State Management Libraries Comparison
redux vs mobx-react vs unstated
1 Year
reduxmobx-reactunstatedSimilar Packages:
What's State Management Libraries?

State management libraries are essential tools in modern web development, particularly for managing the state of applications in a predictable and efficient manner. These libraries provide patterns and practices that help developers manage application state, ensuring that UI components react appropriately to changes in data. By using state management libraries, developers can maintain a clear separation of concerns, improve code maintainability, and enhance the overall user experience. Each library has its unique approach to state management, catering to different needs and preferences in application architecture.

NPM Package Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
redux10,885,12760,947290 kB39a year agoMIT
mobx-react1,058,09027,608650 kB6416 hours agoMIT
unstated35,8557,794-187 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: redux vs mobx-react vs unstated

State Management Approach

  • redux:

    Redux follows a strict unidirectional data flow where the state is managed in a single store. State changes are made through actions and reducers, providing a clear and predictable way to manage state. This approach enhances maintainability and makes it easier to track changes over time.

  • mobx-react:

    MobX-React uses observable state and reactions, allowing components to automatically re-render when the state they depend on changes. This reactive approach minimizes the need for boilerplate code and simplifies state management, making it easy to understand and maintain.

  • unstated:

    Unstated provides a simple API for managing state by using React's context API. It allows you to create containers that encapsulate state and provide it to components, making it easy to share state without the complexity of a larger framework.

Boilerplate Code

  • redux:

    Redux requires more boilerplate code due to its architecture. You need to define actions, reducers, and the store, which can be cumbersome for smaller applications. However, this structure provides clarity and predictability in larger applications.

  • mobx-react:

    MobX-React significantly reduces boilerplate code compared to Redux. You can directly use observables in your components without the need for actions or reducers, which streamlines the development process and speeds up prototyping.

  • unstated:

    Unstated has minimal boilerplate, allowing developers to quickly set up state management without the overhead of defining actions or reducers. This makes it an attractive option for smaller projects or when rapid development is needed.

Learning Curve

  • redux:

    Redux has a steeper learning curve due to its concepts of actions, reducers, and middleware. Understanding how to structure your application around these concepts can take time, but it pays off in terms of maintainability and debugging capabilities.

  • mobx-react:

    MobX-React has a gentler learning curve for developers familiar with reactive programming concepts. Its straightforward API and less rigid structure make it easier for newcomers to grasp compared to Redux.

  • unstated:

    Unstated is very easy to learn, especially for developers already familiar with React. Its simplicity and reliance on React's context API make it accessible for those who want to implement state management without a steep learning curve.

Performance

  • redux:

    Redux can lead to performance issues if not optimized, as it may cause unnecessary re-renders when state updates occur. However, using techniques like memoization and selectors can help mitigate these issues and improve performance.

  • mobx-react:

    MobX-React is highly performant due to its fine-grained reactivity. It only re-renders components that directly depend on the changed observable state, minimizing unnecessary updates and improving application responsiveness.

  • unstated:

    Unstated is lightweight and performs well for small to medium-sized applications. It avoids the overhead of larger state management libraries, making it suitable for applications where performance is a critical concern.

Ecosystem and Community Support

  • redux:

    Redux has a vast ecosystem with numerous middleware, tools, and community support. It is widely adopted in the industry, making it easier to find resources, tutorials, and libraries that integrate with Redux.

  • mobx-react:

    MobX has a growing ecosystem and community, but it is not as large as Redux. It provides useful tools and extensions, but developers may find fewer resources and third-party libraries compared to Redux.

  • unstated:

    Unstated has a smaller ecosystem compared to Redux and MobX. While it is easy to use, developers may find fewer resources and community support, which could be a consideration for larger projects.

How to Choose: redux vs mobx-react vs unstated
  • redux:

    Choose Redux if you need a predictable state container that enforces a unidirectional data flow and a strict architecture. It is particularly beneficial for larger applications where you want to maintain a clear and consistent state management pattern, making debugging and testing easier through time-travel debugging and middleware support.

  • mobx-react:

    Choose MobX-React if you prefer a more reactive programming model that allows for automatic updates of your UI based on observable state changes. It is ideal for applications where you want to minimize boilerplate code and enjoy a more intuitive way of managing state without the need for complex reducers or actions.

  • unstated:

    Choose Unstated if you are looking for a lightweight and minimalistic approach to state management. It is suitable for smaller applications or components where you want to avoid the complexity of Redux or MobX, allowing for simple state management with a focus on encapsulation and ease of use.

README for redux

Redux Logo

Redux is a predictable state container for JavaScript apps.

