React | Context API vs Zustand
Tags: react, web3, javascript, tutorial
Published: 2024-05-15 07:13:32

Hello my fellow developers, today we will be discussing about react context api and zustand.

##Introduction
* React's useContext is a built-in hook that allows you to share state across your application without passing props down manually at every level. 

* Zustand is a small, fast, and scalable bearbones state management library that aims to provide a more straightforward way of managing global state in React applications.

##Overview of useContext
###What is useContext?
useContext is a React hook that allows you to consume context values without the need to wrap components in Context.Consumer.

###How to Use useContext
####1. Create a context
```js
import React, { createContext, useContext, useState } from 'react';

const MyContext = createContext();

const MyProvider = ({ children }) => {
  const [state, setState] = useState('default value');

  return (
    <MyContext.Provider value={{ state, setState }}>
      {children}
    </MyContext.Provider>
  );
};
```
####2. Consume a context
```js
const MyComponent = () => {
  const { state, setState } = useContext(MyContext);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>{state}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setState('new value')}>Change State</button>
    </div>
  );
};
```

###Use Cases: 
* Sharing state across many components

* Avoiding prop drilling

##Overview of Zustand
###What is Zustand?
Zustand is a small, fast, and flexible state management library that uses hooks for managing state in React applications. It is more lightweight and easier to use than some of the more comprehensive state management solutions like Redux.

###How to Use Zustand
####1. Install Zustand:
```
npm install zustand
```
####2. Create a store
```js
import create from 'zustand';

const useStore = create((set) => ({
  state: 'default value',
  setState: (newState) => set({ state: newState })
}));
```
####3. Consume the store
```js
const MyComponent = () => {
  const { state, setState } = useStore();

  return (
    <div>
      <p>{state}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setState('new value')}>Change State</button>
    </div>
  );
};
```
###Use Cases
* Global state management

* Small to medium-sized applications

* Performance-critical applications


## Differences Between useContext and Zustand
|  | Context API | Zustant  |
|------------|----------|-----------|
| Setup Complexity|Simple and straightforward, part of React.      | Requires an additional library and setup but provides more features.       |
| Performance     | May cause performance issues with deeply nested components and frequent re-renders.   | Optimized for performance with minimal re-renders and better scalability.:     |
| State Management| Suitable for simpler state sharing.   | Better for more complex state management needs, with features like middleware, persistence, and actions.     |
| Scalability     | Less scalable for large applications.  | More scalable with better separation of concerns.    |
| Persistence     | useContext does not have built-in support for persisting state across sessions. If you need to persist state (e.g., across page reloads), you typically need to implement this manually using browser storage APIs like localStorage or sessionStorage. This requires additional code to save and retrieve context state from storage, and to initialize context state from storage on app startup.  | Zustand has built-in support for persisting state. Zustand can easily integrate with browser storage APIs, allowing you to persist and rehydrate state with minimal boilerplate. This is typically achieved by using middleware provided by Zustand, such as zustand/middleware.    |


##Persisting State with Zustand
###Install Zustand Middleware:
```
npm install zustand zustand/middleware
```
###Create a persisted store
```js
import create from 'zustand';
import { persist } from 'zustand/middleware';

const useStore = create(
  persist(
    (set) => ({
      state: 'default value',
      setState: (newState) => set({ state: newState })
    }),
    {
      name: 'my-store', // unique name
      getStorage: () => localStorage // use localStorage or sessionStorage for persistence
    }
  )
);
```
###Consume the store as usual
```js
const MyComponent = () => {
  const { state, setState } = useStore();

  return (
    <div>
      <p>{state}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setState('new value')}>Change State</button>
    </div>
  );
};
```

##Pros and Cons of useContext
###Pros
* Built-in: No need for external libraries.

* Simple API: Easy to understand and use.

* Integrated: Works seamlessly with other React features.

###Cons
* Performance: Can cause unnecessary re-renders.

* Scalability: Not suitable for large applications.

* Boilerplate: Requires a lot of boilerplate for complex state.

##Pros and Cons of Zustand
###Pros
* Performance: Optimized for minimal re-renders.

* Scalability: Better for larger applications.

* Flexibility: More features for complex state management.

* Simplicity: Simple API and minimal boilerplate.

###Cons
* External Dependency: Requires an additional library.

* Learning Curve: May have a slight learning curve for new users.

##Conclusion
While useContext is a powerful tool for simple state sharing in React, Zustand offers a more efficient and scalable solution for managing global state, especially in larger applications. By replacing useContext with Zustand, you can achieve better performance and maintainability.

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