A Practical Guide to React Hooks

React Hooks are functions that let you use state and lifecycle features in functional components. Introduced in React 16.8, hooks allow developers to write cleaner, more reusable code by avoiding class-based components and simplifying component logic. Two of the most commonly used hooks are `useState` and `useEffect`. `useState` enables you to add local state to a component, while `useEffect` allows you to perform side effects like fetching data, subscribing to events, or manually changing the DOM. ## Why Hooks Matter Hooks drastically reduce boilerplate code and improve the developer experience. Instead of juggling between lifecycle methods in class components, you can now manage everything in a more composable way. This is especially useful when extracting logic into custom hooks, which makes sharing behavior between components much easier. Hooks also lead to better separation of concerns, enabling developers to organize logic by functionality instead of component lifecycle. Whether you're building a small app or a large-scale project, understanding React Hooks is essential to writing modern, maintainable React code.