How to use React Icons in Your Projects

Published April 7, 2024 | By Matt

React icons help with web design. They add a touch of visual flair, guide users intuitively, and can even save valuable screen space. If you’re building React projects, you’ll want to harness the power of icons. Let’s explore the best icon libraries, learn how to integrate them seamlessly, and add our own stylistic touch.

Choosing Your React Icon Library

React developers are spoiled for choice when it comes to icons. Here are a few top contenders to consider:

React Icons: This mega-library pulls in thousands of icons from sets like Font Awesome, Material Design, Bootstrap Icons, and more. It’s great if you want maximum choice under one roof.
Font Awesome: A true classic, Font Awesome boasts a massive collection of icons in both free and paid tiers. It’s a solid choice for most projects.
Material UI Icons: This library is a no-brainer if your project follows Google’s Material Design guidelines. The icons perfectly match that aesthetic.
Heroicons: From the makers of Tailwind CSS, Heroicons offers a smaller yet beautifully crafted and modern collection of icons.

Setup and Integration (Example: Font Awesome)

Let’s use Font Awesome for our demonstration. First, get it installed in your project:

Bash

npm install @fortawesome/react-fontawesome @fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons

Next, import the specific icons you want into your React component:

JavaScript

import { FontAwesomeIcon } from ‘@fortawesome/react-fontawesome’;

import { faCoffee } from ‘@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons’;

Rendering Icons in Your Components

The beauty of these libraries is that icons become React components, ready for use in your JSX code. Let’s make a coffee lover component:

JavaScript

function CoffeeLover() {

return (

<div>

<p>Coffee makes me a happy developer!</p>

</div>

);

}

Styling React Icons

Let’s give your icons some personality! Here are the most popular ways to style them:

Inline Styles: For quick adjustments, apply styles directly: <FontAwesomeIcon icon={faCoffee} style={{ color: ‘brown’, fontSize: ’30px’ }} />
CSS Classes: Create custom styles in your stylesheets and apply them to your icon components using the className prop.
Library-Specific Tools: Libraries like Font Awesome often come with their own styling options for size, rotation, and more.

Pro Tips

Performance: If you plan on using many icons, look into your library’s features for lazy loading (loading icons only when needed) or tree-shaking (removing unused icons from your production build).
Accessibility: Always include descriptive text for screen readers. Add an aria-label attribute to your icon components, like <FontAwesomeIcon icon={faCoffee} aria-label=”Coffee Cup Icon” />

Conclusion

Incorporating icons into your React projects will elevate the user experience. Get creative, experiment with different libraries, and have fun making your interfaces shine!