React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, particularly single-page applications. It is maintained by Meta and a community of individual developers and companies.
React Anti-Patterns Overview
React, despite its popularity and robust ecosystem, has several common anti-patterns that can lead to performance issues, maintenance problems, and bugs. Here are the most important anti-patterns to avoid when writing React code.
Prop Drilling
Prop drilling makes components tightly coupled and harder to maintain. Use Context API or state management libraries like Redux for sharing state across components.
Huge Component Files
Large components are difficult to understand, test, and maintain. Split them into smaller, focused components with single responsibilities.
Inline Function Definitions
Inline function definitions create new function instances on every render, which can lead to unnecessary re-renders of child components. Use useCallback
to memoize functions.
Not Using React Keys Properly
Using array indices as keys can lead to performance issues and bugs when items are added, removed, or reordered. Use stable, unique identifiers for keys.
Overusing useState
Using multiple useState
hooks for related data makes state management complex. Use useReducer
for complex state or objects with multiple fields.
Side Effects in Render
Performing side effects during render can cause infinite loops and unexpected behavior. Use useEffect
for side effects.
Not Memoizing Expensive Calculations
Expensive calculations are recomputed on every render, impacting performance. Use useMemo
to memoize expensive calculations.
Not Using React.memo for Pure Components
Components re-render even when their props haven’t changed, causing unnecessary renders. Use React.memo
to skip re-rendering when props are unchanged.
Improper useEffect Dependencies
Missing or incorrect dependencies in useEffect
can lead to stale closures and bugs. Always include all values from the component scope that the effect uses.
Not Using Fragment for Multiple Elements
Unnecessary wrapper divs add to the DOM depth and can break layouts. Use React Fragments (<>...</>
or <React.Fragment>
) to group elements without adding extra nodes to the DOM.
Not Using Error Boundaries
Without error boundaries, a runtime error in a component can break the entire application. Use error boundaries to gracefully handle errors and display fallback UIs.
Not Using Controlled Components for Forms
Uncontrolled components make it harder to validate and manipulate form data. Use controlled components for better control over form inputs and validation.
Not Using React DevTools
Using console.log
for debugging is inefficient. Use React DevTools for inspecting component hierarchies, props, state, and performance.