After building and refactoring several React applications, I realized that how you organize your project matters as much as the code itself. A clean structure doesn’t just look nice — it makes scaling, debugging, and collaborating infinitely smoother.

Here are five lessons that completely changed how I structure React projects 👇

1️⃣ Organize by Feature, Not by Type

A common mistake many developers make (including my past self) is splitting everything by type:

src/
  components/
  hooks/
  pages/
  utils/

That seems neat at first — until your app grows. Suddenly, you’re jumping across files and folders just to make one change.

A better way: group by feature. Keep everything related to a feature together — components, hooks, and API calls included.

src/
  features/
    auth/
      components/
      hooks/
      api/
    dashboard/
      components/
      hooks/
      api/

This way, your app scales naturally. When you add or remove a feature, it’s self-contained and easy to manage.

2️⃣ Create a shared/ Folder for Reusable Code

Some elements — buttons, modals, utility functions — are used everywhere. Put these in a shared/ folder to avoid duplication and keep your code DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself).

src/
  shared/
    components/
    hooks/
    utils/

This helps maintain consistency across your app and reduces future headaches.

3️⃣ Naming Conventions Matter

Clear naming = clear thinking. Here’s what works well:

• Components → PascalCase → UserProfile.jsx
• Hooks & Utils → camelCase → useAuth.js, formatDate.js
• index.js → use only for re-exports

Small details like this make your project easier to navigate — especially for new contributors.

4️⃣ Think in Layers (Frontend System Design)

Just like in backend development, frontend apps have layers too. Understanding them helps you keep your architecture clean and modular.

• UI Layer → Components
• State Layer → Context, Redux, or Zustand
• Data Layer → API calls (Axios, fetch, React Query)
• Utilities Layer → Helper functions

👉 Rule: Keep these layers decoupled. Never mix your API logic directly inside UI components. It might work now — but it’ll hurt later.

5️⃣ A Scalable Project Structure Example

Here’s a structure I’ve found works beautifully for real-world apps:

src/
│
├── app/                         # 🧠 App-level setup (root config)
│   ├── App.jsx                  # Main app component
│   ├── index.jsx                # ReactDOM.createRoot entry point
│   ├── routes/                  # Route definitions (React Router / Next)
│   │   └── AppRoutes.jsx
│   ├── providers/               # Global providers (Redux, Theme, QueryClient)
│   │   ├── ReduxProvider.jsx
│   │   ├── ThemeProvider.jsx
│   │   └── QueryProvider.jsx
│   └── store/                   # Redux store or Zustand setup
│       └── store.js
│
├── features/                    # 🚀 Each feature is self-contained
│   ├── auth/
│   │   ├── components/          # Auth-specific UI (LoginForm, RegisterForm)
│   │   ├── hooks/               # Custom hooks (useAuth, useLogin)
│   │   ├── api/                 # API calls (login, logout, refreshToken)
│   │   ├── slices/              # Redux slices or Zustand store
│   │   ├── utils/               # Helper functions only for auth
│   │   ├── pages/               # Feature pages (LoginPage, RegisterPage)
│   │   └── index.js             # Optional re-export
│   │
│   ├── dashboard/
│   │   ├── components/          # Cards, charts, etc.
│   │   ├── hooks/
│   │   ├── api/
│   │   ├── slices/
│   │   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── pages/
│   │   └── index.js
│   │
│   └── ...other-features/
│
├── shared/                      # 🌍 Reusable across features
│   ├── components/              # Common UI (Button, Modal, Table)
│   ├── hooks/                   # Generic hooks (useToggle, useDebounce)
│   ├── utils/                   # Global helpers (formatDate, storage)
│   ├── api/                     # Common API config (axiosClient, endpoints)
│   ├── constants/               # App-wide constants (roles, routes)
│   ├── context/                 # Global contexts if not using Redux
│   ├── types/                   # TypeScript types or propTypes (if TS)
│   └── layouts/                 # Reusable layouts (MainLayout, AuthLayout)
│
├── assets/                      # 🎨 Static files
│   ├── images/
│   ├── icons/
│   └── fonts/
│
├── styles/                      # 💅 Global styling
│   ├── globals.css
│   ├── variables.css
│   └── tailwind.css
│
├── tests/                       # 🧪 Integration and e2e tests
│   └── setupTests.js
│
├── index.html                   # Entry HTML (if using Vite or CRA)
└── main.jsx                     # App bootstrap (for Vite)

Simple, predictable, and scalable.

Example Aliases (Vite or Webpack)

// vite.config.js
resolve: {
  alias: {
    '@app': '/src/app',
    '@features': '/src/features',
    '@shared': '/src/shared',
    '@assets': '/src/assets',
  }
}

⚡ Bonus Tips

• 🧪 Keep test files next to components → Button.test.jsx
• 🗂️ Document your structure in README.md
• ⚙️ Keep config files at the root → .eslintrc, tailwind.config.js, etc.