React performance

React Performance

React rendering behavior, memoization strategies, code splitting, bundle optimization, and App Router-specific performance patterns. Focus on understanding when optimizations help vs. when they add unnecessary complexity.

Rendering Behavior

React calculates the next UI, diffs against the previous version, and commits only minimum DOM changes. For this to work efficiently:

• Components must be pure — same inputs, same output
• State updates trigger re-renders of the component and all children
• React batches state updates within event handlers automatically

Memoization — When and When Not

useMemo

Cache expensive computations so they only re-run when dependencies change:

const sorted = useMemo(() => expensiveSort(items), [items]);

Use when: The computation is measurably expensive (filtering thousands of items, complex calculations). Skip when: Simple operations, cheap object creation — the overhead of memoization outweighs the savings.

useCallback

Memoize function definitions to maintain reference equality:

const handleClick = useCallback(() => { doThing(id); }, [id]);

Use when: Passing callbacks to children wrapped in React.memo — prevents child re-renders from new function references. Skip when: Passing to native DOM elements or non-memoized children.

React.memo

Skip re-rendering a component when its props haven't changed:

const ExpensiveList = React.memo(function ExpensiveList({ items }: Props) {
  return items.map(item => <Item key={item.id} data={item} />);
});

Use when: Component renders are expensive and parent re-renders frequently with unchanged props.

Do Not Over-Memoize

Wrapping everything in useMemo/useCallback adds memory overhead with no measurable benefit for cheap operations. Profile first, optimize second.

React Compiler (Automatic Memoization)

The React Compiler uses static analysis to automatically memoize values derived from props or state. Significantly reduces the need for manual useMemo and useCallback.

• If the compiler detects code that breaks Rules of React, it safely skips those components
• Manual memoization still works alongside the compiler
• Gradually rolling out — check React docs for current status

Code Splitting and Lazy Loading

React.lazy + Suspense

Dynamically import components to split bundles by view:

const Settings = lazy(() => import('./Settings'));

function App() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<Loading />}>
      <Settings />
    </Suspense>
  );
}

Server Components Reduce Bundle Size

Server Components execute on the server only — large dependencies (markdown parsers, date libraries, syntax highlighters) never enter the client bundle.

Minimize Client Boundaries

Push "use client" as deep as possible. Keep large static layouts as Server Components; isolate interactivity into small Client Components.

Development-Only Imports

Dynamically import dev tools to exclude from production:

if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
  import('react-axe').then(axe => axe.default(React, ReactDOM, 1000));
}

App Router Optimizations

Streaming

Send static UI immediately, stream data-heavy components as they resolve:

• loading.tsx — route-level streaming fallback
• <Suspense> — per-component granular streaming

Parallel Data Fetching

Avoid sequential waterfalls with Promise.all():

const [users, posts] = await Promise.all([fetchUsers(), fetchPosts()]);

Prefetching

<Link> components auto-prefetch in production when entering the viewport. Navigations become near-instant.

Caching

Next.js Data Cache stores fetch results automatically, avoiding redundant requests across renders.

Anti-Patterns That Hurt Performance

Anti-Pattern	Impact	Fix
Sequential fetches when independent	Multiplied load time	Promise.all()
Bloated Context providers	All consumers re-render on any change	Split contexts by concern
Missing/wrong dependency arrays	Stale closures or over-firing effects	Follow exhaustive-deps rule
Deep equality in React.memo	Unpredictable multi-second stalls	Restructure props, use stable references
Sync setState in useEffect	Extra render before paint	Restructure to avoid or use useLayoutEffect
Everything in useMemo/useCallback	Memory overhead, code noise	Profile first, memoize only when measured

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/detailed-patterns.md — Profiling workflow, bundle analysis techniques, streaming architecture examples, and memoization decision tree