State Management in Modern Frontend Projects: An Overview

October 1, 2024

Quick Overview (for the impatient)

State management is essential for handling complex apps. This post gives you a fast breakdown of libraries and strategies in React. Skim the Table of Contents to jump to the section you need!

Table of Contents

  1. What is State Management?
  2. Local vs. Global State
  3. Popular State Management Libraries in React
  4. Choosing the Right Strategy

Warning

Though the content is generated by AI as a placeholder but it might be usefull 😉

What is State Management?

Managing how data flows and updates across your components is state management. This is crucial for building complex frontend apps.

Local vs. Global State

There are two main types of state management in React projects:

  • Local State: Managed inside individual components, typically with hooks like useState or useReducer.
  • Global State: Shared between many components, often handled with external libraries or React’s Context API.

Here’s how we can classify state management solutions for React based on complexity and use cases:

Simple State Management

For small apps with minimal complexity:

  • React Context + useReducer: Built-in React tools for managing state. Great for simple use cases.

    const CountContext = React.createContext();

const CounterProvider = ({ children }) => {
  const [count, dispatch] = React.useReducer(reducer, 0);
  return <CountContext.Provider value={{ count, dispatch }}>{children}</CountContext.Provider>;
};

  • Zustand: Lightweight and easy to set up, ideal for small projects.

    import create from 'zustand';

const useStore = create(set => ({
  count: 0,
  increment: () => set(state => ({ count: state.count + 1 })),
}));

Intermediate State Management

For more complex projects with middlewares and a bigger state:

  • Redux: A widely-used solution for larger applications with predictable state management.

    const increment = () => ({ type: 'INCREMENT' });
const store = createStore(reducer);

  • MobX: Focuses on making state observable and reactive, easy to work with for developers.

    import { observable } from 'mobx';
const store = observable({ count: 0 });

Server State Management

Handles data from external APIs efficiently, making it perfect for applications that frequently interact with back-end services.

  • React Query: Simplifies fetching, caching, and updating server-side data.

    import { useQuery } from 'react-query';

const { data, isLoading } = useQuery('todos', fetchTodos);

  • Apollo Client: Manages local and server state, excellent for GraphQL-based apps.

    import { useQuery } from '@apollo/client';

const { data } = useQuery(GET_TODOS);

Choosing the Right Strategy

The right state management solution depends on your project needs:

  • For small projects, use React Context or Zustand.
  • For larger apps, consider Redux or MobX.
  • For server-side data management, go with React Query or Apollo Client.

Pick based on your project’s complexity and requirements!