Best React Design Patterns You Must Know In 2023

Best React design patterns – React, a JavaScript library for building user interfaces was created by Facebook. It was first released in March 2013. Before that, most of the websites out there were built with the help of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Just after React was introduced, it become one of the most popular and widely used JavaScript libraries that are used for building user interfaces. With its declarative syntax and efficient rendering,
it has revolutionized the way developers build web applications. But there were several challenges and complexities that developers face when building user interfaces using the React library.

To tackle this React design patterns were introduced to address various challenges and complexities that developers face when building user interfaces using the React library. These patterns provide standardized solutions and best practices that help developers structure their applications in a more organized, efficient, and maintainable way.

There are several React design patterns available in react js, which can make you confused in deciding which one to use or which one to ignore.

So to solve your confusion we have come up with a post in which we have shortlisted to some best React design patterns. Before getting to the best react design patterns list you will learn what basically is react pattern and what is the advantages of using it.

What is React Design Pattern?

React design patterns are a proven and reusable solution to a recurring problem or challenge that developers commonly face when building user interfaces with the React library. These patterns provide a standardized approach to structuring, organizing, and managing React applications, creating a more maintainable, efficient, and scalable codebase.

React design patterns provide a set of best practices that guide developers in making informed decisions about structuring components, managing state, handling data flow, optimizing rendering, and more. These patterns are not hard and fast rules, but rather guidelines that help developers build well-structured and robust applications. They draw inspiration from the collective experience of the React community and provide a common vocabulary for discussing and solving common development challenges.

By using the React design patterns, developers can create applications that are easy to understand, maintain, and scale over time.

Advantages of using react design patterns :

Using the React design pattern provides a number of benefits that contribute to the development of well-structured, maintainable, and efficient applications. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Code organization: React design patterns provide a structured approach to organizing components, files, and folders. This improves code readability and makes it easier for developers to navigate the application.
2. Consistency: React design patterns establish consistent coding practices across applications. This results in a uniform coding style, making it easier for team members to collaborate and understand each other’s work.
3. Scalability: As the complexity of applications increases, following design patterns ensures that the architecture remains scalable. Patterns guide developers in structuring code in a way that supports future extension without compromising maintainability.
4. Efficient Development: React design patterns provide standardized solutions to common problems. It speeds development by reducing the time spent designing and implementing custom solutions for each challenge.
5. Maintainability: Following design patterns results in a codebase that is easier to maintain. The structured approach provides the flexibility to understand and modify the code when new developers join the project or when updates are needed.
6. Performance optimization: Many React design patterns focus on optimizing rendering and data flow. This can improve application performance by reducing unnecessary re-renders and updates.

Best React Design Patterns You Must Know :-

Certainly! Here are some of the best React design patterns along with code examples and explanations:

1 – Component-Based Architecture:

Component-Based Architecture is a core design pattern in React that promotes breaking down user interfaces into smaller, reusable components. This pattern improves code organization, encourages reusability, and simplifies development and maintenance.Here is an code example of Component-Based Architecture –

// Example: Creating a simple component
import React from 'react';

function Button(props) {
  return <button>{props.label}</button>;
}

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Button label="Click me" />
    </div>
  );
}

2- Container and Presentational Components:

Containers and presentational components is a React design patterns in React that separates concerns by distinguishing between components responsible for handling logic (container components) and components focused only on rendering the UI (presentational components). This pattern enhances code organization, reusability, and testability. Here is a detailed explanation with code example:

1. Container Components:
   Container components, often called smart components, are responsible for managing logic, fetching data, managing state, and interacting with data sources. They do not deal with the rendering of UI elements but rather organize the behavior and data flow of the application.
2. Presentation Components:
   Presentational components, also known as dumb components, are responsible for rendering the UI. They receive data and event handlers from their parent components (usually container components) through props and focus solely on displaying the content in a visible manner.

Advantages of containers and presentational components:

Separation of concerns: This pattern enforces a clear separation between logic and rendering, making the components easier to understand and maintain.
Reusability: Presentation components can be reused in different parts of the application, increasing modularity.
Testing: Presentation components are easy to test as they are only concerned with rendering the UI. Container components can be tested for logic and data manipulation.

// Container Component
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import UserProfile from './UserProfile'; // Presentational Component

class UserContainer extends Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = {
      user: null,
    };
  }

  componentDidMount() {
    // Simulating data fetch
    fetch('https://api.example.com/users/1')
      .then(response => response.json())
      .then(data => {
        this.setState({ user: data });
      });
  }

  render() {
    return (
      <div>
        <h2>User Profile</h2>
        {this.state.user ? (
          <UserProfile user={this.state.user} />
        ) : (
          <p>Loading...</p>
        )}
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default UserContainer;

// Presentational Component
import React from 'react';

function UserProfile({ user }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <p>Name: {user.name}</p>
      <p>Email: {user.email}</p>
      {/* Render other user details */}
    </div>
  );
}

export default UserProfile;

3 – Props and State:

