# React Quickstart

> Source: `src/content/docs/actors/quickstart/react.mdx`
> Canonical URL: https://rivet.dev/docs/actors/quickstart/react
> Description: Build realtime React applications with Rivet Actors

---

## Steps

### Add Rivet Skill to Coding Agent (Optional)

If you're using an AI coding assistant (like Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.), add Rivet skills for enhanced development assistance:

```sh
npx skills add rivet-dev/skills
```

### Install Dependencies

```sh
npm install rivetkit @rivetkit/react
```

### Create Backend Actor

Create your actor registry on the backend:

```ts backend/registry.ts
import { actor, setup } from "rivetkit";

export const counter = actor({
  state: { count: 0 },
  actions: {
    increment: (c, x: number) => {
      c.state.count += x;
      c.broadcast("newCount", c.state.count);
      return c.state.count;
    },
  },
});

export const registry = setup({
  use: { counter },
});
```

### Setup Backend Server

### Create React Frontend

Set up your React application:

```tsx Counter.tsx
import { createRivetKit } from "@rivetkit/react";
import { useState } from "react";
import type { registry } from "./actors";

const { useActor } = createRivetKit<typeof registry>();

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  // Get or create a counter actor for the key "my-counter"
  const counter = useActor({
    name: "counter",
    key: ["my-counter"],
  });

  // Listen to realtime events
  counter.useEvent("newCount", (x: number) => setCount(x));

  const increment = async () => {
    // Call actions
    await counter.connection?.increment(1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Count: {count}</p>
      <button onClick={increment}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
}
```

```ts actors.ts @hide
import { actor, setup } from "rivetkit";

export const counter = actor({
  state: { count: 0 },
  actions: {
    increment: (c, x: number) => {
      c.state.count += x;
      c.broadcast("newCount", c.state.count);
      return c.state.count;
    },
  },
});

export const registry = setup({
  use: { counter },
});
```

For detailed information about the React client API, see the [React Client API Reference](/docs/clients/react).

### Setup Vite Configuration

Configure Vite for development:

```ts vite.config.ts @nocheck
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [react()],
  server: {
    port: 5173,
  },
});
```

### Run Your Application

Start both the backend and frontend:

**Terminal 1**: Start the backend

### Step

**Terminal 2**: Start the frontend

```sh Frontend
npx vite
```

Open `http://localhost:5173` in your browser. Try opening multiple tabs to see realtime sync in action.

### Deploy

## Configuration Options

_Source doc path: /docs/actors/quickstart/react_
