When should I use the Effect Hook in React?

When should I use the Effect Hook in React?

The Effect Hook, or useEffect, is used to perform side effects in functional components. You should use it when you need to manage things like data fetching, subscriptions, or manually changing the DOM.

Can you give me an example of a side effect?

Sure! A common example is fetching data from an API. You can use useEffect to call the API when the component mounts and then update the state with the fetched data.

What happens if I don't use it for side effects?

If you don't use useEffect for side effects, your component may not behave as expected. For instance, data fetching might not occur, or you could end up with memory leaks from subscriptions that aren't cleaned up.

How do I clean up effects?

You can return a cleanup function from your useEffect callback. This function will run when the component unmounts or before the effect runs again, allowing you to clean up resources like subscriptions.