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ReactHooksuseMemoPerformance

React useMemo Guide

Master React useMemo hook for optimizing expensive calculations and preventing unnecessary re-renders.

B
Bootspring Team
Engineering
August 16, 2018
7 min read

useMemo memoizes expensive calculations, recomputing only when dependencies change. Here's how to use it effectively.

Basic Usage#

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When to Use useMemo#

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Dependencies#

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useMemo vs useCallback#

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Referential Equality#

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Conditional Memoization#

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Lazy Initialization#

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Common Patterns#

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When NOT to Use useMemo#

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Debugging useMemo#

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Best Practices#

Use useMemo When: ✓ Expensive calculations ✓ Referential equality matters ✓ Preventing child re-renders ✓ Deriving complex state Don't Use When: ✗ Simple calculations ✗ Primitive values ✗ Computation is cheap ✗ Value isn't used in renders Dependencies: ✓ Include all values used inside ✓ Use specific properties, not objects ✓ Consider dependency stability ✓ Use ESLint exhaustive-deps rule Performance: ✓ Profile before optimizing ✓ Measure actual impact ✓ Consider component structure ✓ Don't over-optimize

Conclusion#

useMemo optimizes performance by memoizing expensive calculations and maintaining referential equality. Use it for computationally heavy operations, when passing objects/arrays to memoized children, or when deriving complex state. Always include all dependencies and profile your app to ensure memoization actually helps. Remember: premature optimization is the root of all evil - measure first, optimize second.

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