Skip to main content Master modern React state management with Redux Toolkit, Zustand, Jotai, and React Query. Use when setting up global state, managing server state, or choosing between state management solutions.
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React State Management
Comprehensive guide to modern React state management patterns, from local component state to global stores and server state synchronization.
Do not use this skill when
The task is unrelated to react state management
You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
Instructions
Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
Provide actionable steps and verification.
If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.
Use this skill when
Setting up global state management in a React app
Choosing between Redux Toolkit, Zustand, or Jotai
Managing server state with React Query or SWR
Implementing optimistic updates
Debugging state-related issues
Migrating from legacy Redux to modern patterns
Core Concepts
1. State Categories
Type Description Solutions Local State Component-specific, UI state useState, useReducer
Global State Shared across components Redux Toolkit, Zustand, Jotai
Server State Remote data, caching React Query, SWR, RTK Query
URL State Route parameters, search React Router, nuqs
Form State Input values, validation React Hook Form, Formik
2. Selection Criteria Small app, simple state → Zustand or Jotai
Large app, complex state → Redux Toolkit
Heavy server interaction → React Query + light client state
Atomic/granular updates → Jotai
Quick Start
Zustand (Simplest) // store/useStore.ts
import { create } from 'zustand'
import { devtools, persist } from 'zustand/middleware'
interface AppState {
user: User | null
theme: 'light' | 'dark'
setUser: (user: User | null) => void
toggleTheme: () => void
}
export const useStore = create<AppState>()(
devtools(
persist(
(set) => ({
user: null,
theme: 'light',
setUser: (user) => set({ user }),
toggleTheme: () => set((state) => ({
theme: state.theme === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light'
})),
}),
{ name: 'app-storage' }
)
)
)
// Usage in component
function Header() {
const { user, theme, toggleTheme } = useStore()
return (
<header className={theme}>
{user?.name}
<button onClick={toggleTheme}>Toggle Theme</button>
</header>
)
}
Patterns
Pattern 1: Redux Toolkit with TypeScript // store/index.ts
import { configureStore } from '@reduxjs/toolkit'
import { TypedUseSelectorHook, useDispatch, useSelector } from 'react-redux'
import userReducer from './slices/userSlice'
import cartReducer from './slices/cartSlice'
export const store = configureStore({
reducer: {
user: userReducer,
cart: cartReducer,
},
middleware: (getDefaultMiddleware) =>
getDefaultMiddleware({
serializableCheck: {
ignoredActions: ['persist/PERSIST'],
},
}),
})
export type RootState = ReturnType<typeof store.getState>
export type AppDispatch = typeof store.dispatch
// Typed hooks
export const useAppDispatch: () => AppDispatch = useDispatch
export const useAppSelector: TypedUseSelectorHook<RootState> = useSelector
// store/slices/userSlice.ts
import { createSlice, createAsyncThunk, PayloadAction } from '@reduxjs/toolkit'
interface User {
id: string
email: string
name: string
}
interface UserState {
current: User | null
status: 'idle' | 'loading' | 'succeeded' | 'failed'
error: string | null
}
const initialState: UserState = {
current: null,
status: 'idle',
error: null,
}
export const fetchUser = createAsyncThunk(
'user/fetchUser',
async (userId: string, { rejectWithValue }) => {
try {
const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`)
if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch user')
return await response.json()
} catch (error) {
return rejectWithValue((error as Error).message)
}
}
)
const userSlice = createSlice({
name: 'user',
initialState,
reducers: {
setUser: (state, action: PayloadAction<User>) => {
state.current = action.payload
state.status = 'succeeded'
},
clearUser: (state) => {
state.current = null
state.status = 'idle'
},
},
extraReducers: (builder) => {
builder
.addCase(fetchUser.pending, (state) => {
state.status = 'loading'
state.error = null
})
.addCase(fetchUser.fulfilled, (state, action) => {
state.status = 'succeeded'
state.current = action.payload
})
.addCase(fetchUser.rejected, (state, action) => {
state.status = 'failed'
state.error = action.payload as string
})
},
})
export const { setUser, clearUser } = userSlice.actions
export default userSlice.reducer
Pattern 2: Zustand with Slices (Scalable) // store/slices/createUserSlice.ts
import { StateCreator } from 'zustand'
export interface UserSlice {
user: User | null
isAuthenticated: boolean
login: (credentials: Credentials) => Promise<void>
logout: () => void
}
export const createUserSlice: StateCreator<
UserSlice & CartSlice, // Combined store type
[],
[],
UserSlice
> = (set, get) => ({
user: null,
isAuthenticated: false,
login: async (credentials) => {
const user = await authApi.login(credentials)
set({ user, isAuthenticated: true })
},
logout: () => {
set({ user: null, isAuthenticated: false })
// Can access other slices
// get().clearCart()
},
})
// store/index.ts
import { create } from 'zustand'
import { createUserSlice, UserSlice } from './slices/createUserSlice'
import { createCartSlice, CartSlice } from './slices/createCartSlice'
