🚀 Setting Up Capacitor to Load a Web URL in a New React + TypeScript App
#reactnative#react#weburltoapk#appconfig
Greta Anjalin D

Greta Anjalin D @greta_anjalin_d

About: Passionate software engineer with big dreams, always curious and driven to learn, build, and grow. I believe every line of code brings me one step closer to achieving something great. 💻✨

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Joined:
Aug 5, 2025

🚀 Setting Up Capacitor to Load a Web URL in a New React + TypeScript App

Publish Date: Aug 5
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This guide walks you through the complete steps to:

✅ Create a React app with TypeScript

✅ Set up Capacitor

✅ Load an external web URL (like a live panel) inside your Android/iOS app

✅ Optionally preview it during development

🧱 Step 1: Create React App with TypeScript 

npx create-react-app my-app
cd my-app
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(Replace my-app with your desired project name.)

🛠️ Step 2: Convert Project to TypeScript

📦 Install TypeScript & React Types 

npm install --save typescript @types/react @types/react-dom
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📝 Rename Files

  • .js → .ts (for non-JSX files)
  • .jsx → .tsx (for component files)

🛠️ Create tsconfig.json 

npx tsc --init
npm install --save-dev @types/jest
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🧩 Modify index.tsx 

const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!);
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🧪 Update reportWebVitals.tsx 

import { ReportHandler } from 'web-vitals';

const reportWebVitals = (onPerfEntry?: ReportHandler) => {
  if (onPerfEntry && onPerfEntry instanceof Function) {
    import('web-vitals').then(({ getCLS, getFID, getFCP, getLCP, getTTFB }) => {
      getCLS(onPerfEntry);
      getFID(onPerfEntry);
      getFCP(onPerfEntry);
      getLCP(onPerfEntry);
      getTTFB(onPerfEntry);
    });
  }
};

export default reportWebVitals;
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🧾 Replace tsconfig.json 

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "module": "ESNext",
    "target": "ESNext",
    "moduleResolution": "Node",
    "verbatimModuleSyntax": false,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
    "jsx": "react-jsx",
    "resolveJsonModule": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "strict": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true,
    "isolatedModules": true,
    "noEmit": true
  },
  "include": ["src"]
}
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✅ Your project is now TypeScript ready!

⚙️ Step 3: Set Up Capacitor

📦 Install Capacitor Core and CLI 

npm install @capacitor/core @capacitor/cli --force
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🔧 Initialize Capacitor 

npx cap init
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🏗️ Build Your React App 

npm run build
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➕ Add Android Platform 

npx cap add android
npm install @capacitor/android --force
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🔄 Sync Capacitor Config 

npx cap sync
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📱 Open Android Project in Android Studio 

npx cap open android
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🛠️ Every time you update the React app:

npm run build
npx cap sync
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🌐 Step 4: Load External Web URL in Capacitor

Update your capacitor.config.ts or capacitor.config.json:

const config: CapacitorConfig = {
  appId: 'com.yourcompany.app',
  appName: 'app',
  webDir: 'build',
  server: {
    url: '{Your Web Url}',
    cleartext: true
  }
};

export default config;
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👀 (Optional) Show Web App in iFrame for Local Preview

Example App.tsx 

import './App.css';

function App() {
  return (
    <div className="App" style={{ height: '100vh', margin: 0, padding: 0 }}>
      <iframe
        src="{Your Web Url}"
        title="Admin"
        width="100%"
        height="100%"
        style={{ border: 'none' }}
      />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;
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⚠️ Notes

📦 FlatDir Warning (Android)

Check your android/build.gradle:

allprojects {
    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()
        flatDir {
            dirs project(':capacitor-android').file('libs')
        }
    }
}
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Leave it as-is, unless you're troubleshooting plugin issues.

✅ You're Done!

You've successfully:

🎉 Created a React + TypeScript app

🔌 Integrated Capacitor

🌍 Configured it to load a live web app

🧪 Built and previewed the app locally and on Android

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