React useEffect vs useLayoutEffect: A Simple Guide

A visual guide on React component useEffect lifecycle. How components mount and re-render in React and their relation with the useEffect hook is one of the most important concepts in React. To summarize, 1. When first-time components are inserted in the DOM, they're referred to as "mounted," then updated via rendering, and later "unmounted." 2. While mounting, a component initializes. 3. In the render stage, a virtual DOM gets created and compared, and in the commit stage, it gets painted to the browser. 4. Any effect gets executed during the commit. If the state changes, the component re-renders with vDOM creation during rendering, painting, and attaching to real DOM during the commit phase. Would you be interested in learning React/JavaScript with visuals and to-the-point explanations of how things work under the hood? I do a deep dive into foundational concepts & how things work under the hood. You can consider connecting with or following me, Ali Raza, to get along with the journey. Thanks. #react #javascript #frontend

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 React devs reach for 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 by default. But there’s a small difference between 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 and 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 that can completely eliminate annoying UI flickers. 👇 🧠 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 🔴 useEffect (runs after browser paint) React renders DOM Browser paints screen Effect runs You update position → causes visible jump 👉 Result: Tooltip appears at (0,0) User briefly sees a “jump” Then it snaps to the correct position 🟢 useLayoutEffect (sync — runs before paint) React renders DOM Effect runs immediately (before paint) You measure + adjust position Browser paints final UI once 👉 Result: Tooltip is correctly positioned instantly No flicker Smooth UI from the first frame ⚖️ When to use each ✅ 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 Measure DOM elements Position tooltips, popovers, modals Prevent visual flicker or layout shift ✅ 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁  API calls Subscriptions Logging / analytics Anything that doesn’t affect layout 💡 Rule of thumb 👉 Default to useEffect 👉 Only use useLayoutEffect when you see a visual issue Small difference in timing. Huge difference in user experience. 🎯 #React #JavaScript #Frontend #WebDevelopment #ReactJS #UIUX

🚀 Built a Memory Card Game using React + Tailwind CSS! Excited to share my latest project where I implemented a fun and interactive memory card game. 🔹 Features: • Smooth UI with Tailwind CSS • State management using React Hooks • Game logic with card matching functionality • Responsive design 💡 This project helped me improve: • Component structuring • State handling • UI design skills 🔗 Live Demo: https://lnkd.in/gZ3Ajude 🔗 GitHub Repo: https://lnkd.in/gEgueXny I’m currently focusing on building real-world projects and improving my frontend skills. Would love your feedback! 🙌 #ReactJS #TailwindCSS #WebDevelopment #FrontendDeveloper #Projects #LearningInPublic

🎨 React Background Color Changer Project Built a simple yet interactive Background Color Changer using React.js, focusing on state management and dynamic UI updates. This project helped me understand how to: 🔹 Use useState hook for managing color state 🔹 Update UI dynamically on button click 🔹 Handle events and improve user interaction 🔹 Write clean and reusable React components A great hands-on practice to strengthen core React concepts while building something visual and interactive. Small projects like this build a strong foundation for creating real-world applications 🚀 #ReactJS #JavaScript #FrontendDevelopment #WebDevelopment #LearningJourney #100DaysOfCode

Most portfolios feel like static resumes with a bit of styling. I wanted mine to feel like an experience ,something you move through, not just scroll. This started almost a year ago. There were phases where I paused, reworked ideas, and questioned the direction. But I kept coming back to it refining it until it matched the vision. The entire project is built around one idea: “Where logic ends, creativity finds a way.” Built using React, GSAP, Three.js (R3F), Framer Motion, and Matter.js, focusing on interaction over presentation: • Physics-based interactions • 3D elements and immersive sections • Scroll-driven transitions and storytelling • Interactive carousels and dynamic layouts • Fully responsive across devices Here is the live link : 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dzQm-pTd Let me know your thoughts #React #ThreeJS #GSAP #FramerMotion #WebDevelopment #Frontend #CreativeDev #PortfolioWebsite #JavaScript

