| | --- |
| | id: does-this-replace-client-state |
| | title: Does TanStack Query replace Redux, MobX or other global state managers? |
| | --- |
| | |
| | Well, let's start with a few important items: |
| |
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| | - TanStack Query is a **server-state** library, responsible for managing asynchronous operations between your server and client |
| | - Redux, MobX, Zustand, etc. are **client-state** libraries that _can be used to store asynchronous data, albeit inefficiently when compared to a tool like TanStack Query_ |
| |
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| | With those points in mind, the short answer is that TanStack Query **replaces the boilerplate code and related wiring used to manage cache data in your client-state and replaces it with just a few lines of code.** |
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| | For a vast majority of applications, the truly **globally accessible client state** that is left over after migrating all of your async code to TanStack Query is usually very tiny. |
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|
| | > There are still some circumstances where an application might indeed have a massive amount of synchronous client-only state (like a visual designer or music production application), in which case, you will probably still want a client state manager. In this situation it's important to note that **TanStack Query is not a replacement for local/client state management**. However, you can use TanStack Query alongside most client state managers with zero issues. |
| |
|
| | ## A Contrived Example |
| |
|
| | Here we have some "global" state being managed by a global state library: |
| |
|
| | ```tsx |
| | const globalState = { |
| | projects, |
| | teams, |
| | tasks, |
| | users, |
| | themeMode, |
| | sidebarStatus, |
| | } |
| | ``` |
| |
|
| | Currently, the global state manager is caching 4 types of server-state: `projects`, `teams`, `tasks`, and `users`. If we were to move these server-state assets to TanStack Query, our remaining global state would look more like this: |
| |
|
| | ```tsx |
| | const globalState = { |
| | themeMode, |
| | sidebarStatus, |
| | } |
| | ``` |
| |
|
| | This also means that with a few hook calls to `useQuery` and `useMutation`, we also get to remove any boilerplate code that was used to manage our server state e.g. |
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|
| | - Connectors |
| | - Action Creators |
| | - Middlewares |
| | - Reducers |
| | - Loading/Error/Result states |
| | - Contexts |
| |
|
| | With all of those things removed, you may ask yourself, **"Is it worth it to keep using our client state manager for this tiny global state?"** |
| |
|
| | **And that's up to you!** |
| |
|
| | But TanStack Query's role is clear. It removes asynchronous wiring and boilerplate from your application and replaces it with just a few lines of code. |
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|
| | What are you waiting for, give it a go already! |
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