Beyond useState and useEffect: useReducer, useRef, useMemo and more

🪝: useState and useEffect are 20% of what hooks can do. Here are the others that actually matter. Everyone knows useState and useEffect. Here are the hooks I use constantly that don't get enough attention: useReducer → When useState has more than 2-3 related values, switch to useReducer → Especially useful for form state with validation → The logic is predictable and testable useRef → Not just for DOM access — use it to persist values across renders WITHOUT triggering re-renders → Storing previous values, debounce timers, animation frame IDs → Massively underused useMemo → Cache expensive computation results → But remember: useMemo itself has a cost. Don't use it for cheap operations. useCallback → Stabilise function references passed to child components → Prevents unnecessary re-renders when used with React.memo useContext → Perfect for theme, auth, or language — data that truly IS global → NOT a replacement for proper state management when state is complex Custom hooks — the real power → Every time I write the same logic in 2+ components, I extract it to a custom hook → useWalletConnection, useFormValidation, useDebounce → Your components become clean. Your logic becomes reusable. The rule I follow: If a component is longer than 100 lines, I probably need a custom hook. What's your most-used React hook that isn't useState or useEffect? #ReactHooks #ReactJS #JavaScript #FrontendDev #useReducer #useMemo #WebDevelopment #CleanCode

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