I've been experimenting with custom route transitions to make navigating between pages feel a bit more native and alive. To build this, I used Next.js and next-transition-router to handle the actual page rendering logic, custom SVGs for the wave layers, and GSAP to animate the sweeps. Getting the animations to sync perfectly with the route changes took a bit of fine-tuning, but the final result makes the whole site feel much more cohesive. I've opened up the source code for anyone who wants to check it out. You're welcome to refer to the logic or just copy the setup straight into your own builds: https://lnkd.in/gM7GDChZ #nextjs #gsap #frontenddevelopment #webdevelopment #reactjs #uiengineering #webanimation #javascript #frontend #css #softwareengineering

Stop using useEffect for everything. These React hooks exist. Most devs forget them. useMemo — cache expensive calculations. You're recalculating on every render. useMemo only runs when dependencies change. Big performance win. useCallback — stable function references. Passing functions as props without this? You're creating a new function every render and breaking React.memo. useReducer — built-in state management. When useState gets messy with 3+ related values, useReducer brings order. Think Redux, but already in React. useRef — more than just DOM refs. Store any mutable value that persists across renders without triggering a re-render. Timers, previous values, flags. useId — SSR-safe unique IDs. Generating IDs for labels and inputs? useId handles unique IDs automatically, even with server-side rendering. Most devs reach for useState and useEffect for everything, then wonder why their app feels slow. The hooks are already there. You just have to use them. Which hook do you wish you'd learned earlier? Drop it below 👇 #React #JavaScript #WebDevelopment #Frontend #TypeScript

I used useEffect… everywhere 😅 Until it caused a weird UI flicker I couldn’t explain. That’s when I learned the real difference 👇 👉 useEffect Runs AFTER the browser paints the screen Best for: API calls, logging, side effects 👉 useLayoutEffect Runs BEFORE the screen updates Best for: measuring DOM, fixing layout issues 💡 Real example: I was calculating an element’s width on load With useEffect → UI rendered first, then adjusted (flicker ⚡) With useLayoutEffect → no flicker, smooth UI ✅ ⚠️ But don’t overuse it — it can block rendering and slow your app That one small change improved my UI a lot. Have you faced this issue before? 👇 #reactjs #frontend #webdevelopment #javascript

👇👇👇Front-end development keeps evolving fast, and the right tools can make a huge difference in both speed and creativity. ✨️ Here are 4 libraries every front-end developer should know in 2026: • GSAP for high-performance animations • Tailwind CSS for efficient modern styling • Three.js for interactive 3D web experiences • Reactbits for reusable modern UI components What would you add to this list? Always looking to discover more great tools. #FrontendDevelopment #WebDevelopment #JavaScript #ReactJS #UIUX #SoftwareDevelopment

🚀 Building a Modern React UI Library — Looking for Contributors! Hey everyone 👋 I’ve been working on a **React-based component UI library** using **Tailwind CSS + Motion (animations)** — focused on creating clean, reusable, and highly customizable components. Instead of overthinking, I’m *vibe coding* this project ⚡ Shipping fast, iterating quickly, and focusing on real-world usability. So far, I’ve built: * A flexible Button component (variants, sizes, animations) * Preview system for usage * Clean structure for scalability * Testing setup for reliability Now I want to take this further — and I’d love to collaborate with like-minded devs 🤝 💡 Looking for contributors who: * Enjoy building UI components * Have experience with React / Tailwind / animations * Care about clean DX & reusable patterns * Want to build something impactful (and maybe open-source it big 👀) 🎯 What you’ll get: * Hands-on experience building a real UI library * Exposure to component architecture & design systems * Opportunity to collaborate & grow together * Potential to turn this into something widely used If this sounds interesting, drop a comment or DM me — I’ll share the repo and we can get started 🔥 Let’s build something awesome together 🚀 #react #tailwind #nextjs #html #css #javascript #typescript #claude #vibecoding #gemini #cursor #vitest #nextjs #contributors #collaboration #webdevelopment #frontend