The Best State Management Libraries in 2019


Published on 14.11.2019

As React applications grow in complexity, managing state effectively becomes a major challenge. React provides built-in solutions like useState and useContext, but for larger applications with complex state logic, it’s often necessary to use a dedicated state management library.

In this post, we’ll compare some of the most popular state management libraries in the React ecosystem in 2019, namely Redux, MobX, Context API, and Recoil. We’ll dive into their strengths, weaknesses, and when to use each one for your project.


1. Redux: The Heavyweight Champion

Redux has long been the most widely used state management solution for React applications. It provides a predictable state container that works well for complex applications that require global state management. With Redux, your application’s state is stored in a central store, and updates to that state are triggered by dispatching actions.

Why Use Redux?

  • Predictable State Management: Redux’s unidirectional data flow ensures that the application state is predictable and traceable.
  • Strong Ecosystem: Redux has a mature ecosystem with many tools like redux-thunk (for async actions), redux-saga, and redux-devtools for time-travel debugging.
  • Great for Large Apps: Redux is an excellent choice when you have a large app with complex state interactions or when multiple components need to share and update state.

When to Use Redux?

  • Your application is large and requires complex state management.
  • You need middleware for handling side effects (e.g., asynchronous actions).
  • You want to use tools like Redux DevTools for debugging and time-travel.
  • You need a global store with a consistent structure for all application data.

Downsides of Redux:

  • Boilerplate: Redux is known for having a lot of boilerplate code, especially for smaller applications.
  • Learning Curve: The concepts of actions, reducers, and the store can be overwhelming for beginners.
  • Verbose: Managing state in Redux requires a lot of setup and writing many repetitive lines of code.

2. MobX: The Simpler Alternative

MobX is a state management library that takes a more reactive approach compared to Redux. It is based on observables, and it allows for more direct mutation of the state, without needing actions or reducers. MobX automatically tracks the dependencies between the state and the components that need to be updated.

Why Use MobX?

  • Simplicity: MobX requires less boilerplate than Redux and allows for more direct manipulation of state.
  • Reactivity: MobX’s core concept is that state is observable, and components automatically update when the state they depend on changes.
  • Scalable: MobX is highly performant and scalable for larger apps as it only updates the components that depend on a specific piece of state.

When to Use MobX?

  • You want a simpler, less verbose alternative to Redux.
  • Your app has a lot of state that needs to be reacted to in real-time (e.g., complex form management, user interactions).
  • You want to manage state more “naturally” without strict rules on how to update state.

Downsides of MobX:

  • Less Predictability: While reactive programming is powerful, it can sometimes lead to less predictability compared to Redux’s explicit actions and reducers.
  • Steeper Learning Curve: Although the API is simpler, the underlying concepts of reactivity may be tricky for beginners to understand.

3. React’s Context API: The Built-in Solution

The Context API is a built-in feature of React that allows you to share state across the component tree without passing props manually at every level. While the Context API was originally intended for passing down values like themes or localization preferences, it can be used for global state management in smaller applications.

Why Use Context API?

  • Built-In: No additional libraries or setup are needed.
  • Simple: It’s very easy to set up and use within smaller applications.
  • Minimalistic: Context API allows you to avoid adding external dependencies, making it great for lightweight apps.

When to Use Context API?

  • Your app is small or medium-sized and doesn’t require the complexity of Redux or MobX.
  • You just need a simple global state (e.g., authentication status, user preferences).
  • You want to avoid adding third-party libraries.

Downsides of Context API:

  • Performance Issues: When the context value changes, all consuming components will re-render. This can cause performance issues in large applications if not used carefully.
  • Limited Features: Unlike Redux, Context API doesn’t offer advanced features like middleware, which might be necessary for large-scale applications or more complex state handling.

4. Recoil: A New Contender

Recoil is a state management library from Facebook designed to work seamlessly with React. It introduces a new set of primitives for managing state that are built specifically for React’s declarative model. Recoil is designed to be simpler to use than Redux, yet more powerful and scalable than the Context API.

Why Use Recoil?

  • Fine-Grained Control: Recoil allows you to manage state at a granular level, meaning only the components that need to re-render will do so, improving performance.
  • Derived State: You can create derived states using selectors, which are similar to computed values in MobX or selectors in Redux.
  • Async Support: Recoil provides built-in support for asynchronous state with selectors, making it great for managing data fetching and caching.

When to Use Recoil?

  • You’re building a React app and want a more modern and flexible state management solution.
  • You need fine-grained control over performance and don’t want unnecessary re-renders.
  • You want an easier alternative to Redux with support for both synchronous and asynchronous state management.

Downsides of Recoil:

  • New: Recoil is still relatively new and evolving. It might not have the same level of community support as Redux or MobX.
  • Limited Ecosystem: As a newer library, Recoil doesn’t have as many built-in tools or middleware available compared to other solutions.

Conclusion: When to Use What?

  • Use Redux if your app is large and requires sophisticated state management with many interacting components. Redux is perfect for large-scale applications with complex state that need predictable, centralized management.
  • Use MobX if you want a simpler solution than Redux but still need powerful reactive state management. MobX is great for real-time state updates with minimal boilerplate.
  • Use the Context API if your app is small or you just need a simple global state solution. It’s lightweight and easy to set up but may not scale well for larger applications.
  • Use Recoil if you’re building a modern React app and want a flexible and powerful state management solution with fine-grained control and support for async state.

In the end, the choice of state management depends on your app’s size, complexity, and specific needs. While Redux remains the most popular choice for larger applications, Recoil is a compelling option for developers seeking a more React-specific approach to state management. MobX and the Context API offer simpler, more lightweight solutions for smaller projects or simpler use cases.


Happy coding, and I hope this helps you choose the best state management library for your next project!

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