It helps you write applications that behave consistently, run in different environments (client, server, and native), and are easy to test. On top of that, it provides a great developer experience, such as live code editing combined with a time traveling debugger.

You can use Redux together with React, or with any other view library. The Redux core is tiny (2kB, including dependencies), and has a rich ecosystem of addons.

Redux Toolkit is our official recommended approach for writing Redux logic. It wraps around the Redux core, and contains packages and functions that we think are essential for building a Redux app. Redux Toolkit builds in our suggested best practices, simplifies most Redux tasks, prevents common mistakes, and makes it easier to write Redux applications.

GitHub Workflow Status npm version npm downloads redux channel on discord

Installation

Create a React Redux App

The recommended way to start new apps with React and Redux Toolkit is by using our official Redux Toolkit + TS template for Vite, or by creating a new Next.js project using Next's with-redux template.

Both of these already have Redux Toolkit and React-Redux configured appropriately for that build tool, and come with a small example app that demonstrates how to use several of Redux Toolkit's features.

# Vite with our Redux+TS template
# (using the `degit` tool to clone and extract the template)
npx degit reduxjs/redux-templates/packages/vite-template-redux my-app

# Next.js using the `with-redux` template
npx create-next-app --example with-redux my-app

We do not currently have official React Native templates, but recommend these templates for standard React Native and for Expo:

  • https://github.com/rahsheen/react-native-template-redux-typescript
  • https://github.com/rahsheen/expo-template-redux-typescript
npm install @reduxjs/toolkit react-redux

For the Redux core library by itself:

npm install redux

For more details, see the Installation docs page.

Documentation

The Redux core docs are located at https://redux.js.org, and include the full Redux tutorials, as well usage guides on general Redux patterns:

The Redux Toolkit docs are available at https://redux-toolkit.js.org, including API references and usage guides for all of the APIs included in Redux Toolkit.

Learn Redux

Redux Essentials Tutorial

The Redux Essentials tutorial is a "top-down" tutorial that teaches "how to use Redux the right way", using our latest recommended APIs and best practices. We recommend starting there.

Redux Fundamentals Tutorial

The Redux Fundamentals tutorial is a "bottom-up" tutorial that teaches "how Redux works" from first principles and without any abstractions, and why standard Redux usage patterns exist.

Help and Discussion

The #redux channel of the Reactiflux Discord community is our official resource for all questions related to learning and using Redux. Reactiflux is a great place to hang out, ask questions, and learn - please come and join us there!

Before Proceeding Further

Redux is a valuable tool for organizing your state, but you should also consider whether it's appropriate for your situation. Please don't use Redux just because someone said you should - instead, please take some time to understand the potential benefits and tradeoffs of using it.

Here are some suggestions on when it makes sense to use Redux:

  • You have reasonable amounts of data changing over time
  • You need a single source of truth for your state
  • You find that keeping all your state in a top-level component is no longer sufficient

Yes, these guidelines are subjective and vague, but this is for a good reason. The point at which you should integrate Redux into your application is different for every user and different for every application.

For more thoughts on how Redux is meant to be used, please see:

Basic Example

The whole global state of your app is stored in an object tree inside a single store. The only way to change the state tree is to create an action, an object describing what happened, and dispatch it to the store. To specify how state gets updated in response to an action, you write pure reducer functions that calculate a new state based on the old state and the action.

Redux Toolkit simplifies the process of writing Redux logic and setting up the store. With Redux Toolkit, the basic app logic looks like:

import { createSlice, configureStore } from '@reduxjs/toolkit'

const counterSlice = createSlice({
  name: 'counter',
  initialState: {
    value: 0
  },
  reducers: {
    incremented: state => {
      // Redux Toolkit allows us to write "mutating" logic in reducers. It
      // doesn't actually mutate the state because it uses the Immer library,
      // which detects changes to a "draft state" and produces a brand new
      // immutable state based off those changes
      state.value += 1
    },
    decremented: state => {
      state.value -= 1
    }
  }
})

export const { incremented, decremented } = counterSlice.actions

const store = configureStore({
  reducer: counterSlice.reducer
})

// Can still subscribe to the store
store.subscribe(() => console.log(store.getState()))

// Still pass action objects to `dispatch`, but they're created for us
store.dispatch(incremented())
// {value: 1}
store.dispatch(incremented())
// {value: 2}
store.dispatch(decremented())
// {value: 1}

Redux Toolkit allows us to write shorter logic that's easier to read, while still following the original core Redux behavior and data flow.

Logo

You can find the official logo on GitHub.

Change Log

This project adheres to Semantic Versioning. Every release, along with the migration instructions, is documented on the GitHub Releases page.

License

MIT