KendoReact Grid: Setup, Tutorial & Best Practices for React Data Grids
Quick, practical and technical guide to get a production-ready React data grid with sorting, filtering, pagination, export and customization.
Installation & Setup
Start with the package install. KendoReact Grid is shipped as scoped packages. To install the grid and required dependencies, run the recommended npm command:
npm install --save @progress/kendo-react-grid @progress/kendo-data-query @progress/kendo-react-intl @progress/kendo-licensing
After installation, import the grid and its styles. The typical minimal imports in a React app are:
import { Grid, GridColumn } from '@progress/kendo-react-grid';
import '@progress/kendo-theme-default/dist/all.css';
Set up the grid as a controlled component: provide data and handle state updates (sorting, paging, filtering) in your container. This gives you predictable behavior and easy server integration. For large datasets prefer server paging/sorting/filtering — send the state to your API and apply query parameters or payloads there.
Core Features: Filtering, Sorting, Pagination, Export
KendoReact Grid offers built-in features you expect from an enterprise grid: column sorting, multiple filter operators, pageable UI with custom page sizes, and export to Excel/PDF. Most features are opt-in props and can be customized with templates and custom cell renderers.
Filtering: define filterable on columns and use filterCell or filterRow modes. For client-side filtering use kendo-data-query utilities to apply filter descriptors. For server-side filtering, capture the filter descriptor and pass it to your backend API which understands the descriptor or translate it to query params.
Export: the Grid supports exporting the current (or transformed) view to Excel using provided utilities. To export complex cell templates, provide a data extraction routine that returns plain values for the export engine. PDF export can be done but often needs layout adjustments for long tables.
Compact Tutorial Example (client paging + sorting + filtering)
Below is a minimal working example emphasizing controlled state. This is intentionally straightforward: state lifts to the container, grid is pure presentation. For production, swap client logic with API calls for large datasets.
function App() {
const [data, setData] = React.useState(sampleData);
const [page, setPage] = React.useState({ skip: 0, take: 20 });
const [sort, setSort] = React.useState([]);
const [filter, setFilter] = React.useState(null);
const processed = process(data, { skip: page.skip, take: page.take, sort, filter });
return (
<Grid
data={processed.data}
skip={page.skip}
pageable={{ pageSize: page.take }}
total={processed.total}
sort={sort}
onSortChange={e => setSort(e.sort)}
filter={filter}
onFilterChange={e => setFilter(e.filter)}
onPageChange={e => setPage(e.page)}
>
<GridColumn field="id" title="ID" width="80" />
<GridColumn field="name" title="Name" />
<GridColumn field="amount" title="Amount" />
</Grid>
);
}
process() in the snippet above refers to the kendo-data-query process function, which applies sorting, filtering and paging to arrays client-side. For server-driven apps, call your API when sort/filter/page changes and update data & total accordingly.
Tip: Keep the grid pure and stateless — store the state in Redux, Zustand or parent component to enable time-travel debugging and easy testing.
Advanced: Virtualization, Custom Cells, Inline Editing, Performance
Virtualization is essential when rendering thousands of rows. KendoReact Grid supports both row and column virtualization. Combine virtualization with server paging for best memory/CPU characteristics: virtualize the visible window and fetch pages as the user scrolls or navigates.
Custom cells and templates unlock complex UIs inside grid cells: badges, inline charts, action menus, and editable form controls. Use the cell render prop to encapsulate rendering logic; keep expensive logic outside render path where possible and memoize cells.
Editing modes: inline, popup, or cell editing are available. To implement robust editing, validate on the container level, keep edit state separate from display state (optimistic UI only when safe), and debounce expensive operations (e.g., autosave) to avoid flooding APIs.
Best Practices & Troubleshooting
1) Decide early if operations will be client- or server-side. For >5–10k rows prefer server operations and virtualization. 2) Avoid heavy operations inside render — compute derived data outside render using useMemo or preprocess data on the server. 3) Accessibility: KendoReact Grid has ARIA support; ensure custom templates preserve keyboard navigation and focus management.
Common issues: styles not loading (import the theme CSS), licensing errors (ensure @progress/kendo-licensing initialization with your license key), and build size (tree-shake by importing only used packages and themes).
If you hit bugs, the canonical resources are the official docs (KendoReact Grid docs) and GitHub issues. StackOverflow often has quick fixes for integration problems.
When to choose KendoReact Grid vs other React data grids
Choose KendoReact Grid when you need a feature-complete, enterprise-grade grid with commercial support, polished components, and a comprehensive API. It excels when you need built-in export, editing, virtualization and a consistent design system.
If you need a lightweight, MIT-licensed grid and are comfortable assembling features (virtualization, filtering) yourself, consider open-source alternatives (AG Grid Community, react-table + virtualization). AG Grid Enterprise competes directly but with different licensing and APIs.
Consider team skills, licensing constraints, and time-to-market: KendoReact reduces integration time at the cost of a commercial dependency; that trade-off is often worth it in enterprise projects.
Helpful links & examples
- Official KendoReact Grid documentation
- Community tutorial: dev.to walkthrough
- NPM: @progress/kendo-react-grid
FAQ
How do I install and set up KendoReact Grid?
Install via npm: npm install @progress/kendo-react-grid @progress/kendo-data-query @progress/kendo-react-intl @progress/kendo-licensing, import the Grid and the theme CSS, and use Grid as a controlled component (manage paging/sorting/filtering state in the parent).
Can the KendoReact Grid handle large datasets?
Yes — use server-side paging/sorting/filtering combined with row and column virtualization. Server-driven queries keep the client lightweight and improve responsiveness for tens or hundreds of thousands of rows.
Does KendoReact Grid support exporting to Excel or PDF?
Yes — the Grid includes utilities for Excel export and can be configured for PDF export. For custom cell content, provide a data extraction routine so the export contains plain values rather than templates.
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