyContent() {
  const { ref, isVisible } = useIntersectionObserver()

  useEffect(() => {
    if (isVisible) {
      // Load content
    }
  }, [isVisible])

  return <div ref={ref}>{/* Content */}</div>
}

Best Practices and Tips

Always use named routes for consistency
Implement proper error handling
Use type checking (TypeScript) for better development experience
Implement proper loading states
Optimize asset bundling
Use proper code splitting
Implement proper caching strategies

Remember to keep your dependencies updated and follow the official documentation for the most current best practices and features. Inertia 2.0 continues to evolve with new features and improvements, making it an excellent choice for modern Laravel applications requiring rich client-side interactions.

This comprehensive overview covers the main aspects of working with Inertia 2.0, but there’s always more to explore in the official documentation and community resources.

Official Documentation & Resources

Inertia.js Official Documentation - Core concepts and API reference
Laravel Integration Guide - Server-side adapter configuration
Client-Side Setup - React/Vue initialization
SSR Documentation - Server-side rendering implementation
Form Handling - Advanced form processing guide

Community Resources

Inertia.js Discord Community - Official community server
Laracasts Inertia Series - Video tutorials
Inertia.js GitHub Repository - Source code and issues
Inertia.js Ecosystem - Community packages and extensions

Tutorials & Articles

Getting Started with Inertia 2.0 - Step-by-step guide
Authentication Patterns - Session management strategies
Advanced State Management - Cross-page state sharing
File Uploads Guide - Handling file uploads with progress
SPA vs Inertia Comparison - Architectural analysis

Tools & Packages

Inertia DevTools - Browser extension for debugging
Ping CRM Demo - Reference implementation
Laravel Jetstream - Production-ready starter kit
Inertia.js Preset - Laravel installation helper
Form Helper Library - Advanced form handling utilities

Pro Tip: Always check the Inertia.js Upgrade Guide when moving between versions, and consider using the @inertiajs/progress package for navigation indicators.