Choosing Between Context API and Redux in React: A Practical Guide
Web application development is in a constant state of flux. While there are many front-end libraries and frameworks that focus on component-based architecture, Vue, Angular and React are, without a doubt, some of the most popular options. Of these, React is one of the most widely used client-side component/view libraries.
Using components is a great way to structure web applications because they make it easier to reuse code. However, as the number of components grows, managing the communication and data flow between them becomes complex.
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How Data Flows Through React Nested Components
Typically, the communication pattern of a JavaScript framework is to pass data from parent to child components.
Data flow can be complicated to manage, especially with a deeply nested tree of React components. That’s because data passes through every nesting level, including components that don’t need it. This pattern is called prop drilling and it can become a challenging architectural problem for developers to tackle.
There are two primary tools In the React ecosystem that offer solutions to this challenge: Redux and Context API. In this article, we’ll unpack both technologies to understand how they manage data flow and determine if there is a clear choice for using one over the other.
