React Performance Optimization Guide
🎯 Core Concepts Every Software Engineer Should Know
1. React Rendering Cycle Understanding
- Problem: All children re-render when the parent re-renders.
- Why It Matters: Default behavior in React can cause unnecessary performance hits.
2. useMemo - Expensive Calculation Optimization
- Caches results of expensive calculations until dependencies change.
- Use for: sorting large arrays, complex calculations, creating objects/arrays passed as
props.
3. useCallback - Function Reference Optimization
- Prevents functions from being recreated every render, avoiding unnecessary child re-
renders.
4. Throttling & Debouncing - Event Optimization
- Throttling: Limit executions per time interval.
- Debouncing: Delay execution until after a quiet period.
5. React.memo - Component Re-render Prevention
- Prevents child re-render if props haven't changed.
6. Virtual Scrolling - Large List Optimization
- Render only visible items using react-window or similar.
7. Code Splitting - Bundle Size Optimization
- Lazy load components/routes to reduce initial bundle size.
🎯 Developer vs Software Engineer Mindset
- Developer: "Does it work?"
- Software Engineer: "Does it scale, perform, and handle load?"
📊 Performance Metrics to Track
- Runtime: TTI, FCP, LCP, CLS
- Memory: Heap size, DOM node count, listener count
- Network: Bundle size, request count, TTFB
Tools for Performance Analysis
- Browser DevTools
- React DevTools Profiler
- Webpack Bundle Analyzer
🚀 Progressive Optimization Strategy
1. Measure First
2. Apply Low-Hanging Fruit optimizations
3. Advanced Optimizations
4. Continuous Monitoring
💡 Key Takeaways
- Measure before optimizing
- UX > code elegance
- Performance is a feature
