However, if a state needs to be shared with a lot of components that belong to different parts of the app structure, the data flow gets more complex. In such cases, the so-called props drilling problem appears. Props drilling is a bad practice of passing properties through components down the hierarchy without having them used in the process. With time it results in an enlarged codebase where it’s difficult to keep track of those props. Keeping track of this data at each and every individual component can become difficult. In conclusion, Redux is a powerful tool for managing the state of a complex React application, but it is not always necessary and there are alternative options available.
In this example, the ThemeContext is created with a default value of ‚light‘. The App component provides a new value for the context, which is then consumed by the Component through the useContext hook. Now that we have completed the setup, it’s time to use Redux. This method takes the name of the slice, the initial state, and the reducers.
Now imagine what happens when a state has to be shared between components that are far apart in the component tree. This makes the state difficult to maintain and less predictable. Most libraries, such as React and Angular, are built with a way for components to internally manage their state without the need for an external library or tool. This works well for applications with few components, but as an application grows larger, managing states shared across components becomes a hassle.
However, this depends on the architectural decisions of the project. For smaller or simpler applications, the React context API or the useReducer hook may be sufficient for managing the state. These alternatives offer a way to manage state within a React component without the need for a centralized store like Redux. However, Redux also comes with a learning curve and adds an extra layer of complexity to an application. In addition, it can result in a lot of boilerplate code, which can be overwhelming for developers new to the library.
It’s a great tool, and there are some great reasons to use it, but there are also reasons you might not want to use it. Make informed decisions about your tools, and understand the tradeoffs involved in each decision.
There are several benefits to using the React context API and the useReducer hook as alternatives to Redux for managing state in a React application. In this rewrite, we will move the color state into the App component. With only one source of truth present (the store), you’ve got little problems with syncing your current state with actions and other parts of the application.
These alternatives can be easier to understand and work with, and they can also offer improved performance in certain situations. In addition, both the context API and the useReducer hook are generally easier to understand and work with than Redux. They do not require the same level of setup or boilerplate code, and they are more closely integrated with the React ecosystem. This can make it easier for developers to learn and use these alternatives, especially if they are new to state management in React.
Having initiated with a local state, you may encounter scenarios where child components require access to this state. You can effortlessly transmit the state to child components by passing it down as props when needed. The same ‘State of JavaScript’ survey shows that satisfaction levels among developers using Redux have declined from 93% in 2016 to 67% in 2020. This is in part due to concerns that Redux may be unnecessarily complicated for some applications – some considered it an over-engineered solution to a relatively simple problem.
But if you are making a real application, then passing state and methods can become a daunting task. React Redux makes it easier to access the global state from any component. Examples of such global data include user information, theme details, and more. React Context excels in storing and managing this type of global data, enabling you to sidestep the need to pass props through multiple layers of components. Redux is a great tool for building large-scale applications requiring global state management. For simpler cases, there are more lightweight tools, like MobX, PushState, or React Context.
It helps us put all of the application states in a global variable called the store. It is the most popular package for managing state in the React ecosystem. For this reason, there is a dedicated package called React-Redux for React.js apps.
In this example, the UserContext is created and provided a value by the App component. The Header and Content components consume the context through the useContext hook and use the provided user data to render different content based on whether the user is logged in what is redux and why it matters or not. Another benefit of these alternatives is improved performance. There are a few alternative state management options available for React applications that do not require the use of Redux. These options include the React context API and the useReducer hook.
Redux DevTools makes it easy to take advantage of all Redux has to offer. Besides logging, it has great DevTools that allow you to time travel actions, persist actions on page refresh, and more. When using Redux with React, states will no longer need to be lifted up. This makes it easier for you to trace which action causes any change. 💡 A pure function is a function that will always return the same value if given the same parameters, i.e., the function depends on only the parameters and no external data.
Given the same object, they should always produce the same result. In this example, the useReducer hook is used to manage the state of a to-do list. The todoReducer function handles actions for adding and toggling to-do items, and the TodoList component uses the dispatch function to send these actions to the reducer. After creating the slice, we will now create a store and add our color slice reducer to it. A store is like a global variable that holds all the application states.