Mithril.js Deployment and Usage Guide

Prerequisites

Node.js (version 12 or higher) - Required for npm package management
npm (version 6 or higher) - Comes with Node.js installation
Modern web browser - Mithril.js supports Firefox ESR, and the last two versions of Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Chrome

Installation

Using npm (Recommended)

npm install mithril --save

Using CDN (For quick prototyping)

Add one of these script tags to your HTML file:

<!-- Development -->
<script src="https://unpkg.com/mithril/mithril.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mithril/mithril.js"></script>

<!-- Production -->
<script src="https://unpkg.com/mithril/mithril.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mithril/mithril.min.js"></script>

TypeScript Support

npm install @types/mithril --save-dev

Configuration

Environment Setup

No specific environment variables are required for Mithril.js itself. However, you may need to configure:

Build tools (Webpack, Rollup, etc.) if using a bundler
Development server configuration for local development
API endpoints for your application's backend services

Project Structure

A typical Mithril.js project structure:

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   ├── views/
│   └── main.js
├── index.html
├── package.json
└── webpack.config.js (if using Webpack)

Build & Run

Development Setup

Initialize your project:

npm init -y
npm install mithril --save

Create a simple application (example from the documentation):

// src/main.js
import m from 'mithril'

const Hello = {
    view: function() {
        return m("main", [
            m("h1", "My first app"),
            m("button", {onclick: () => alert("hello!")}, "Say hello")
        ])
    }
}

m.mount(document.body, Hello)

Create HTML file:

<!-- index.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>My App</title>
</head>
<body>
    <script src="src/main.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Run locally (using a simple HTTP server):

npx serve .

Production Build

If using a bundler like Webpack:

// webpack.config.js
const path = require('path')

module.exports = {
    entry: './src/main.js',
    output: {
        path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist'),
        filename: 'bundle.js'
    }
}

npx webpack --mode=production

Deployment

Static Hosting (Recommended)

Mithril.js applications are static and can be deployed to any static hosting service:

Vercel (formerly Zeit Now)
Netlify
GitHub Pages
AWS S3 + CloudFront
Firebase Hosting

Deployment Steps (Vercel example)

Install Vercel CLI:

npm install -g vercel

Deploy:

vercel --prod

Server-Side Rendering (Optional)

For SSR, you'll need a Node.js server:

npm install express --save

// server.js
const express = require('express')
const app = express()
const path = require('path')

app.use(express.static('dist'))

app.get('*', (req, res) => {
    res.sendFile(path.join(__dirname, 'dist', 'index.html'))
})

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'))

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"m is not defined" error
- Cause: Mithril not properly imported
- Solution: Ensure you're importing Mithril correctly:
```
import m from 'mithril'
// or
const m = require('mithril')
```

Components not rendering

Cause: Incorrect mounting or missing return statement

Solution: Verify your component structure:

const Component = {
    view: function() {
        return m("div", "Content")
    }
}
m.mount(document.body, Component)

Routing issues
- Cause: Incorrect route configuration
- Solution: Check your route setup:
```
m.route(document.body, "/", {
    "/": Home,
    "/about": About
})
```
Production build errors
- Cause: Bundler configuration issues
- Solution: Ensure your bundler is configured to handle ES6 modules and Mithril's dependencies

Performance Tips

Use m.mount() for single root components
Implement onbeforeremove for cleanup in components
Use m.request() for AJAX calls with proper error handling
Consider using m.fragment() for conditional rendering without wrapper elements

Getting Help

Documentation: mithril.js.org
Community: Zulip Chat
Stack Overflow: Use the mithril.js tag

Contributing

Check the Contributing FAQ
Join the Zulip stream for discussions
Follow the project's code style and testing guidelines

How to Deploy & Use MithrilJS/mithril.js