React Hooks are a new feature in React 16.8 that allow developers to use state and other React features without writing a class component. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of using React Hooks and why every React developer should learn them.

One of the key benefits of using React Hooks is that they allow developers to write cleaner and more concise code. By using Hooks, developers can avoid the need to write lengthy class components and instead use simple functions to manage state and handle other tasks. This can help improve the readability and maintainability of your code.

Another advantage of React Hooks is that they enable developers to reuse logic across different components. With Hooks, developers can extract common logic into reusable functions that can be shared across multiple components. This can help reduce duplication and make it easier to maintain and update your codebase.

Furthermore, React Hooks can make it easier to manage state in your application. With Hooks, developers can use the useState Hook to add state to a function component, and the useReducer Hook to manage complex state transitions. This can help improve the performance and scalability of your application.

In conclusion, React Hooks are a valuable tool for any React developer. They allow developers to write cleaner, more concise code, reuse logic across different components, and manage state more effectively. If you are not already using React Hooks in your development process, we highly recommend learning them and incorporating them into your workflow.

Let's Take A Look Some Very Useful React Hooks

UseEffect

useEffect is a hook that lets you perform side effects in function components. It is called after every render, including the first render. You can use it to fetch data, manipulate the DOM, or subscribe to events.

| Here is an example of useEffect:

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

function Example() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    document.title = `You clicked ${count} times`;
  });

  return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>Click me</button>
    </div>
  );
}

useContext

useContext is a hook that lets you access the React context in a function component. The context is a way to pass data through the component tree without having to pass props down manually at every level.

| Here is an example of useContext:

import React, { useContext } from 'react';

const themes = {
  light: {
    foreground: "#000000",
    background: "#eeeeee"
  },
  dark: {
    foreground: "#ffffff",
    background: "#222222"
  }
};

const ThemeContext = React.createContext(themes.light);

function App() {
  return (
    <ThemeContext.Provider value={themes.dark}>
      <Toolbar />
    </ThemeContext.Provider>
  );
}

function Toolbar() {
  const theme = useContext(ThemeContext);

  return (
    <div>
      <ThemedButton theme={theme} />
    </div>
  );
}

function ThemedButton(props) {
  return (
    <button style={{ background: props.theme.background, color: props.theme.foreground }}>
      I am styled by theme context!
    </button>
  );
}

useRef

useRef is a hook that lets you get a reference to a DOM element in a function component. It is similar to React.createRef and ref in class components.

| Here is an example of useRef:

import React, { useRef } from 'react';

function Example() {
  const inputEl = useRef(null);

  function handleClick() {
    inputEl.current.focus();
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <input ref={inputEl} type="text" />
      <button onClick={handleClick}>Focus the input</button>
    </div>
  );
}

useReducer

useReducer is a hook that lets you manage state in a function component. It is similar to redux and is often used when you have complex state logic or when the next state depends on the previous state.

| Here is an example of useReducer:

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: 'decrement' })}>-</button>
      <button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'increment' })}>+</button>
    </>
  );
}

useLayoutEffect

useLayoutEffect is a hook that is similar to useEffect, but it fires synchronously after all DOM mutations. It is useful when you need to read or modify the DOM immediately after a render.

| Here is an example of useLayoutEffect:

import React, { useState, useLayoutEffect } from 'react';

function Example() {
  const [width, setWidth] = useState(0);

  useLayoutEffect(() => {
    setWidth(document.querySelector('p').offsetWidth);
  });

  return (
    <>
      <p>The width of this paragraph is: {width}px</p>
    </>
  );
}

useDebugValue

useDebugValue is a hook that lets you display a custom label for a hook in the React DevTools. It is only called in development mode, and it has no effect in production.

| Here is an example of useDebugValue:

import React, { useState, useDebugValue } from 'react';

function useFriendStatus(friendID) {
  const [isOnline, setIsOnline] = useState(null);
  useDebugValue(isOnline ? 'Online' : 'Offline');

  // ...
}

useMemo

useMemo is a hook that lets you optimize the performance of a function component by memorizing the output of an expensive function. It is called on every render, but it only recomputes the memoized value if one of the dependencies has changed.

| Here is an example that shows how useMemo can be used to avoid recalculating the sum of two numbers on every render:

import React, { useMemo } from 'react';

function Example() {
  const [a, setA] = useState(1);
  const [b, setB] = useState(2);

  const sum = useMemo(() => a + b, [a, b]);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>The sum of {a} and {b} is {sum}</p>
      <button onClick={() => setA(a + 1)}>Increment A</button>
      <button onClick={() => setB(b + 1)}>Increment B</button>
    </div>
  );
}

useCallback

useCallback is a hook that lets you optimize the performance of a function component by memoizing the callback function. It is similar to useMemo, but it is used for functions instead of values.

| Here is an example that shows how useCallback can be used to avoid creating a new callback function on every render:

import React, { useCallback } from 'react';

function Example() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const increment = useCallback(() => {
    setCount(c => c + 1);
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>You clicked {count} times</p>
      <button onClick={increment}>Click me</button>
    </div>
  );
}

useImperativeHandle

useImperativeHandle is a hook that lets you customize the instance value that is exposed to parent components when using ref. It is often used to expose methods on a custom component that can be called by the parent.

| Here is an example that shows how useImperativeHandle can be used to expose a focus method on a custom Input component:

import React, { useRef, useImperativeHandle } from 'react';

function Input({ forwardedRef }) {
  const inputRef = useRef();
  useImperativeHandle(forwardedRef, () => ({
    focus: () => {
      inputRef.current.focus();
    }
  }));
  return <input ref={inputRef} />;
}

function Parent() {
  const inputRef = useRef();
  const onButtonClick = () => {
    inputRef.current.focus();
  };
  return (
    <div>
      <Input ref={inputRef} />
      <button onClick={onButtonClick}>Focus the input</button>
    </div>
  );
}