State Management

Redux Toolkit#

• Large applications with complex state logic
• Teams requiring strict state management patterns
• Applications needing predictable state updates
• Projects requiring extensive middleware usage
• Applications benefiting from time-travel debugging

Strong TypeScript integration and mature ecosystem. Includes RTK Query for API management. Comprehensive dev tools with time-travel debugging. Main drawbacks are boilerplate requirements, steeper learning curve, and larger bundle size. Best suited for large applications where the overhead is justified by the need for robust state management.

Zustand#

• Medium-sized applications needing global state
• Projects transitioning from Redux
• Applications requiring minimal boilerplate
• Teams preferring simplicity over complexity
• Quick prototypes with global state needs

Lightweight alternative to Redux with minimal boilerplate. Simple API with strong TypeScript support. Easy store creation and sharing across packages. Smaller bundle size and faster setup than Redux. Limited dev tools compared to Redux and smaller ecosystem. Ideal for medium-sized applications needing global state without Redux complexity.

Jotai#

• Applications requiring atomic state updates
• Projects leveraging React concurrent features
• UI-heavy applications needing fine-grained updates
• Components with interdependent state
• Applications prioritizing bundle size

Atomic state management with excellent TypeScript support. Efficient updates and good code splitting capabilities. Works well with React concurrent features. Newer library with fewer established patterns. May require more individual atoms than other solutions. Best for applications needing fine-grained state control.

React Query / TanStack Query#

• Applications with complex API interactions
• Projects requiring sophisticated data caching
• Real-time data requirements
• Applications with background data updates
• Projects needing optimistic updates

Specialized in server state management. Built-in caching, background updates, and error handling. Strong TypeScript support and good dev tools. Learning curve for advanced features. Focused solely on server state. Excellent for applications with complex API requirements.

XState#

• Complex workflow implementations
• Applications with clear state machines
• Projects requiring visual state debugging
• Systems with complex business logic
• Applications needing predictable state transitions

State machine-based management with visual debugging tools. Type-safe state transitions. Clear patterns for complex logic. Steep learning curve for state machine concepts. Verbose for simple state management. Larger bundle size. Best for complex workflows and business logic.

SWR#

• Simple data fetching requirements
• Real-time data needs
• Projects requiring basic caching
• Lightweight applications
• Quick prototypes needing data fetching

Simpler alternative to React Query. Built-in caching and real-time features. Small bundle size and easy implementation. Fewer features than React Query. Basic dev tools. Good for projects needing simple data fetching with caching.

Context + useState/useReducer#

• Small to medium applications
• Component tree state sharing
• Simple state management needs
• Projects avoiding external dependencies
• Prototype applications

Built into React, no additional dependencies. Simple implementation for basic needs. Can lead to performance issues with Context. Potential prop drilling problems. Limited dev tools. Suitable for simple applications or component-level state.

Recoil#

• Applications with complex state dependencies
• Projects requiring derived state
• React concurrent feature usage
• Atomic state management needs
• Facebook-scale applications

Good support for derived state and concurrent features. Atomic updates with TypeScript support. Still experimental with ongoing changes. Steeper learning curve. Smaller community compared to alternatives. Consider carefully for production use due to experimental status.