<strong>State management</strong> is how you store and update data in your application that changes over time. It solves the problem of sharing data between components and keeping your UI in sync with your data.
The Whiteboard Analogy
State management is like a shared whiteboard in an office. Everyone can see it, anyone can update it, and when someone makes a change, everyone sees the update immediately.
Whiteboard (Global State)
Everyone can see
Team Members (Components)
Read and write
Updates (State Changes)
Everyone sees changes
Central Data
Update State
React to Changes
Create store
Define global state (Redux, Zustand, Context)
Components subscribe
Components listen to specific state slices
Dispatch actions
User clicks button → dispatch('ADD_ITEM')
State updates
Reducer/setter updates the state
UI re-renders
All subscribed components update automatically
Wrong
"You always need Redux or a state library"
Correct
<strong>Start simple with React state/Context</strong>. Only add libraries like Redux when you have complex state logic, many components sharing state, or need time-travel debugging.
Shopping cart state:
User adds item → dispatch addToCart(item)
Cart state updates in store
Header shows new cart count
Cart page shows new item
All components stay in sync automatically