Props and state are fundamental concepts in React that control the flow of data and manage the behavior of components. They play a vital role in building dynamic and interactive user interfaces. Here’s a detailed description of props and state with a code example:

1. Props (Properties):
   Props are read-only properties that are passed from a parent component to a child component. They allow data to flow in the component tree, enabling parent components to share information with their children.
2. State:
   State is a JavaScript object that contains dynamic data that can change over time. State is managed within a component and can affect the rendering and behavior of that component.

import React, { Component } from 'react';

class Counter extends Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = {
      count: 0, // Initial state
    };
  }

  // Increment the count when the button is clicked
  incrementCount = () => {
    this.setState(prevState => ({
      count: prevState.count + 1,
    }));
  };

  render() {
    return (
      <div>
        <p>Count: {this.state.count}</p>
        <button onClick={this.incrementCount}>Increment</button>
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default Counter;

In this example, the Counter component uses both props and state:

• The count property is stored in the state of the component using the this.state object. It is initially set to 0 in the component’s constructor.

• The count value is displayed using the this.state.count syntax.

• The incrementCount method updates the count state when the button is clicked. It uses the this.setState function to modify the state and trigger a re-render.

Use of props:

import React from 'react';
import Counter from './Counter';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Counter App</h1>
      <Counter />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

In the App component, the Counter component is used as a child component. No props are passed in this case, but you can pass data from the parent component (for example, the initial count value) to the counter component using props, if needed. In short, props and state are essential concepts in React that allow you to manage data flow and dynamic behavior in your components. Props are used to pass data from parent to child components, while state is used to manage dynamic data within a component. Understanding the interplay between props and state is critical to building interactive and data-driven React applications.

4 – Render Props:

We discussed how design patterns are meant to solve common problems. Render props are available in React to help us solve the problem of argument duplication.

According to the official React docs, render props are defined as ‘a technique for sharing code between React components using a prop whose value is a function’. Render props prove to be really useful as they allow us to share the same state across different components.

Instead of hardcoding the logic inside each component, you can use function props to determine what to render. Some popular libraries that use render props include Formic, React Router, and Downshift.Below is the example of render pops :-

import React, { Component } from 'react';

class MouseTracker extends Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = { x: 0, y: 0 };
  }

  handleMouseMove = event => {
    this.setState({
      x: event.clientX,
      y: event.clientY,
    });
  };

  render() {
    return (
      <div onMouseMove={this.handleMouseMove}>
        {this.props.render(this.state)}
      </div>
    );
  }
}

export default MouseTracker;

Use Of RenderPops

import React from 'react';
import MouseTracker from './MouseTracker';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Mouse Tracker App</h1>
      <MouseTracker render={mousePosition => (
        <p>Mouse position: {mousePosition.x}, {mousePosition.y}</p>
      )} />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

In this example:

• The MouseTracker component receives a render prop, which is a function passed by the parent component (App).
• Inside the MouseTracker component, the render function is called with the current mouse position (this.state).
• The content returned by the render function is rendered as children within the MouseTracker component. This allows the parent component (App) to define how to render the data received from MouseTracker.

The Render Props pattern is powerful because it separates logic and rendering, allowing you to reuse and customize behavior across different components. It is often used to create reusable components that provide specific functionality (eg, mouse tracking, data fetching) while leaving the rendering to the native component. In essence, the render props pattern in React involves passing a function as a prop to a component, allowing it to control what to render and flexible sharing of behavior with its children. to enable. This pattern promotes reusable and versatile components.

5 – Higher-Order Components (HOCs):

The Higher-Order Components, or HOC pattern, is an advanced React pattern used to reuse component logic throughout our applications. The HOC pattern is useful for cross-cutting concerns – features that require component logic to be shared across our applications. Examples of these features are authorization, logging, and data retrieval.

HOCs are not part of the core React API, but they arise from the compositional nature of React functional components, which are JavaScript functions. A higher-order component is similar to a JavaScript higher-order function; They are pure functions with zero side effects. And like higher-order functions in JavaScript, HOCs act like a decorator function.Here is an example of HOC :

import React from 'react';

// A simple HOC that adds a "title" prop to the wrapped component
function withTitle(WrappedComponent, title) {
  return class extends React.Component {
    render() {
      return <WrappedComponent title={title} {...this.props} />;
    }
  };
}

// A component that displays a title
function DisplayTitle(props) {
  return <h1>{props.title}</h1>;
}

// Wrapping DisplayTitle component with the withTitle HOC
const DisplayTitleWithEnhancement = withTitle(DisplayTitle, 'Hello HOC');

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <DisplayTitleWithEnhancement />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

in this instance:

• The withTitle HOC takes two arguments: WrappedComponent (the component to be wrapped) and a title.
• hoc returns a new anonymous component that renders the WrappedComponent with the title provided as a prop, along with any other props passed to it.
• The displaytitle component displays the title prop.
• The DisplayTitleWithEnhancement component is created by wrapping the DisplayTitle component using the withTitle HOC. It receives the title prop from HOC.

