Zustand

In React apps, state management is one of the key things that affects the architecture, performance and scalability of a project. State is the data that determines how a part of the UI should look or behave at any given time. For simple components, local state can be managed with hooks like useState or useReducer. But as apps grow in complexity and multiple components need to access and modify shared data, this local approach becomes inefficient.

In these cases, a more centralised solution is needed – one that simplifies state management across the whole app and avoids unnecessary re-renders. That’s where state management libraries like Redux, MobX or React’s built in Context API come in. One of the modern alternatives gaining popularity is a lightweight library called Zustand.

What is Zustand?

Zustand, which translates to "state" in German, is a sleek and efficient state management library crafted just for React. Developed by the same team behind popular tools like Jotai and React Spring, Zustand is all about simplifying global state management without the usual clutter that comes with libraries like Redux.

At its heart, Zustand offers a centralized store that you can access directly from your React components - no need for context providers or complicated setups. Unlike Redux or the Context API, Zustand skips the action creators, reducers, and prop drilling. Instead, it features a hook-based API that fits seamlessly with modern React development. The store acts like a function that gives you both the state and the functions to update it, making everything straightforward, concise, and friendly for developers.

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Why choose Zustand?

Zustand really stands out because of how simple and efficient it is. One of its key benefits is that it cuts out all the unnecessary boilerplate - there’s no need to create complex reducers, action types, or dispatchers. You just need a single create hook to set up your store, along with the state and methods to update it. This makes it a fantastic option for teams seeking a clean and lightweight way to manage application data.

But it’s not just about being user-friendly; Zustand also excels in performance. It lets components subscribe only to the specific parts of the state they actually need, which helps avoid unnecessary re-renders and boosts efficiency - something that’s especially crucial in larger applications. Plus, Zustand supports advanced features like middleware integration (think devtools, action logging, or local storage) and works smoothly with TypeScript, making it a great fit for modern React projects.

Component subscription and render optimization

One of Zustand’s biggest strengths lies in its performance, thanks to its fine-grained subscription system. Unlike the Context API or inefficient uses of Redux - where any state update might trigger unnecessary re-renders across multiple components - Zustand only re-renders components that actually use the part of the state that changed. This works because each component can subscribe to exactly the slice of state it needs, rather than being tied to the entire global store.

For instance, if one component relies on a user value and another uses settings, updating settings won’t cause the component using user to re-render. Zustand also performs shallow comparisons by default, helping it detect meaningful changes and avoid redundant renders. You can fine-tune this even further using custom selectors or Zustand’s built-in shallow utility. As a result, even in large-scale projects, you can maintain high performance with minimal boilerplate.

Middleware and advanced capabilities of Zustand

Although Zustand is often praised for its simplicity, it also provides powerful tools for more complex applications. One of these is its middleware system, which lets you enhance store behavior without interfering with core business logic. Middleware can be used for a variety of purposes - connecting to developer tools like Redux DevTools, logging state changes, persisting data to local storage, or handling side effects through features like subscribeWithSelector.

For example, with the persist middleware, saving your app’s state to localStorage is straightforward, enabling state restoration after a page reload. With devtools, you gain insight into state changes and can debug in real time. Zustand also supports asynchronous actions out of the box - just define a function that performs something like a fetch call and updates the state once it completes, all without needing a separate side-effect library.

This combination of simplicity and extensibility makes Zustand a great fit for projects of all sizes -  from lightweight apps to fully featured production systems with advanced developer tooling.