Building Live Components

This tutorial teaches you how to create real-time, interactive UI components using Azu's live component system.

What You'll Build

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have:

  • A reactive counter component

  • A live chat component

  • Understanding of component lifecycle

  • Real-time DOM updates without page refreshes

Prerequisites

Step 1: Understanding Live Components

Live components in Azu provide:

  • Real-time DOM updates - UI changes without page refreshes

  • Server-side state - State managed on the server

  • Event-driven interactions - Respond to user actions immediately

  • Automatic synchronization - Server and client stay in sync

Step 2: Create a Counter Component

Create src/components/counter_component.cr:

Step 3: Create a Counter Endpoint

Create src/endpoints/counter_endpoint.cr:

Step 4: Create a Chat Component

Create src/components/chat_component.cr:

Step 5: Component Lifecycle

Components have lifecycle methods you can override:

Step 6: State Management

Manage complex state in components:

Step 7: Form Components

Handle forms with validation:

Step 8: Composing Components

Build complex UIs by composing components:

Key Concepts Learned

Component Structure

DOM Updates

Event Handling

Best Practices

  1. Keep components focused - One responsibility per component

  2. Use composition - Build complex UIs from simple components

  3. Handle cleanup - Implement on_unmount for resource cleanup

  4. Validate inputs - Always validate event data

  5. Minimize state - Keep component state as simple as possible

Next Steps

You've learned to build interactive components. Continue with:


Interactive components ready! Your application now has real-time, reactive UI elements.

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