The 2025 Guide to State Management in Frontend Applications

Choosing a state management library can be one of the most critical architectural decisions for a new frontend project. For years, Redux was the undisputed king for large-scale applications, offering a predictable state container with powerful dev tools. However, its boilerplate and complexity have led developers to seek simpler alternatives. Enter libraries like Zustand and Jotai. Zustand provides a minimal, hook-based API that feels very similar to React's built-in state but with the power of a centralized store. Jotai takes an atom-based approach, allowing you to create small, independent pieces of state that can be composed together, reducing unnecessary re-renders. More recently, the concept of Signals (popularized by SolidJS and Preact) has gained traction. Signals offer fine-grained reactivity, updating only the specific parts of the DOM that depend on a piece of state, which can lead to incredible performance. While still emerging in the React ecosystem, they represent a fascinating new direction. For most new projects today, starting with Zustand offers a fantastic balance of power and simplicity.