State Management in React Native

As front ends grew into interactive apps, developers needed ways to share changing data such as themes across distant components. Passing values and update functions through many layers can become cumbersome. React Native shares this challenge because it uses JavaScript and React.

Ola built a small social app with a feed, liked images, conversations, and settings. Liking a photo had to update both its modal indicator and the separate liked images screen. Ola implemented the same app with each library to compare its workflow and mental model.

Ola groups libraries into Flux, proxy, and atom approaches: Redux represents Flux, MobX uses reactive proxies, and Jotai uses small atoms. XState models behavior as a state machine, while React Query treats server data as a separate cache. Ola notes that XState can make loading, success, and failure states explicit, though complex interactions can cause state explosion.

Ola describes Redux as widely used and battle-tested, while noting that Redux Toolkit reduces boilerplate and uses Immer to preserve immutability. MobX State Tree groups state and actions in a tree and worked well for the example app. Jotai felt lightweight for a small app, and React Query keeps fetched server data in its own cache rather than copying it into app state.

Ola mentions Zustand, Valtio, and Legend State as additional options, and says teams and apps differ. Documentation and community support matter because they shape how easily developers can use a library. The book's examples and companion repository compare libraries using the same app.