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wtf is react-tutorial-hot?

gaearon/react-tutorial-hot — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2015-01-01

25JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

Outdated example project that takes React's official comment box tutorial and adds hot reloading, so code edits appear instantly in the browser without a manual refresh.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((react-tutorial-hot))
    Inputs
      React comment box tutorial
      Local edits
    Outputs
      Instant browser updates
      No manual refresh
    Use Cases
      Learn hot reloading
      Historical reference
      Early React tooling study
    Tech Stack
      React
      JavaScript

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Run the classic React comment box tutorial locally and see edits appear instantly without refreshing.

REASON 2

Study how hot reloading was implemented in early React tooling as a historical reference.

REASON 3

Learn the basics of React components by editing this simple comment box example.

REASON 4

Compare this early hot-reload approach against modern React starter kits mentioned in the README.

What's in the stack?

ReactJavaScript

How it stacks up

gaearon/react-tutorial-hot0xpira/sskillsarulsebastin71/smartqueue
Stars252525
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2015-01-01
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity1/52/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Unmaintained, the README points to newer alternatives for anyone starting a new React project today.

License is not stated in the available content.

Wtf does this do

This is an outdated example project that demonstrates React development with a live-editing feature. The repo takes the official React tutorial's comment box example and adds the ability to see your code changes instantly in the browser without refreshing the page, a workflow feature called "hot reloading." Normally, when you're building a web app and you change some code, you have to manually refresh your browser to see the result. This project lets you skip that step. You edit the code files, and the changes appear on screen immediately. It's a small convenience, but it makes the development experience smoother, especially when you're learning and experimenting. The project itself is simple: it's a comment box interface built in React, which you can run locally on your machine. After installing dependencies and starting the server with a couple of commands, you visit it in your browser and can start editing the component files to see live updates. However, the README makes it clear this specific repository is no longer maintained. The author (Dan Abramov, a core React contributor) has moved on to other tools and starter kits that do the same thing in better ways. If you're starting a new React project today, you'd want to look at one of the more modern alternatives mentioned in the README rather than clone this one. This repo is mainly useful as a historical reference or for understanding how live reloading was achieved in early React tooling.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me install and run react-tutorial-hot locally, then explain what hot reloading is doing when I edit a component.
Prompt 2
Walk me through how this project achieves live updates without refreshing, since it predates modern React tooling.
Prompt 3
Show me the comment box component in this repo and explain how its React state and props work.
Prompt 4
Since this repo is unmaintained, suggest a modern React starter kit alternative for the same live-reload workflow.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is react-tutorial-hot?

Outdated example project that takes React's official comment box tutorial and adds hot reloading, so code edits appear instantly in the browser without a manual refresh.

What language is react-tutorial-hot written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes React, JavaScript.

Is react-tutorial-hot actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2015-01-01).

What license does react-tutorial-hot use?

License is not stated in the available content.

How hard is react-tutorial-hot to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is react-tutorial-hot for?

Mainly developer.

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