How to Install Axios with React on Ubuntu 20.04

Alright, so you’re about to use Axios in your React app on Ubuntu 20.04, awesome! I remember the first time I tried it; I spent hours wrestling with Fetch before I discovered how smooth Axios is. Let’s get it set up together, step by step.

What is Axios?

Alright, so Axios, yeah, that little library I pretty much always grab when I’m doing React stuff. It’s kinda like Fetch, but honestly, way less annoying. You don’t have to wrestle with promises or check every tiny response; it just… works. I still remember trying Fetch for the first time and thinking, ‘Why is this so complicated?’ Axios saved me that headache.

Prerequisites: Node.js and React

Alright, before we dive into the code, make sure Node.js is actually installed on your Ubuntu system, React won’t run without it. I remember the first time I skipped this step; spent a good half hour scratching my head wondering why nothing worked. Don’t make the same mistake.

Step 1: Install React on Ubuntu 20.04

1. Check if Node.js is installed

Open your terminal and type:

node -v

If you see a version number, great! Node.js is ready. If not, follow the next steps.

2. Install Node.js (if not installed)

cd ~

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x -o setup_node.sh

sudo bash setup_node.sh

sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

After installation, confirm it’s working:

node -v

3. Install Create React App globally

sudo npm install -g create-react-app

Check the version to make sure it’s installed correctly:

create-react-app --version

✅ Sometimes it throws a warning the first time, don’t freak out. I usually just open a terminal, run a tiny app, poke at it a bit, and then okay Axios time. Let’s see what happens.

Step 2: Add Axios to Your React Project

1. Navigate to your project folder in the terminal:

cd eldernode-tutorial

2. Install Axios using npm:

npm install axios

3. Optional: You can also install via bower:

bower install axios

4. Or if you prefer, you can use yarn:

yarn add axios

And just like that, Axios is part of your project. I usually pop it into a component and try a quick API call to see it in action. Go ahead, import it wherever you need, make a request or two, and watch it actually work, way less hassle than Fetch, trust me.

Step 3: Remove Axios (Optional)

If you ever need to uninstall Axios from your project:

sudo npm uninstall axios

Step 4: Ready to Develop

Okay… so here’s the deal. Axios is in, your React app is running, and honestly, I usually spend a few minutes just messing around with API calls to make sure everything clicks. Sometimes things break, sometimes you get lucky… but that’s part of the fun. Go ahead, poke at your data, try a few requests, and you’ll start to see how Axios makes life a lot easier. Seriously, it’s one of those things you wonder how you managed without it.

Conclusion

Axios is up and running in your React app on Ubuntu 20.04. Honestly, the first time I got it working, I felt like a magician, no more wrestling with Fetch calls. Now it’s your turn: start making API requests, play around with the data, and see what you can build. If you’re curious about doing the same on Windows, we’ve got a guide for that too.