React State Management: Local State, Context, and When You Need More

State management in React can be simple or complex. Here’s how to choose the right approach for your application.

Level 1: Component State

Start here. useState is perfect for local UI state:

const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false);
const [formData, setFormData] = useState({ name: '', email: '' });

Level 2: Lifting State

When siblings need to share state, lift it to the common parent:

// Parent manages state, passes down
<ChildA count={count} />
<ChildB onIncrement={() => setCount(c => c + 1)} />

Level 3: Context

For state used across many components (theme, user, locale):

const UserContext = createContext();
// Provider at top, useContext anywhere below

Level 4: External State Library

Consider Redux, MobX, or Zustand when:

• Complex state transitions
• Need middleware (async, logging)
• Time-travel debugging valuable
• Large team benefits from strict patterns

My Recommendation

Don’t start with Redux. Start with useState, lift to Context when needed, add a library only when you hit limitations. Over-engineering state is a common React mistake.