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React Icons: A Library of Free and Open Source Icons for React



How to Download and Use React Icons in Your Projects




Icons are essential elements of any user interface. They can convey meaning, enhance aesthetics, and improve usability. But how do you add icons to your React projects easily and efficiently?


In this article, we will show you how to download and use React Icons, a library that lets you import icons from various icon sets as React components. We will also compare some of the most popular icon sets and share some tips and best practices for using icons in React projects.




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What are React Icons?




A brief introduction to React Icons library




React Icons is a library that allows you to include icons from different icon sets in your React projects with minimal effort. It supports over 150,000 icons from more than 100 icon sets, including Font Awesome, Material Design, Bootstrap, Ionicons, Feather, and many more.


React Icons uses ES6 imports that enable you to import only the icons that you need, reducing the bundle size and improving performance. It also renders SVG icons, which are scalable and customizable without losing quality.


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  • You can access icons from multiple icon sets with one library.



  • You can use icons as React components with props and styles.



  • You can customize icons globally or locally with IconContext or SvgIcon.



  • You can reduce the bundle size by importing only the icons that you use.



  • You can enjoy high-quality SVG icons that are compatible with different browsers and devices.



How to Install React Icons?




The standard way to install React Icons using npm or yarn




The easiest way to install React Icons is to use npm or yarn. You can run the following command in your terminal:


yarn add react-icons # or npm install react-icons --save


This will add react-icons as a dependency in your package.json file. You also need to have @mui/material and Emotion packages installed as peer dependencies. If you don't have them already, you can run:


yarn add @mui/material @emotion/styled @emotion/react # or npm install @mui/material @emotion/styled @emotion/react --save


The alternative way to install React Icons using @react-icons/all-files package




If your project grows in size and you want to optimize the loading time of your icons, you can use an alternative way to install React Icons using @react-icons/all-files package. This package allows you to import icons from specific subfolders instead of the main index file. This can reduce the number of requests and improve the loading speed of your icons. To use this package, you need to run:


yarn add @react-icons/all-files # or npm install @react-icons/all-files --save


Then, you can import icons from the subfolders of @react-icons/all-files, for example:


import FaBeer from '@react-icons/all-files/fa/FaBeer'


This will import only the FaBeer icon from the Font Awesome icon set.


How to Import and Use React Icons in Your Components?




The syntax for importing icons from different icon sets




To import icons from different icon sets, you need to follow the naming convention of React Icons. The general syntax is:


import IconName from 'react-icons/icon-set'


Where IconName is the name of the icon prefixed with the icon set abbreviation, and icon-set is the name of the icon set in lowercase. For example, to import the beer icon from Font Awesome, you can write:


import FaBeer from 'react-icons/fa'


Some of the common icon set abbreviations are:


  • fa - Font Awesome



  • md - Material Design



  • bs - Bootstrap



  • io - Ionicons



  • fi - Feather



  • gi - Game Icons



  • hi - Heroicons



  • ri - Remix Icon



  • si - Simple Icons



  • wi - Weather Icons



The examples of using icons as React components with props and styles




To use icons as React components, you can simply render them in your JSX code like any other component. You can also pass props and styles to customize their appearance and behavior. For example, you can write:


alert('Cheers!') />


This will render a gold-colored beer icon with a size of 2em, a title attribute of "Cheers!", and an onClick handler that shows an alert message when clicked.


How to Customize React Icons?




How to use IconContext to configure global icon props




If you want to apply some common props or styles to all icons in your project, you can use IconContext. IconContext is a React context that provides a way to pass global configuration to icons. To use IconContext, you need to import it from react-icons and wrap your app or component with it. For example, you can write:


import IconContext from 'react-icons' // ...


// Your app or component


This will apply a size of 1.5em, a color of blue, and a class name of global-icon to all icons in your app or component.


How to use SvgIcon to wrap custom SVG icons




If you have some custom SVG icons that are not included in any icon set, you can still use them with React Icons by using SvgIcon. SvgIcon is a component that wraps an SVG element and renders it as a React component. To use SvgIcon, you need to import it from react-icons and pass your SVG element as a child. For example, you can write:


import SvgIcon from 'react-icons' // ...





This will render a custom star icon with a size of 2em and a color of red.


How to Choose the Best Icon Set for Your Project?




A comparison table of the most popular icon sets supported by React Icons




To help you choose the best icon set for your project, we have created a comparison table of the most popular icon sets supported by React Icons. The table shows the number of icons, the license, the style, and the website of each icon set. You can use this table as a reference to find the icon set that suits your project's needs and preferences.





Icon Set


Number of Icons


License


Style


Website






Font Awesome


7,865


Free and Pro versions


Vector, solid, regular, light, duotone, and brands





Material Design


6,000+


Apache License 2.0


Material design guidelines, filled, outlined, rounded, two-tone, and sharp





Bootstrap


1,300+


MIT License


Bootstrap icons, SVG and font formats





Ionicons


1,300+


MIT License


Ionicons design system, outline and filled versions





Feather


286


MIT License


Simple and minimal icons, stroke-based design






Some tips and best practices for using icons in React projects




To make the most of your icons in React projects, here are some tips and best practices to follow:



  • Pick an icon set that matches your project's theme, style, and tone.



  • Use consistent icons across your project to avoid confusion and improve user experience.



  • Avoid using too many icons or icons that are too similar or ambiguous.



  • Use appropriate sizes and colors for your icons to ensure readability and visibility.



  • Add alt text or title attributes to your icons to provide accessibility and context.



  • Use icons sparingly and strategically to complement your content and enhance your message.



  • Test your icons on different browsers and devices to ensure compatibility and responsiveness.




Conclusion




In this article, we have learned how to download and use React Icons in our projects. We have seen how to install React Icons using npm or yarn, how to import and use icons from different icon sets as React components, how to customize icons using IconContext or SvgIcon, and how to choose the best icon set for our project. We have also shared some tips and best practices for using icons in React projects.


We hope you have found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Happy coding!


FAQs




Q: How do I update React Icons?




A: To update React Icons to the latest version, you can run the following command in your terminal:


yarn upgrade react-icons # or npm update react-icons --save


Q: How do I search for icons in React Icons?




A: To search for icons in React Icons, you can use the official website's search bar or browse by icon sets. You can also use third-party websites like Iconfinder or Iconscout to search for icons by keywords or categories.


Q: How do I add animations or transitions to React Icons?




A: To add animations or transitions to React Icons, you can use CSS properties like transform, transition, or animation on the icon components. You can also use libraries like react-spring or react-motion to create more complex animations.


Q: How do I create custom icons for React Icons?




A: To create custom icons for React Icons, you can use tools like Adobe Illustrator, Figma, or Inkscape to design your own SVG icons. Then, you can use SvgIcon component to wrap your SVG icons and use them as React components.


Q: How do I contribute to React Icons?




A: To contribute to React Icons, you can visit the GitHub repository and follow the instructions on how to submit issues, pull requests, or suggestions. You can also join the Discord server and chat with other developers and contributors. 44f88ac181


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