react-admin
A TypeScript/React framework for building admin dashboards on top of REST or GraphQL APIs.
- Stars
- 27k
- Forks
- 5.5k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Framework
What it is
React-admin is a frontend framework for building single-page admin applications that run in the browser. It connects to existing REST or GraphQL APIs and provides ready-made components for lists, edit forms, authentication, and similar pieces. It uses Material Design by default, and its components can be replaced when you need something different.
- Build a CRUD admin for a blog with posts, comments, and users, following the simple example in the repository
- Create list pages with a data table, edit pages with forms, and create pages for an API resource
- Connect a custom API by writing a data provider, using the existing ones as a blueprint
Great for
- Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing API
- Teams already using React who want standard CRUD screens without writing everything from scratch
- Projects that want TypeScript support but can also be written in plain JavaScript
- Developers who want to plug in a data provider for a specific backend
Not ideal for
- Non-developers looking for a finished admin tool they can use without coding, since it is a framework that must be built into an app
- Projects that do not use React, because the framework is built on React
- Public-facing consumer websites, since it is designed for admin-style interfaces
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js and npm or yarn
Install react-admin from npm
npm install react-admin - 2
Run it
- Install the package with npm or yarn.
- Create an Admin component and pass it a data provider pointed at your API.
- Define a Resource with list, edit, and create page components.
- Run your React app and open it in the browser.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the documentation's API reference for full component and hook details
- Start from the tutorial or the example apps in the examples folder
- Write a custom data provider if your API does not match an existing adapter
- Replace individual components, such as the datagrid, to match your needs
Downloads
Strengths
- Backend agnostic: the README lists more than 45 data provider adapters for REST and GraphQL
- Built from loosely coupled components and hooks, so parts can be replaced individually
- Comes with official examples, documentation, a tutorial, and an active community on Discord and StackOverflow
Trade-offs
- Requires working knowledge of React and a build setup; not suited to people who only want a configuration-based tool
- Default look is Material Design, so a different visual style takes extra customization work, as the README notes
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| react-admin (this) | 27k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools on top of an existing API |
| refine | 36k | Framework | intermediate | 2 months ago | Developers building internal admin panels or back-office tools in React |
| ngx-admin | 25.7k | Framework | intermediate | 2.1 years ago | Developers starting a new Angular admin or back-office dashboard |
| AdminLTE | 45.7k | Library | beginner | 5 days ago | Developers building an internal admin panel or back-office tool quickly |
| gentelella | 21.6k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers who want a starting point for an internal admin panel without adopting a frontend framework |
| coreui-free-bootstrap-admin-template | 12.3k | App | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers building an internal admin or dashboard page with Bootstrap |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.