Should I use useselector/useDispatch instead of mapStateToProps

Question

When creating a React app, if I use the hook useSelector, I need to adhere to the hooks invoking rules (Only call it from the top level of a functional component). If I use the mapStateToProps, I get the state in the props and I can use it anywhere without any issues... Same issue for useDispatch

What are the benefits of using the hook besides saving lines of code compared to mapStateToProps?

Answer 1

Redux store state can be read and changed from anywhere in the component, including callbacks. Whenever the store state is changed the component rerenders. When the component rerenders, useSelector runs again, and gives you the updated data, later to be used wherever you want. Here is an example of that and a usage of useDispatch inside a callback (after an assignment in the root level):

function Modal({ children }) {   const isOpen = useSelector(state => state.isOpen);   const dispatch = useDispatch();   function handleModalToggeled() {     // using updated data from store state in a callback     if(isOpen) {       // writing to state, leading to a rerender       dispatch({type: "CLOSE_MODAL"});       return;     }     // writing to state, leading to a rerender     dispatch({type: "OPEN_MODAL"});   }   // using updated data from store state in render   return (isOpen ? (       <div>         {children}         <button onClick={handleModalToggeled}>close modal</button>       </div>     ) : (       <button onClick={handleModalToggeled}>open modal</button>     );   ); } 

There is nothing you can do with mapStateToProps/mapDispatchToProps that you can't do with the useSelector and useDispatch hooks as well.

With that said, there are a couple of differences between the two methods that are worth considering:

1. Decoupling: with mapStateToProps, container logic (the way store data is injected into the component) is separate from the view logic (component rendering). useSelector represents a new and different way of thinking about connected components, arguing that the decoupling is more important between components and that components are self contained. Which is better? Verdict: no clear winner. source
2. DX (Developer experience): using the connect function usually means there should be another additional container component for each connected component, where using the useSelector and useDispatch hooks is quite straightforward. Verdict: hooks have better DX.
3. "Stale props" and "Zombie child": there are some weird edge cases with useSelector, if it depends on props, where useSelector can run before the newest updated props come in. These are mostly rare and avoidable edge cases, but they had been already worked out in the older connect version. verdict: connect is slightly more stable than hooks. source
4. Performance optimizations: both support performance optimizations in different ways: connect has some advanced techniques, using merge props and other options hidden in the connect function. useSelector accepts a second argument - an equality function to determine if the state has changed. verdict: both are great for performance in advanced situations.
5. Types: using typescript with connect is a nightmare. I remember myself feverishly writing three props interfaces for each connected component (OwnProps, StateProps, DispatchProps). Redux hooks support types in a rather straightforward way. verdict: types are significantly easier to work with using hooks.
6. The future of React: Hooks are the future of react. This may seam like an odd argument, but change to the ecosystem is right around the corner with "Concurrent mode" and "Server components". While class components will still be supported in future React versions, new features may rely solely on hooks. This change will of course also affect third party libraries in the eco system, such as React-Redux. verdict: hooks are more future proof.

TL;DR - Final verdict: each method has its merits. connect is more mature, has less potential for weird bugs and edge cases, and has better separation of concerns. Hooks are easier to read and write, as they are collocated near the place where they are used (all in one self contained component). Also, they are easier to use with TypeScript. Finally, they will easily be upgradable for future react versions.

Answer 2

I think you misunderstand what "top level" is. It merely means that, inside a functional component, useSelector() cannot be placed inside loops, conditions and nested functions. It doesn't have anything to do with root component or components structure

// bad const MyComponent = () => {   if (condition) {     // can't do this     const data = useSelector(mySelector);     console.log(data);   }    return null; }  ---  // good const MyComponent = () => {   const data = useSelector(mySelector);    if (condition) {     console.log(data); // using data in condition   }    return null; } 

If anything, mapStateToPtops is located at even higher level than a hook call

the rules of hooks make it very hard to use that specific hook. You still need to somehow access a changing value from the state inside callbacks

To be fair you almost never have to access changing value inside a callback. I can't remember last time I needed that. Usually if your callback needs the latest state, you are better off just dispatching an action and then handler for that action (redux-thunk, redux-saga, redux-observable etc) will itself access the latest state

This is just specifics of hooks in general (not just useSelector) and there are tons of ways to go around it if you really want to, for example

const MyComponent = () => {   const data = useSelector(mySelector);   const latestData = useRef()   latestData.current = data    return (     <button       onClick={() => {         setTimeout(() => {           console.log(latestData.current) // always refers to latest data         }, 5000)       }}     />   ) } 

What are the benefits of using the hook besides saving lines of code compared to mapStateToProps?

1. You save time by not writing connect function any time you need to access store, and removing it when you no longer need to access store. No endless wrappers in react devtools
2. You have clear distinction and no conflicts between props coming from connect, props coming from parent and props injected by wrappers from 3rd party libraries
3. Sometimes you (or fellow developers you work with) would choose unclear names for props in mapStateToProps and you will have to scroll all the way to mapStateToProps in the file to find out which selector is used for this specific prop. This is not the case with hooks where selectors and variables with data they return are coupled on the same line
4. By using hooks you get general advantages of hooks, the biggest of which is being able couple together and reuse related stateful logic in multiple components
5. With mapStateToProps you usually have to deal with mapDispatchToProps which is even more cumbersome and easier to get lost in, especially reading someone else's code (object form? function form? bindActionCreators?). Prop coming from mapDispatchToProps can have same name as it's action creator but different signature because it was overridden in mapDispatchToprops. If you use one action creator in a number of components and then rename that action creator, these components will keep using old name coming from props. Object form easily breaks if you have a dependency cycle and also you have to deal with shadowing variable names

.

import { getUsers } from 'actions/user'  class MyComponent extends Component {   render() {     // shadowed variable getUsers, now you either rename it     // or call it like this.props.getUsers     // or change import to asterisk, and neither option is good     const { getUsers } = this.props     // ...   } }  const mapDispatchToProps = {   getUsers, }  export default connect(null, mapDispatchToProps)(MyComponent)