type StoreState = UserSlice & CartSlice
export const useStore = create<StoreState>()((...args) => ({
...createUserSlice(...args),
...createCartSlice(...args),
}))
// Selective subscriptions (prevents unnecessary re-renders)
export const useUser = () => useStore((state) => state.user)
export const useCart = () => useStore((state) => state.cart)
Pattern 3: Jotai for Atomic State // atoms/userAtoms.ts
import { atom } from 'jotai'
import { atomWithStorage } from 'jotai/utils'
// Basic atom
export const userAtom = atom<User | null>(null)
// Derived atom (computed)
export const isAuthenticatedAtom = atom((get) => get(userAtom) !== null)
// Atom with localStorage persistence
export const themeAtom = atomWithStorage<'light' | 'dark'>('theme', 'light')
// Async atom
export const userProfileAtom = atom(async (get) => {
const user = get(userAtom)
if (!user) return null
const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${user.id}/profile`)
return response.json()
})
// Write-only atom (action)
export const logoutAtom = atom(null, (get, set) => {
set(userAtom, null)
set(cartAtom, [])
localStorage.removeItem('token')
})
// Usage
function Profile() {
const [user] = useAtom(userAtom)
const [, logout] = useAtom(logoutAtom)
const [profile] = useAtom(userProfileAtom) // Suspense-enabled
return (
<Suspense fallback={<Skeleton />}>
<ProfileContent profile={profile} onLogout={logout} />
</Suspense>
)
}
Pattern 4: React Query for Server State // hooks/useUsers.ts
import { useQuery, useMutation, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query'
// Query keys factory
export const userKeys = {
all: ['users'] as const,
lists: () => [...userKeys.all, 'list'] as const,
list: (filters: UserFilters) => [...userKeys.lists(), filters] as const,
details: () => [...userKeys.all, 'detail'] as const,
detail: (id: string) => [...userKeys.details(), id] as const,
}
// Fetch hook
export function useUsers(filters: UserFilters) {
return useQuery({
queryKey: userKeys.list(filters),
queryFn: () => fetchUsers(filters),
staleTime: 5 * 60 * 1000, // 5 minutes
gcTime: 30 * 60 * 1000, // 30 minutes (formerly cacheTime)
})
}
// Single user hook
export function useUser(id: string) {
return useQuery({
queryKey: userKeys.detail(id),
queryFn: () => fetchUser(id),
enabled: !!id, // Don't fetch if no id
})
}
// Mutation with optimistic update
export function useUpdateUser() {
const queryClient = useQueryClient()
return useMutation({
mutationFn: updateUser,
onMutate: async (newUser) => {
// Cancel outgoing refetches
await queryClient.cancelQueries({ queryKey: userKeys.detail(newUser.id) })
// Snapshot previous value
const previousUser = queryClient.getQueryData(userKeys.detail(newUser.id))
// Optimistically update
queryClient.setQueryData(userKeys.detail(newUser.id), newUser)
return { previousUser }
},
onError: (err, newUser, context) => {
// Rollback on error
queryClient.setQueryData(
userKeys.detail(newUser.id),
context?.previousUser
)
},
onSettled: (data, error, variables) => {
// Refetch after mutation
queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: userKeys.detail(variables.id) })
},
})
}
Pattern 5: Combining Client + Server State // Zustand for client state
const useUIStore = create<UIState>((set) => ({
sidebarOpen: true,
modal: null,
toggleSidebar: () => set((s) => ({ sidebarOpen: !s.sidebarOpen })),
openModal: (modal) => set({ modal }),
closeModal: () => set({ modal: null }),
}))
// React Query for server state
function Dashboard() {
const { sidebarOpen, toggleSidebar } = useUIStore()
const { data: users, isLoading } = useUsers({ active: true })
const { data: stats } = useStats()
if (isLoading) return <DashboardSkeleton />
return (
<div className={sidebarOpen ? 'with-sidebar' : ''}>
<Sidebar open={sidebarOpen} onToggle={toggleSidebar} />
<main>
<StatsCards stats={stats} />
<UserTable users={users} />
</main>
</div>
)
}
Best Practices
Do's
Colocate state - Keep state as close to where it's used as possible
Use selectors - Prevent unnecessary re-renders with selective subscriptions
Normalize data - Flatten nested structures for easier updates
Type everything - Full TypeScript coverage prevents runtime errors
Separate concerns - Server state (React Query) vs client state (Zustand)
Don'ts
Don't over-globalize - Not everything needs to be in global state
Don't duplicate server state - Let React Query manage it
Don't mutate directly - Always use immutable updates
Don't store derived data - Compute it instead
Don't mix paradigms - Pick one primary solution per category
Migration Guides
From Legacy Redux to RTK // Before (legacy Redux)
const ADD_TODO = 'ADD_TODO'
const addTodo = (text) => ({ type: ADD_TODO, payload: text })
function todosReducer(state = [], action) {
switch (action.type) {
case ADD_TODO:
return [...state, { text: action.payload, completed: false }]
default:
return state
}
}
// After (Redux Toolkit)
const todosSlice = createSlice({
name: 'todos',
initialState: [],
reducers: {
addTodo: (state, action: PayloadAction<string>) => {
// Immer allows "mutations"
state.push({ text: action.payload, completed: false })
},
},
})
Resources
Limitations
Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.
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Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
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