ThapaRegan

Hey there, fellow coders and tech lovers! Ever felt like you’re wrestling with the beast that is state management in React? Well, you’ve landed in the right spot. Today, we’re cracking open the toolbox and pulling out Zustand, a state management library that’s been turning heads in the React community. Whether you’re a battle-hardened developer or just lacing up your coding boots, this guide is going to break down Zustand, its cool features, and how it stacks up against the big guy on campus, Redux. So, grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let’s dive into the fascinating world of state management in React. Ready? Let’s roll!

What is State?

Think of state as the heart of a React component. It’s like the memory of a component, storing information that can change over time and affect what the component renders and how it behaves.

To illustrate this concept, let’s use an analogy. Imagine you’re reading a book. The “state” of your reading could be represented by the page you’re currently on. As you read, you turn the pages, and the state (current page) changes. This change in state influences what you see (the text on the current page).

In a similar way, a React component uses state to keep track of changes. For example, consider a simple counter component. The counter has a button and a display of the current count. The count starts at zero, and each time you click the button, the count increases by one.

Here’s how you might implement this in React:

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function Counter() {
  // Declare a state variable called 'count', initialized to 0
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
  return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
        Click me
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}
export default Counter;

In this example, useState is a Hook that allows you to add React state to function components. The count variable holds the current state (the number of button clicks), and setCount is a function that allows you to update the state.

When you click the button, it calls the setCount function with a new value, updating the state. React then re-renders the Counter component with the updated state, and the displayed count on the page increases.

This is a simple example, but it illustrates how state is used in React. State allows components to create and manage their own data, and this data can change over time. When state changes, the component responds by re-rendering to reflect those changes.

Why is State Management Necessary?

Continuing with our book reading analogy, let’s say you’re not just reading one book, but several at the same time. Each book has its own “state” (the current page you’re on). Now, imagine you want to share the progress of your reading with a friend, so they can pick up where you left off in each book.

In this scenario, you could manually tell your friend the current page of each book every time you see them. But what if you’re reading a lot of books? Or what if you want to share your progress with multiple friends? Telling each friend the current page of each book would quickly become tedious and hard to manage.

This is similar to what happens in a large React application. As the application grows and more components need to share and manipulate state, passing state around as props (the equivalent of manually telling your friend the current page of each book) can become complex and hard to maintain. This is often referred to as “prop drilling”.

State management libraries, like Zustand or Redux, provide a solution to this problem. They act like a centralized system that keeps track of all your books and their current pages. Using our analogy, it’s as if you had a public reading log where you update your progress for each book. Your friends can then check this log anytime to see your current page in each book, without you having to manually update them.

In the context of a React application, state management libraries provide a central store for state that any component can access. This makes it easier to share state between components, and also to keep track of state changes. The state can be updated in one place, and any component that depends on that state will automatically re-render with the new state.

This is why state management is necessary in complex React applications. It simplifies state sharing and updates, making the application easier to understand, maintain, and debug.

What is Zustand?

Zustand is a small, fast, and scalable state management solution. It has a comfortable API based on hooks, making it easy to integrate into your React components. Zustand is not tied to React and can also be used outside of it, which is a unique feature not found in many state management libraries.

One of the key features of Zustand is that it’s not boilerplate-heavy or overly opinionated, but it does have enough convention to be explicit and flux-like. It’s designed to deal with common pitfalls in state management, like the dreaded zombie child problem, React concurrency, and context loss between mixed renderers. It may be the one state manager in the React space that gets all of these right.

Here’s a simple example of how you can create a Zustand store:

import { create } from 'zustand'

const useStore = create((set) => ({
  bears: 0,
  increasePopulation: () => set((state) => ({ bears: state.bears + 1 })),
  removeAllBears: () => set({ bears: 0 }),
}))

In this example, create is a function from Zustand that you use to create your store. The store is a hook, and you can put anything in it: primitives, objects, functions. The set function merges state.

You can then use this store in your components:

function BearCounter() {
  const bears = useStore((state) => state.bears)
  return <h1>{bears} around here...</h1>
}
function Controls() {
  const increasePopulation = useStore((state) => state.increasePopulation)
  return <button onClick={increasePopulation}>one up</button>
}

In the BearCounter component, we're using the useStore hook to select the number of bears from our state. The component will re-render whenever this state changes. In the Controls component, we're selecting the increasePopulation function from our state and using it as an onClick handler for our button.

This is the beauty of Zustand — it allows you to easily create and manage state, and use that state anywhere in your application without the need for context providers. It’s a simple and efficient way to manage state in React applications.

What are the Properties of Zustand?

Zustand comes with several properties that make it an attractive choice for state management in your applications. Let’s explore these properties in detail:

Small and Lightweight

Zustand is minimalistic and has no dependencies, making it a lightweight choice for your bundle size. This is like choosing a small, nimble car over a large, heavy truck for a quick trip to the grocery store. The car is easier to maneuver, consumes less fuel, and gets you to your destination efficiently. Similarly, Zustand’s small footprint means it doesn’t add unnecessary weight to your application, keeping it nimble and efficient.

Easy to Use

Zustand uses a simple API based on hooks, making it easy to integrate into your React components. This is akin to using a user-friendly app with an intuitive interface. You don’t need to navigate through complex menus or read a lengthy manual to understand how to use it. You can get up and running quickly with Zustand, thanks to its straightforward API.

Flexible

Zustand does not require your app to be wrapped in context providers, unlike other state management solutions. This flexibility is like having a gym membership that lets you work out at any branch, anytime, without restrictions. You’re not tied down to a specific location or schedule. Similarly, Zustand gives you the freedom to use state anywhere in your application without the need for wrapping your components in context providers.

