How to Retrieve and Display Images from MongoDB in React Using Axios

Learn how to seamlessly get images stored in MongoDB and display them in your React application using Axios! Follow this guide for easy implementation and troubleshooting tips.
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How to Retrieve and Display Images from MongoDB in React Using Axios

When building a web application, handling images efficiently is a common requirement. A common setup involves using a MongoDB database to store images, Axios to fetch these images, and React to display them on the frontend. However, if you're facing difficulties displaying images you've fetched from MongoDB, don't worry! This post will walk you through a streamlined process to achieve that.

Understanding the Problem

If you've attempted to retrieve images from your MongoDB database using Axios and encountered issues when trying to display them in your React application, you are not alone. The typical outcome might resemble binary data or arrays of numbers, such as:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This can be frustrating, especially if you're unsure where the issue lies. Below, we’ll break down how to correct this and properly display the images.

Solution Overview

To successfully retrieve an image from MongoDB and render it in your React application, we need to complete two primary steps:

Modify the server-side route to convert the image data into a format suitable for display.

Adjust the way you render the image in your React component.

Step 1: Update Your Server Route

In your Express server, update the image fetching route to convert the binary data to a base64 string. This way, when Axios fetches the data, it receives a string that can be easily utilized in a React component.

Here’s the revised code for your router:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this snippet:

We perform a query to find one image.

Instead of sending back the image object directly, we convert the image data to a base64 string. This is crucial as it allows the image to be rendered appropriately on the frontend.

Step 2: Fetch and Display the Image in React

Next, let’s review the Axios request in your React component. The fetching of the image should happen as follows:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Now to properly display the image in your JSX, you will modify your render logic:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Key Notes:

Base64 Encoding: It's essential to prefix the base64 string with data:image/jpeg;base64, so that the browser interprets it correctly as an image.

Conditional Rendering: Using {availableFile && ...} ensures that the image is only rendered when the data is available, preventing any rendering errors.

Final Thoughts

Now that you've gone through these steps, your React application should correctly fetch images stored in MongoDB and display them seamlessly. If you encounter any issues, ensure your server is running and all routes are correctly set up. Testing in different browsers may also provide insights into rendering behavior.

With this solution, you’re set to work with images in your application confidently! Happy coding, and don't hesitate to reach out with further questions or experiences in managing images in your projects.

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