Is it possible to implement CSS code from a server request into a React application?

With a single React app that hosts numerous customer websites which can be customized in various ways, I want to enable users to apply their own CSS code to their respective sites. Since users typically don't switch directly between websites, applying the custom styles at load time should suffice. However, the React code must run to determine the current site being accessed, as the server lacks information about the website's URL.

I came across a helpful resource detailing different approaches for styling in React (https://css-tricks.com/different-ways-to-write-css-in-react/), but none seem suitable for my scenario.

Would it be best for me to sidestep React and utilize vanilla JavaScript to generate a <style> element and append it to the <head>?

Edit: The CSS data will be in the form of a string retrieved from a GET request sent to the server, which might return something similar to this:

{
  "name": "My Website",
  "currency": "EUR",
  "css": ".classone { display: none; } body { font-family: sans-serif; }",
  "defaultCountry": "FR"
}
javascriptcssreactjs

Answer №1

Implementing user-generated CSS dynamically into a live React application is akin to enabling users to switch themes seamlessly. The key concept in both scenarios is to design components in a way that facilitates dynamic styling.

There are numerous methods for managing and integrating themes in React applications. It's crucial to find a solution that doesn't require pre-compiling CSS files.

One popular option that I have utilized multiple times is styled-components. This library, although primarily based on css-in-jsx, offers robust theme support and can apply CSS-like strings as styles to components. The only alteration you would need is the ability to import CSS from an external source at runtime.

Nevertheless, styled-components focus on applying styles to individual components rather than managing global styles. Consequently, your customer's site components must be able to incorporate any uploaded CSS available to them.

If this proves challenging, you may want to explore styled-component's createGlobalStyle feature.

A sample implementation (partially inspired by How To Create Global Styles StackOverflow response)

import { createGlobalStyle } from "styled-components";

import {UserApp, getUserStyle} from "@/apps/User1";

const UserProvidedCss = createGlobalStyle`
    ${() => getUserStyle()}
`;

export default function AppContainer() {
  return (
    <>
      <UserProvidedCss />
      <UserApp />
    </>
  );
}

By organizing a separation between user apps, you can empower each user to contribute their own app along with custom CSS.

You might consider encapsulating the getUserStyle() within its own component so that the user's component refreshes when new CSS is uploaded. Nevertheless, the fundamental idea remains consistent.

This setup may seem unconventional for React environments. Additionally, please note that createGlobalStyle is compatible solely with Web-rendered React Apps and does not seamlessly integrate with hybrid apps incorporating server-side rendering such as Next.js.

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