React Best Practices

Pair with TypeScript

When working with React, always load both this skill and typescript-best-practices together. TypeScript patterns (type-first development, discriminated unions, Zod validation) apply to React code.

Core Principle: Effects Are Escape Hatches

Effects let you "step outside" React to synchronize with external systems. Most component logic should NOT use Effects. Before writing an Effect, ask: "Is there a way to do this without an Effect?"

Decision Tree

1. Need to respond to user interaction? Use event handler
2. Need computed value from props/state? Calculate during render
3. Need cached expensive calculation? Use useMemo
4. Need to reset state on prop change? Use key prop
5. Need to synchronize with external system? Use Effect with cleanup
6. Need non-reactive code in Effect? Use useEffectEvent
7. Need mutable value that doesn't trigger render? Use ref

When to Use Effects

Synchronizing with external systems: browser APIs (WebSocket, IntersectionObserver), third-party non-React libraries, window/document event listeners, non-React DOM elements (video, maps).

When NOT to Use Effects

• Derived state — calculate during render
• Expensive calculations — use useMemo
• Resetting state on prop change — use key prop
• Responding to user events — use event handlers
• Notifying parent of state changes — update both in the same event handler
• Chains of effects — calculate derived state and update in one event handler

Refs

• Use for values that don't affect rendering (timer IDs, DOM node references)
• Never read or write ref.current during render; only in event handlers and effects
• Use ref callbacks (not useRef in loops) for dynamic lists
• Use useImperativeHandle to limit what parent can access

Custom Hooks

• Share logic, not state — each call gets an independent state instance
• Name useXxx only if it actually calls other hooks; otherwise use a regular function
• Avoid lifecycle hooks (useMount, useEffectOnce) — use useEffect directly so the linter catches missing deps
• Keep focused on a single concrete use case

Component Patterns

• Controlled: parent owns state; uncontrolled: component owns state
• Prefer composition with children over prop drilling; use Context only for truly global state
• Use flushSync when you need to read the DOM synchronously after a state update

See react-patterns.md for code examples and detailed patterns.