State Management
Priority: P2 (MEDIUM)
Principles
- •URL as Source of Truth: For shareable/persistent state (Search, Filters, Pagination), use URL params with
useSearchParams. - •Colocation: Keep state close to components. Lift only when sharing between siblings.
- •No Global Store Default: Avoid Redux/Zustand for simple apps. Use only for complex cross-cutting concerns (Music Player, Shopping Cart).
Patterns
1. Granular State (Best Practice)
Don't store large objects. Subscribe only to what you need to prevent unnecessary re-renders.
tsx
// BAD: Re-renders on any change to 'user'
const [user, setUser] = useState({ name: '', stats: {}, friends: [] });
// GOOD: Independent states
const [name, setName] = useState('');
const [stats, setStats] = useState({});
2. URL-Driven State (Search/Filter)
tsx
// Client Component
'use client';
import { useSearchParams, useRouter, usePathname } from 'next/navigation';
export function Search() {
const searchParams = useSearchParams();
const { replace } = useRouter();
const pathname = usePathname();
function handleSearch(term: string) {
const params = new URLSearchParams(searchParams);
if (term) params.set('q', term);
else params.delete('q');
// Updates URL -> Server Component re-renders with new params
replace(`${pathname}?${params.toString()}`);
}
}
3. Server State (TanStack Query / SWR)
If you need "Live" data on the client (e.g., polling stock prices, chat), do not implement useEffect fetch manually. Use a library.
tsx
// Automated caching, deduplication, and revalidation
const { data, error } = useSWR('/api/user', fetcher);