Understanding the Difference Between useEffect and useLayoutEffect in React

React hooks revolutionized how we manage state and side effects in functional components. Among these hooks, useEffect and useLayoutEffect are two of the most commonly used for handling side effects in React applications. While both serve the purpose of executing side effects in a component, their behavior and use cases differ significantly.

In this blog, we’ll explore the key differences between useEffect and useLayoutEffect, diving deep into their purpose, execution order, practical use cases, and potential pitfalls.

What is useEffect?

useEffect is a React hook that performs side effects in functional components. Side effects can include tasks like data fetching, subscriptions, or manually changing the DOM.

Syntax:

useEffect(() => {
  // Your side effect logic
  return () => {
   // Cleanup logic (optional)
  };
}, [dependencies]);

Characteristics of useEffect:

1. Asynchronous Execution:

• useEffect does not block the rendering of the browser. It runs after the browser has painted the screen.
• This makes it ideal for tasks that do not need to block the visual rendering process, such…