Create React App is Dead. What does it mean for you?

This is the end of an era: Create React App is officially deprecated.

It’s been a long time coming. I have preferred Vite for a long time, so much so that I even recorded my React O'Reilly course with Vite instead of CRA.

Why is CRA deprecated?

1. It hasn’t been actively maintained.
2. With React 19, it broke things.
3. No built-in routing, and the default setup lacks key features. It’s slow.
4. Ejecting has always been a nightmare.

What should you do now?

If you have an app in CRA, migrate it to Vite. Seriously. It's fast, free, and simple. Check out my guide on setting up React with Vite

Alternatives to CRA

If you're looking for options, here are my top picks:
1️⃣ Vite – My go-to for almost everything + with TanStack Router and TanStack Query, it solves most of the problems of vanilla React.
2️⃣ Nx – If you need a monorepo setup.
3️⃣ Next.js, Remix – If you need full-stack capabilities.
4️⃣ Astro – Perfect for marketing/blog sites.

What I’m doing:

✅ I’m sticking with Vite for most of my apps.
✅ For routing, TanStack Router is my pick.
✅ For data fetching, TanStack Query all the way.
✅ When I need SSR or Server Components, I’ll reach for Next.js.

The CRA era is over. What are you switching to? Let me know in the comments.

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