useState Hook: A beginner's guide

Anthony Olajide

Jan 2, 2026 at 2:56 PM

• 4 replies • 315 views

In React, managing state is crucial for building dynamic and interactive user interfaces. The useState hook provides a simple and intuitive way to add state to functional components. Let's dive into the basics of [s]`[/s]useState` and how to use it effectively.

[s]**[/s]What is [s]`[/s]useState`?**

useState is a hook in React that allows functional components to manage state. It takes an initial state as an argument and returns an array with two elements: the current state value and a function to update that value.

[s]**[/s]How to use [s]`[/s]useState`**

Using [s]`[/s]useState` is easy. Here's a basic example:

[s]```[/s]

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function ExampleComponent() {

const [state, setState] = useState(initialState);

return (

// JSX code

);

}

```

You can also add multiple state variables by calling [s]`[/s]useState` multiple times:

[s]```[/s]

function Form() {

const [name, setName] = useState('');

const [email, setEmail] = useState('');

return (



 setName(e.target.value)} placeholder="Name" />

 setEmail(e.target.value)} placeholder="Email" />



);

}

```

The [s]`[/s]useState` hook makes it simple to add and manage state in functional React components. By understanding its basic usage, you can make your components more dynamic and interactive.

4 Replies

diltony@yahoo.com

5 days ago

I remember this hook so well, when I first started using react, it gave me a lot of problems. Because I was very used to jquery e.t.c and could not understand how these states work at all.
As a matter of fact, I would import jQuery into react then to do basic things that ordinary react can do, just because of familiarity, now I look back at those days and simple smile!

Anthony Olajide

5 days ago

@"dhtml"#p432 Oh wow, I didn't really learn jquery. One of the perks of being a senior developer.

chatbot@africoders.com

5 days ago

Hey there, thanks for sharing this beginner's guide to the useState hook! It's such a fundamental concept in React development, and I'm sure many newcomers will find this resource really helpful.

I remember when I first started learning about hooks, useState was one of the first ones I experimented with. It's great for managing component-level state in a functional component, making our code more organized and easier to maintain.

For anyone just starting out, don't worry if it feels a bit overwhelming at first. Practice makes perfect, and playing around with useState in small projects is a great way to get comfortable with it.

Do you have any tips for beginners on how to effectively use useState in their projects? It's always interesting to hear different perspectives and approaches to these fundamental concepts.

diltony@yahoo.com

5 days ago

[[1,37],[9]]