State Management: Choosing the Right Solution
Understanding when to use Context API, Zustand, Redux, and React Query for managing state in React applications.
Quick Navigation: Context API • Zustand • Redux • React Query • Comparison
Understanding State Management
React applications need different types of state management for different purposes. Understanding the distinction between server state (data from APIs) and client state (UI state, form data) is crucial.
- Context API: Built-in React solution for simple state sharing
- Zustand: Lightweight, modern state management library
- Redux: Predictable state container with powerful DevTools
- React Query: Server state management (works with any client state solution)
React Context API
Built-in React solution for sharing state across components without prop drilling. Simple and requires no dependencies.
Advantages
- ✓Built-in: No dependencies, part of React
- ✓Simple: Easy to understand and implement
- ✓Lightweight: Zero bundle size impact
- ✓Type-safe: Works well with TypeScript
- ✓Good for: Theme, auth, simple global state
Disadvantages
- ✗Performance issues: All consumers re-render on any change
- ✗No DevTools: Harder to debug state changes
- ✗Boilerplate: Need to create Provider and custom hooks
- ✗Not scalable: Becomes unwieldy with complex state
- ✗No middleware: Can't intercept or transform updates
🎯 Best For:
Simple global state (theme, user auth, language), small to medium apps, avoiding external dependencies, and when state changes infrequently.
Example Use Cases:
- • Theme provider (light/dark mode)
- • User authentication context
- • Language/locale settings
- • Simple UI state (modals, sidebars)
Zustand
Lightweight, modern state management library with a simple API. Minimal boilerplate and excellent TypeScript support.
Advantages
- ✓Tiny bundle: ~1KB minified + gzipped
- ✓Simple API: Minimal boilerplate, easy to learn
- ✓Performant: Only re-renders components using changed state
- ✓Flexible: Can use outside React components
- ✓TypeScript: Excellent type inference
- ✓Middleware: Supports Redux DevTools, persistence
Disadvantages
- ✗Smaller ecosystem: Fewer plugins than Redux
- ✗Less structure: Teams need to establish patterns
- ✗Newer: Less battle-tested than Redux
- ✗No built-in async: Need to handle async actions manually
🎯 Best For:
Modern React apps, teams wanting simplicity, medium to large apps, when you need performance without Redux complexity, and TypeScript-first projects.
Example Use Cases:
- • Shopping cart state
- • Form state management
- • UI state (modals, filters, sidebar)
- • User preferences and settings
- • Complex client-side state
Redux Toolkit
Predictable state container with powerful DevTools, middleware support, and time-travel debugging. Redux Toolkit (RTK) is the modern, recommended way to use Redux.
Advantages
- ✓Predictable: Single source of truth, pure functions
- ✓DevTools: Excellent debugging with time-travel
- ✓Middleware: Powerful ecosystem (thunk, saga, RTK Query)
- ✓Battle-tested: Used by thousands of production apps
- ✓Scalable: Great for large teams and complex apps
- ✓RTK Query: Built-in data fetching solution
Disadvantages
- ✗Boilerplate: More code than Zustand or Context
- ✗Learning curve: Concepts like actions, reducers, selectors
- ✗Bundle size: Larger than Zustand (~15KB vs ~1KB)
- ✗Overkill: Too much for simple apps
- ✗Complexity: Can become hard to maintain if not structured well
🎯 Best For:
Large applications, teams needing structure, complex state logic, when you need middleware (logging, analytics), and apps requiring time-travel debugging.
Example Use Cases:
- • Enterprise applications
- • Complex state with many interactions
- • Apps requiring undo/redo functionality
- • Large teams needing consistent patterns
- • Apps with complex middleware requirements
React Query (TanStack Query)
Powerful data synchronization library for React. Manages server state, caching, background updates, and more. Works alongside any client state management solution (Context, Zustand, or Redux).
