TL;DR📝:

If your React or other Single-Page Application (SPA) hosted on DigitalOcean App Platform throws a 404 Error on page refresh or direct access to routes, it’s because SPAs use client-side routing, and the server isn’t set up to redirect all requests to index.html. The fix? A quick configuration change in your DigitalOcean settings.

📑 Table of Contents:

1. | 💭Understanding the 404 Error:

2. | 🛠️ Fixing the 404: A Step-by-Step Guide

3. | ✅Testing Your Fix

💭 1. Understanding the 404 Error:

Why Your SPA Breaks on Refresh❓

Imagine this: your beautifully crafted React app is live. Users navigate seamlessly—until they hit refresh on a page like /contact. Suddenly:

⚠️ 404 Error: The requested page was not found.

Why does this happen? Here's the breakdown:

• SPAs handle routing on the client side, meaning routes like /about exist in your app, but not on the server.

• When a user refreshes or directly accesses /about, the server doesn’t find a physical file or folder matching that route and returns a 404 error.

This isn’t unique to DigitalOcean. Platforms hosting SPAs often need explicit instructions to reroute all traffic to index.html.

🛠️ 2. Fixing the 404: A Step-by-Step Guide

To ensure your app serves index.html for all routes, follow these steps in DigitalOcean App Platform:

1. Head to the your Deployed App 🖥️

2. Edit Your Static Site ‘Component’ ✏️

• In your app’s Components section, locate your Static Site resource.

3. Add a Catchall Route ➡️

• Scroll down to the Custom Pages section.

• Add a new rule:

  • Type: Catchall

  • Page Name: index.html

4. Save and Redeploy 💾

• Click Save to apply your changes.

• Trigger a redeploy of your app for the new configuration to take effect.

✅ 3. Testing Your Fix

After redeployment, verify your app works as expected:

1. Navigate to your site’s homepage (e.g., example.com)—it should load normally. 🌐

2. Visit a deep link like example.com/about directly or refresh the page—no more 404 errors! 🎉

Why This Works 🤓

The catchall route ensures that all unmatched requests are routed to index.html. Once there, your SPA’s JavaScript code takes over and handles routing, displaying the appropriate content based on the URL.

Key Takeaways 📌

• The Problem: SPAs use client-side routing, so the server doesn’t recognize routes like /about or /products. ❌

• The Fix: Configure your server (in this case, DigitalOcean App Platform) to redirect all routes to index.html. 🔄

• The Result: Seamless navigation, even on refresh or direct access. ✨

Final Thoughts 💭

Deploying SPAs like React, Angular, or Vue apps can throw curveballs, especially when dealing with platform-specific quirks. By addressing the 404 error issue, you’re not just fixing a bug—you’re ensuring a smoother user experience. 🛡️

💬 If this helped, share your thoughts or questions in the comments below. Let’s tackle these deployment hiccups together—one line of code at a time. 💻

For more practical, battle-tested developer tips, stay tuned. 🔔 These are the lessons they don’t teach in tutorials. 🌟