useEffect Is Not the Solution to Every Problem

When learning React, useEffect often feels like the most powerful tool.

Fetching data → useEffect
Tracking state → useEffect
Running calculations → useEffect

After a while, everything starts going inside useEffect.

The problem is simple:
useEffect is powerful, but like any powerful tool, it can introduce complexity when overused.

Why useEffect Gets Overused

useEffect is often used for:

• Derived state

• State synchronization

• Simple calculations

Example:

const [fullName, setFullName] = useState("");

useEffect(() => {
  setFullName(firstName + " " + lastName);
}, [firstName, lastName]);

This works. But it's unnecessary.

Because the value is already derived from existing data.

A simpler solution:

const fullName = `${firstName} ${lastName}`;

This approach:

• Reduces state

• Reduces renders

• Reduces bug risk

Small differences like this become significant in large applications.

How useEffect Adds Complexity

Over time, structures like this appear:

• useEffect updates state

• state triggers render

• render triggers another useEffect

As this chain grows, you start seeing:

• Infinite render risks

• Hard-to-debug bugs

• Unexpected UI behavior

This is especially common in large applications.

What useEffect Is Actually For

useEffect is designed to handle side effects:

• API calls

• Event listeners

• Timers / intervals

• DOM manipulation

• External library integrations

These are valid useEffect use cases.

But using useEffect for something that can be calculated during render usually introduces unnecessary complexity.

useEffect Approach Changes Over Time

One thing I noticed over time:

As projects grow, useEffect usage becomes more deliberate.

What initially looks like a solution,
can later make component behavior harder to reason about.

• useEffect updates state

• state triggers render

• render triggers another useEffect

As this chain grows, component behavior becomes harder to track.

So I often ask myself:

"Do I really need useEffect here?"

Most of the time, the answer is no.
And usually there's a simpler solution.

Less state
Less useEffect
More predictable components

As projects grow, this approach becomes more valuable.

Conclusion

useEffect is one of React's most powerful tools.
But like any powerful tool, it should be used carefully.

Instead of solving everything with useEffect:

• Keep state minimal

• Avoid derived state

• Prefer render-time calculations

These approaches usually lead to more maintainable components.

Good engineering in React is often not about adding more logic,
but reducing unnecessary complexity.

useEffect is one of the best examples of this.