kensaadi

Posted on May 2

Are We Overcomplicating React State? A Look at Valtio

#webdev #javascript #react #frontend

React State Feels Simple — Until It Doesn't

React state management often feels more complex than it needs to be.

Selectors, memoization, dependency arrays…
we spend a lot of time managing how state updates, not just what the state is.

Recently, I tried Valtio — and it made me rethink some of these patterns.

The usual problem

In many React setups, especially as apps grow, state logic tends to spread:

UI state and business state get mixed
we add selectors to control updates
we optimize re-renders manually
we introduce more abstraction to keep things under control

It works — but it requires constant orchestration.

What felt different with Valtio

Valtio takes a different approach based on proxies.

Instead of thinking in terms of update triggers and subscriptions, you work directly with state:

import { proxy } from 'valtio';

const state = proxy({ count: 0 });

function increment() {
  state.count++;
}

In a component:

import { useSnapshot } from 'valtio';

function Counter() {
  const snap = useSnapshot(state);
  return <button onClick={() => state.count++}>{snap.count}</button>;
}

That's it.

No selectors
No dependency arrays
Minimal boilerplate

Why this matters

The real benefit isn't "less code".
It's less mental overhead.

With this model:

you don't think about when to re-render
you don't orchestrate updates manually
you focus on state, not the mechanics around it

It feels more reactive than controlled.

But this doesn't remove complexity

To be clear: complexity doesn't disappear.

In real-world apps, especially with:

dynamic forms
derived state
async flows

you still need structure.

But shifting complexity away from orchestration makes things easier to reason about.

Where this gets interesting

This approach becomes even more relevant in areas like:

complex forms (React Hook Form, MUI, etc.)
dynamic UIs with dependencies between fields
state that evolves frequently during development

That's usually where traditional patterns start to show their limits.

Final thought

Valtio won't replace every state management solution.

But it challenges an important assumption:

Are we managing state… or managing the complexity around it?

Curious how others are approaching state management lately.

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