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Smriti Singh
Smriti Singh

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Top 5 React Libraries You Should Use in Every Major Project

#react #tutorial #webdev

React is a powerful library for building user interfaces—but when you're scaling up or working on serious production apps, you’ll need more than just useState and useEffect.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through 5 essential React libraries that I’ve found incredibly useful across all major projects — whether you're building dashboards, e-commerce platforms, SaaS tools, or portfolios.

1. React Router 🧭

🔗 reactrouter.com

If your app has multiple pages or routes — which it almost always will — react-router-dom is a must-have. It handles dynamic routing, nested routes, redirects, and more.

  • Client-side routing
  • Route nesting & layouts
  • Dynamic parameters and query handling 
npm install react-router-dom
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<Route path="/dashboard" element={<Dashboard />} />
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2. React Query / TanStack Query 🔄

🔗 tanstack.com/query

Say goodbye to messy useEffect + fetch combinations. React Query handles data fetching, caching, background updates, and retries out of the box.

Why it’s useful:

  • Built-in caching & stale data handling
  • Automatic refetching
  • DevTools support for debugging 
npm install @tanstack/react-query
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3. Zustand or Redux Toolkit 🧠

You’ll eventually need state management beyond props — and both libraries are great depending on your project size.

  • Use Zustand for small-to-medium apps: it’s minimal and hook-based.
  • Use Redux Toolkit for complex apps: it offers structure, devtools support, and middleware like RTK Query. 
npm install zustand
# or
npm install @reduxjs/toolkit react-redux
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4. Framer Motion 🎞️

🔗 framer.com/motion

Animations don’t just make things pretty — they improve UX. Framer Motion is a powerful and easy-to-use library for animations and transitions.

  • Spring physics animations
  • Animate presence for conditional components
  • Drag & gesture support 
npm install framer-motion
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<motion.div animate={{ opacity: 1 }} initial={{ opacity: 0 }} />
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5. React Hook Form 📋

🔗 react-hook-form.com

Forms can be messy — validations, state updates, performance issues. React Hook Form simplifies all of it and works seamlessly with Zod, Yup, and custom validators.

Why devs love it:

  • Minimal re-renders
  • Built-in validations
  • Easy integration with UI libraries 
npm install react-hook-form
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const { register, handleSubmit } = useForm();
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Whether you're just starting out or building at scale, these libraries will save you time, reduce bugs, and make your codebase more maintainable.

Which ones are in your toolkit?
Let me know your favorite React libraries in the comments! 👇

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