React Management hook Vs Redux
Tags: webdev, redux, react, beginners
Published: 2023-03-29 15:40:20

In building applications, managing data is essential, redux and react hooks are different things with different distant goals. It is said that react state management is one of the hardest problems developers encounter while trying to create react app.

What is react management hook?
React management hooks are a feature in React that allow you to manage state and side effects in functional components. They were introduced in React 16.8 and are a more modern way of handling state and side effects compared to class components.

What is redux
Redux is a state management library that can be used with React (and other frameworks). It provides a centralized store for all the states in your application and uses actions and reducers to manage updates to the store. Unlike React hooks, Redux is not a part of React and requires additional setup and configuration to use.

Principles of redux
Redux is a state management library for JavaScript applications that follows a set of principles to make it easy to manage and update the state of an application predictably. These principles are:


- Actions: In Redux, an action is a plain JavaScript object that represents an intention to change the state in a Redux application. An action object must have a `type`property, which is a string that describes the type of action that is being performed, and a `payload`object contains the information that should be used to change the state. Actions may also include other properties that provide additional information about the change that should be made to the state.

```
// action.js
const reduxAction = payload => {
  return {
    type: 'action description',
    payload
  }
};

export default reduxAction;

```

The `text`property provides the text of the new to-do item. Actions are dispatched using the `store.dispatch()` method. The dispatch action is then passed through the reducer functions, which update the state of the application based on the type of action.


- Reducers: A reducer function in Redux is responsible for modifying the state of the application in response to actions dispatched to the store. 

```

const reducer = (state, action) => {
  const { type, payload } = action;
  switch(type){
    case "action type":
      return {
        ["action description"]: payload
      };
    default:
      return state;
  }
};

export default reducer;
```

Store: The Redux store is a centralized container for the state of a JavaScript application using the Redux library. It holds the current state of the application and provides a way to access and update the state through dispatching actions. The store is created using the create store()method from the Redux library and it must be the single source of truth for the entire application. Redux bears only one store in any redux application:

```

import { createStore } from 'redux'

const store = createStore(componentName);
```
 The store also allows for adding middleware, which allows for modifying the dispatch actions before they reach the reducer, and for adding subscribers, which receive notifications whenever the state changes.
 
 What are React Hooks?
React Hooks are a feature in react that allows you to add state and other React features to useful components. Before the introduction of hooks, state, and other React features could only be used with class components.
Hooks are a way to reuse stateful logic, not just state, between components. There are several built-in hooks such as `useState`, `useEffect`, and `useContext`, but you can also create your hooks.
Hooks provide a way to add state, side effects, and other React features to functional components in a way that's easier to understand and use. Some of the most commonly used hooks include `useState`which allows you to add state to useful components and `useEffect`which lets you perform side effects in response to component updates.


- The useReducer Hook:

The `useReducer`hook is a hook in React that allows you to manage the state of your component using a reducer function. A reducer is a pure function that takes the current state and an action as arguments and returns a new state.
The `useReducer`hook provides a way to manage a state that is more complex than what can be achieved with the `useState.` It is especially useful when you have state updates that are related to one another, and you want to manage those updates in a single, centralized location.
The `useReducer`hook takes two arguments: the first argument is a reducer function, and the second argument is the initial state. It returns an array containing the current state and a dispatch function, which is used to dispatch actions to the reducer.
Here's a simple example of how you can use the `useReducer` hook:

```

import React, { useReducer } from 'react';

const initialState = { count: 0 };

function reducer(state, action) {
  switch (action.type) {
    case 'increment':
      return { count: state.count + 1 };
    case 'decrement':
      return { count: state.count - 1 };
    default:
      throw new Error();
  }
}

function Counter() {
  const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(reducer, initialState);

  return (
    <>
      Count: {state.count}
      <button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'increment' })}>+</button>
      <button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'decrement' })}>-</button>
    </>
  );
}
```
The useContext Hook:
The `useContext`hook in React allows you to access data from a context object in a functional component. The context system in React provides a way to share data across multiple components in your application, without having to pass the data down through props.
Here's a simple example of how to use the `useContext`hook:

```

//javascript
import React, { createContext, useContext } from 'react';

const UserContext = createContext({ name: 'Guest' });

function UserDisplay() {
  const user = useContext(UserContext);
  return <div>{`Hello, ${user.name}`}</div>;
}

function App() {
  return (
    <UserContext.Provider value={{ name: 'MUO' }}>
      <UserDisplay />
    </UserContext.Provider>
  );
}

```

In this example, we create a context object with `createContext`and pass a default value of `{ name: 'Guest' }`. Then, we use the `useContext`hook in the `UserDisplay`component to access the data from the context object. The `UserDisplay`component will display "Hello, ChatGPT".
Finally, we wrap the `UserDisplay`component with the `UserContext.Provider`component and pass a value of `{ name: 'MUO' }` to it. This makes the data from the context object available to all components inside the provider.

React Hooks vs Redux State Management.
React Hooks and Redux State Management are two approaches for managing the state in a React application.

React Hooks are a new way to manage states within a React component. They allow developers to manage state and side effects within the component itself, without the need for a separate state management library. React Hooks are easier to understand and use compared to traditional React state management, making them a good choice for smaller and simpler applications.

Redux State Management is a state management library that helps manage the global states within a React application. It provides a centralized store for data, which makes it easier to share data between components. Redux also provides a robust set of tools for debugging and testing the application, making it a good choice for larger and more complex applications.

Ultimately, the choice between React Hooks and Redux State Management depends on the size and complexity of the application. React Hooks are a good choice for simple and small applications, while Redux State Management is a better choice for larger and more complex applications.

Conclusion
Both React Hooks and Redux State Management have their advantages and disadvantages as we explored in the article. React Hooks provide a simpler and more intuitive way of managing state within a component, while Redux State Management provides a centralized way of managing state across the entire application using the `useContex`and `useReducer`hooks. Choosing between the two is a matter of preference or choice.