Usage of HOC :

// ...
const DisplayTitleWithEnhancement = withTitle(DisplayTitle, 'Hello HOC');

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <DisplayTitleWithEnhancement />
    </div>
  );
}
// ...

In this use, the DisplayTitleWithEnhancement component benefits from the enhanced functionality provided by the HOC, without the need to modify the original DisplayTitle component. HOCs are particularly useful for cross-cutting concerns such as authentication, logging, or providing data.

They allow you to encapsulate behavior in a reusable way and avoid code duplication across multiple components. In short, Higher-Order Components (HOC) is a powerful pattern in React that enables you to wrap components and extend their functionality or provide additional props. They promote code reuse and modular development by allowing you to separate concerns and encapsulate common logic.

6 – React Hooks:

React Hooks are a set of functions that allow developers to add state and lifecycle features to functional components. They were introduced in React 16.8 as a way to use state and other React features without writing class components. Hooks make it easier to manage component logic, reuse stateful logic, and keep components more readable and concise. Here is an explanation of React Hooks with code example:

1. State Hook: useState

The useState Hook allows functional components to manage state without using class components.Here is an example code of state hook

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const increment = () => {
    setCount(count + 1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Count: {count}</p>
      <button onClick={increment}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default Counter;

In this example, the useState Hook is used to manage the count state and the setCount function is used to update it.

2. Effect Hook: useEffect

UseEffect hooks allow functional components to perform side effects, such as data fetching, subscriptions, or DOM manipulation. Here is an example of Effect hook.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

function DataFetcher() {
  const [data, setData] = useState(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
      .then(response => response.json())
      .then(data => setData(data));
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      {data ? <p>Data: {data}</p> : <p>Loading...</p>}
    </div>
  );
}

export default DataFetcher;

In this example, the useEffect Hook is used to fetch data when the component mounts (empty dependency array), and the fetched data is stored in the data state.

3. Custom Hooks

Developers can create custom Hooks to reuse stateful logic across multiple components.Here is an example of custom Hooks.

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function useCounter(initialValue) {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(initialValue);

  const increment = () => {
    setCount(count + 1);
  };

  return [count, increment];
}

function Counter() {
  const [count, increment] = useCounter(0);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Count: {count}</p>
      <button onClick={increment}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default Counter;

In this example, a custom hook called UseCounter encapsulates the state and logic for managing a counter. The Counter component uses this custom hook to manage its state. React hooks provide a more concise and flexible way to manage state and lifecycle in functional components, making them the preferred choice for many developers. They streamline component logic and allow for better code reuse, resulting in more maintainable and readable codebases.

7 – Lazy Loading and Code Splitting:

Lazy loading and code splitting are techniques used to optimize the performance of React applications by loading components and resources only when they are needed. These techniques help reduce initial load times and improve the user experience, especially in large applications. Here is an explanation of lazy loading and code splitting with a code example:

1. Lazy Loading:
   Lazy loading involves loading components or assets only when they are needed, instead of loading everything beforehand. This can greatly improve the initial loading time of your application.

Example: Let’s say you have a large component that is not always needed when the app starts:

import React, { lazy, Suspense } from 'react';

// Using lazy loading to import the component only when needed
const LazyComponent = lazy(() => import('./LazyComponent'));

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      {/* Suspense is used to handle loading of lazy components */}
      <Suspense fallback={<p>Loading...</p>}>
        <LazyComponent />
      </Suspense>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

In this example, LazyComponent is imported from React using the lazy function. The Suspense component is used to handle lazy component loading, and a fallback UI (loading message) is displayed while the component is loading.

2. Code splitting:
   Code splitting involves breaking your bundle into smaller parts (parts for different parts of your app) and loading these parts only when needed.

Example: Let’s say you have different routes in your application, and you want to load components for each route only when the user navigates to that route:

import React, { lazy, Suspense } from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter as Router, Route, Switch } from 'react-router-dom';

// Lazy loading components for different routes
const Home = lazy(() => import('./Home'));
const About = lazy(() => import('./About'));
const Contact = lazy(() => import('./Contact'));

function App() {
  return (
    <Router>
      <div>
        <Switch>
          <Suspense fallback={<p>Loading...</p>}>
            <Route path="/" exact component={Home} />
            <Route path="/about" component={About} />
            <Route path="/contact" component={Contact} />
          </Suspense>
        </Switch>
      </div>
    </Router>
  );
}

export default App;

In this example, the components for the different routes (Home, About, Contact) are loaded using a lazy function. When a user navigates to a specific route, only the relevant component fragment is loaded, improving initial load performance.

Lazy loading and code splitting are powerful techniques for optimizing the loading performance of your React applications. By loading components and resources only when needed, you can significantly reduce initial load times and create a seamless user experience.

So thats all for this post.Hope you will like this post.

Conclusion :

In this article, we learned about some useful design patterns in 2022. Design patterns are great because they enable us to leverage the expertise of all the developers who created and reviewed these patterns. All the design patterns mentioned in this post is randomly selected by me having the best usage.

As a result, they can cut development time because we are proving solution plans and improving software quality in the process.

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