Immutable State Model

Zustand is based on an immutable state model, which can help prevent unintended side effects in your state. Imagine you’re writing a letter by hand. If you make a mistake, you can’t just erase it. You have to start over on a new piece of paper. This is how immutability works. When state is updated, instead of modifying the existing state directly, a new state is created. This approach can make your state changes predictable and easier to understand, which is crucial in managing complex state logic.

What Makes Zustand Unique?

One of the unique features of Zustand is that it’s not tied to React. While it works beautifully with React, you can also use Zustand outside of it. This makes Zustand a versatile state management solution that you can use in a variety of JavaScript environments.

Moreover, Zustand is designed to handle common pitfalls in state management, such as the zombie child problem, React concurrency, and context loss between mixed renderers. It’s like having a Swiss Army knife that’s ready to handle a variety of challenges that you might encounter in your state management journey.

In conclusion, Zustand’s simplicity, flexibility, and focus on solving common state management issues make it a unique and powerful tool for managing state in your applications.

How is Zustand Different from Redux?

Zustand and Redux are both popular state management libraries in the React ecosystem, but they have some key differences that can influence which one you choose for your project. Let’s delve into these differences:

No Context Providers

One of the most noticeable differences is how Zustand and Redux handle context. Redux requires your app to be wrapped in context providers. This means you need to wrap your app’s root component in a special Redux component to provide your Redux store to the rest of the app.

Zustand, on the other hand, does not require context providers. This makes Zustand less intrusive in your codebase. It’s like having a guest in your house who doesn’t need any special accommodations and can easily fit into your daily routine. This flexibility allows you to use Zustand state anywhere in your app without the need for wrapping your components in context providers.

Simplicity

Redux is known for its boilerplate code. To update the state in Redux, you need to dispatch actions to reducers, which then update the state based on the action type. This can be verbose and may feel like overkill for simple state updates.

Zustand offers a simpler approach. It allows you to update the state directly using a simple API. It’s like having a direct line to the manager, bypassing the need to go through multiple departments to get your request processed.

Here’s an example of how you would update the state in Zustand:

const increasePopulation = useStore((state) => state.increasePopulation)

And here’s how you would do it in Redux:

const dispatch = useDispatch()
dispatch({ type: 'increment', qty: 1 })

As you can see, Zustand provides a more straightforward way to update the state, making your code cleaner and easier to understand.

Selectors for Optimization

Both libraries recommend using selectors for render optimizations. Selectors are functions that take the entire state as an argument and return a part of it. They help optimize your app by preventing unnecessary re-renders when the state changes.

However, Redux comes with built-in hooks like useSelector for this purpose, while Zustand requires you to manually apply these optimizations. It's like having a built-in GPS in your car (Redux) versus using a separate GPS device (Zustand). Both get you to your destination, but the built-in GPS might provide a more integrated and seamless experience.

In conclusion, while Zustand and Redux have some similarities, they offer different approaches to state management. Zustand stands out with its simplicity, flexibility, and less intrusive nature. Whether you choose Zustand or Redux will depend on your specific needs and the complexity of your project.

Single Store vs. Multiple Stores

Redux operates with a single global store that holds the entire state tree of your application. This means that all state updates are centralized and go through the same store. This approach can be beneficial in large applications where you want to maintain consistency and have a single source of truth.

Zustand, on the other hand, allows you to create multiple independent stores. This can be useful in scenarios where you want to isolate state management for different parts of your application. It allows for more modular and encapsulated code, where each part of your application only interacts with the state that it cares about.

Middleware

Redux has a concept of middleware that allows you to add custom functionality in the dispatch process. This can be used for logging, crash reporting, handling asynchronous actions, etc. Redux middleware provides a third-party extension point between dispatching an action and the moment it reaches the reducer.

Zustand doesn’t have built-in middleware support, but it does allow you to add custom behavior through the configure function. This function can be used to add logging, persist state, sync state between multiple stores, etc. However, it's worth noting that this might require more manual setup compared to Redux.

Developer Tools

Redux has powerful developer tools that allow you to track state changes over time, rewind and replay actions, and much more. This can be incredibly helpful for debugging complex state changes.

Zustand doesn’t come with built-in developer tools, but you can use the Redux DevTools with Zustand by using the devtools middleware. However, it might not provide the same level of integration and functionality as using Redux with its own developer tools.

Learning Curve

Redux is known for its steep learning curve. It introduces a lot of new concepts (actions, reducers, middleware, store, etc.) and requires a certain way of structuring your code (e.g., “ducks” pattern or “feature-first” pattern). This can be overwhelming for beginners.

Zustand aims to provide a simpler API with less boilerplate, which can be easier to grasp for developers who are new to state management. It doesn’t enforce a specific structure or pattern, giving you more flexibility in how you organize your code.

Conclusion

It’s clear that Zustand and Redux, while sharing some common ground, also diverge in significant ways. The decision to opt for one over the other isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s a choice that should be tailored to your unique requirements, the intricacies of your application, and, of course, your personal preference.

So, whether you’re drawn to the simplicity and flexibility of Zustand, or you find the robustness and powerful toolset of Redux more appealing, the key is to choose the tool that resonates with you and your project’s needs. Remember, the best tool is the one that empowers you to build better, more efficient applications.

As I continue to explore state management in React, I invite you to join me on this journey. Follow me for more insights and discussions on this and other topics. If you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it with others who may benefit from it. Your support allows me to reach more people and continue creating content like this.

Thank you for reading, and as always, happy coding!