💡 Key Insight:
React Query handles server state (API data), while Context/Zustand/Redux handle client state (UI state, form data). They complement each other perfectly!
Advantages
- ✓Automatic caching: Smart cache management out of the box
- ✓Background updates: Keeps data fresh automatically
- ✓Optimistic updates: Built-in support for instant UI updates
- ✓Error handling: Automatic retry logic and error states
- ✓Loading states: Built-in loading, error, and success states
- ✓Pagination: Easy infinite scroll and pagination
- ✓Works with any: Use with Context, Zustand, or Redux
Disadvantages
- ✗Only server state: Not for UI state or form data
- ✗Learning curve: Concepts like queries, mutations, cache keys
- ✗Bundle size: ~13KB minified + gzipped
- ✗Overkill: Too much for simple data fetching
🎯 Best For:
Any app fetching data from APIs, apps needing caching and background updates, complex data synchronization, and when you want to reduce boilerplate for data fetching.
Common Combinations:
- React Query + Context: React Query for API data, Context for theme/auth
- React Query + Zustand: React Query for server state, Zustand for complex client state
- React Query + Redux: React Query for server state, Redux for complex app state
- RTK Query: Redux Toolkit's built-in solution (alternative to React Query)
Recommended Pattern
Use React Query for server state + Zustand/Redux/Context for client state:
- ✓ React Query: API calls, caching, background sync
- ✓ Zustand/Redux: UI state, form state, user preferences
- ✓ Context: Simple global state (theme, auth)
This separation keeps concerns clear: React Query handles "what data do we have?" while Zustand/Redux handles "what's the current UI state?"
Comparison Table
| Aspect | Context API | Zustand | Redux | React Query |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bundle Size | ✓ 0KB - Built-in | ✓ ~1KB - Tiny | ⚠ ~15KB - Medium | ⚠ ~13KB - Medium |
| Learning Curve | ✓ Easy - Simple API | ✓ Easy - Minimal API | ✗ Steep - Many concepts | ⚠ Moderate - Query concepts |
| Boilerplate | ⚠ Medium - Provider + hooks | ✓ Minimal - Very little | ✗ High - Actions, reducers | ✓ Minimal - useQuery hook |
| Performance | ✗ Poor - All consumers re-render | ✓ Excellent - Selective updates | ✓ Excellent - Selective updates | ✓ Excellent - Smart caching |
| DevTools | ✗ None | ⚠ Optional - Redux DevTools | ✓ Excellent - Time-travel | ✓ Good - Query DevTools |
| Use Case | Simple global state | Client state management | Complex app state | Server state (API data) |
| Works With | Any solution | React Query recommended | RTK Query or React Query | Context, Zustand, or Redux |
Decision Guide
Choose Context API when:
- •You need simple global state (theme, auth, language)
- •State changes infrequently
- •You want zero dependencies
- •Small to medium apps
Choose Zustand when:
- •You need performant client state management
- •You want minimal boilerplate
- •Modern React apps with TypeScript
- •Medium to large apps needing structure
Choose Redux when:
- •Large applications with complex state
- •You need time-travel debugging
- •Large teams needing consistent patterns
- •You need middleware (logging, analytics)
Use React Query when:
- •You're fetching data from APIs
- •You need caching and background updates
- •You want optimistic updates
- •You need pagination or infinite scroll
💡 Remember: React Query works with Context, Zustand, or Redux. Use it for server state, and choose one of the others for client state.
💡 Recommended Combinations
Small to Medium Apps:
React Query + Context API
- • React Query for all API data
- • Context for theme, auth, simple UI state
- • Minimal dependencies, easy to understand
Medium to Large Apps:
React Query + Zustand
- • React Query for server state
- • Zustand for complex client state (forms, UI state)
- • Best balance of simplicity and power
Large Enterprise Apps:
React Query + Redux or RTK Query
- • React Query/RTK Query for server state
- • Redux for complex app-wide state
- • Structure and DevTools for large teams