Why I Stopped Using Redux for State Management

And why I switched to Zustand for most of my React projects

Thumbnail for Why I Stopped Using Redux for State Management

The Backstory

I used Redux for years. Actions, reducers, dispatch, selectors, and eventually Redux Toolkit I’ve shipped production apps with it and it worked. But over time, I started asking myself: do I really need all of this for every project? The answer, for most of what I build now, is no. That’s why I’ve largely switched to Zustand for client-side state, and I’m not looking back. This isn’t a “Redux is bad” post. It’s about fit: when Redux makes sense, when it doesn’t, and why Zustand has become my default for new React apps.

Why I Used Redux in the First Place

Redux gave me:

• Predictable state updates with a single store and clear data flow
• DevTools for time-travel debugging and inspecting every action
• Middleware for side effects (e.g. API calls, logging)
• Ecosystem and patterns that many developers already know

For large apps with lots of shared state and strict requirements (e.g. the multilanguage admin panel I wrote about earlier), Redux was a solid choice. The structure forced consistency and made onboarding easier once everyone learned the pattern.

What Started to Bother Me

1. Boilerplate

Even with Redux Toolkit, you still write slices, actions, and often selectors. For a simple “user preferences” or “UI panel open/closed” state, that’s a lot of files and ceremony.

Redux slice for simple UI state

// Redux: store/slices/uiSlice.ts
import { createSlice } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';

reconst uiSlice = createSlice({
name: 'ui',
initialState: { sidebarOpen: true, theme: 'light' },
reducers: {
  toggleSidebar: (state) => {
    state.sidebarOpen = !state.sidebarOpen;
  },
  setTheme: (state, action) => {
    state.theme = action.payload;
  },
},
});

export const { toggleSidebar, setTheme } = uiSlice.actions;
export default uiSlice.reducer;

Then you wire it into the store, and in components you use useSelector and useDispatch. For a handful of flags, it still feels heavy.

2. Mental Overhead

New devs (or me, after a break from a codebase) have to think: Where’s the action? Where’s the reducer? Which slice does this live in? That’s fine when the problem is complex; for “toggle sidebar” it’s more than I want to maintain.

3. Provider and Setup

You need a Provider around the app and a configured store. Not a dealbreaker, but it’s one more layer. In Next.js or when you’re composing many providers (theme, i18n, etc.), the tree gets noisy.

4. Not Everything Needs a Global Store

A lot of state is local (form fields, dropdown open state) or can be server state (React Query, SWR). I was putting things in Redux “just in case” we’d need them globally later. That led to a bloated store and unnecessary re-renders when we subscribed to big slices.

Why I Chose Zustand

Zustand is a small state library from the same ecosystem as React Three Fiber (Poimandres). It gives you a store with minimal API and no provider.

What I like about it

• Minimal boilerplate : One file, one function, and you have a store.
• No provider : You create a store and use it. No wrapping the app.
• Simple API : getState(), setState(), and a useStore hook. Easy to read and teach.
• TypeScript-friendly : Typing the store is straightforward.
• Small bundle : ~1–2 kB gzipped, so it doesn’t add much cost.
• Flexible : Use it for global state, or scope it to a part of the tree.

The same UI state in Zustand

Zustand store for UI state

// stores/useUIStore.ts
import { create } from 'zustand';

interface UIState {
sidebarOpen: boolean;
theme: 'light' | 'dark';
toggleSidebar: () => void;
setTheme: (theme: 'light' | 'dark') => void;
}

export const useUIStore = create<UIState>((set) => ({
sidebarOpen: true,
theme: 'light',
toggleSidebar: () => set((state) => ({ sidebarOpen: !state.sidebarOpen })),
setTheme: (theme) => set({ theme }),
}));

In a component:

Using the store in a component

// Component usage
function Sidebar() {
const { sidebarOpen, toggleSidebar } = useUIStore();

return (
  <aside className={sidebarOpen ? 'open' : 'closed'}>
    <button onClick={toggleSidebar}>Toggle</button>
  </aside>
);
}

No actions, no dispatch, no slice just a hook and plain functions. For me, that’s the right level of abstraction for most client state.

When I Still Consider Redux

I haven’t abandoned Redux entirely. I’d still lean toward it when:

• The team is large and already standardized on Redux : consistency matters more than my preference.
• We need advanced DevTools : time-travel and action replay can be worth the cost.
• We have complex middleware needs : sagas, strict logging, or very specific side-effect pipelines.
• The product is an existing Redux codebase : rewriting for Zustand isn’t always justified.

So: “stopped using” for new projects and smaller apps; “still use when it fits” for the rest.

Migrating from Redux to Zustand

If you’re thinking of trying Zustand in a Redux app:

1. Start at the edges : Pick one slice (e.g. UI or feature flags) and replace it with a Zustand store. Keep Redux for the rest.
2. Match the shape : Design the Zustand store so components can switch with minimal changes (same field names, similar “selectors” via the hook).
3. Split by domain : Use multiple small stores (e.g. useUIStore, useAuthStore) instead of one giant store. It keeps things readable and avoids unnecessary re-renders.
4. Use selectors : Zustand’s useStore(selector) only re-renders when the selected slice changes, similar to useSelector. Use it for performance.

Selector pattern to avoid unnecessary re-renders

// Selective subscription only re-render when theme changes
const theme = useUIStore((state) => state.theme);

Conclusion

I stopped defaulting to Redux because, for most of my projects, the benefits no longer outweighed the cost. Zustand gives me enough structure without the boilerplate, and I can move faster without sacrificing clarity. For new React apps, it’s my go-to for client state; for bigger or Redux-heavy codebases, I still choose Redux when the context demands it.If you’re on the fence, try Zustand in a small feature or a side project. You might find, like I did, that a lot of your state doesn’t need Redux’s power and that’s okay.

Thinking about state management for your app?

I can help you choose and implement the right approach.