React Hooks

Kevin Diesenberg
2 min readFeb 21, 2023

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React Hooks are a feature introduced in React 16.8 that allows developers to use state and other React features without writing a class component. Hooks are functions that let you “hook into” React state and lifecycle features from functional components.

Several built-in hooks come with React, such as useState, useEffect, useContext, anduseReduceramong others. Here's an overview of some of the most commonly used hooks:

  1. useState: useState allows you to add state to your functional components. You pass an initial value to the hook, and it returns an array with two elements: the current state value and a function to update it. Here's an example:

useEffect: useEffect allows you to perform side effects, such as fetching data from an API or updating the document title. You pass a function to the hook, which will run after the component renders. You can also return a cleanup function to run when the component unmounts. Here's an example:

useContext: useContext allows you to consume a React context in a functional component. You pass a context object created with React.createContext, and it returns the current context value. Here's an example:

useReducer: useReducer allows you to manage complex state with a reducer function, similar to how you would use a Redux store. You pass a reducer function and an initial state value, and it returns the current state and a dispatch function to update it. Here's an example:

In summary, hooks are a powerful feature in React that allow you to manage state and perform side effects in functional components. They provide a simpler and more efficient way to manage the state and lifecycle of your components, making it easier to write and maintain React applications.

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Kevin Diesenberg
Kevin Diesenberg

Written by Kevin Diesenberg

Software Engineer | JavaScript | React | Ruby | Rails | SQL | Skydiver | Outdoor Enthusiast | Paramotor Pilot | Cyclist | Edible Mushroom Hunter

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