When would you use React Context vs Zustand vs Redux for state management?

Question

At a growing startup: "Started with useState, then Context, now need more. Team split between Redux and Zustand."

Interview OS Community · Accepted Answer

## State Management Spectrum

| Solution | Best For |
|----------|----------|
| useState/useReducer | Component-level |
| Context + useReducer | Theme, auth (changes infrequently) |
| Zustand | Medium apps, shared state |
| Redux Toolkit | Large teams, complex state |

**Context problem**: Re-renders ALL consumers on any change.

**Zustand** (recommended for Interview OS):
```tsx
const useStore = create((set) => ({
  applications: [],
  addApp: (app) => set(s => ({ applications: [...s.applications, app] })),
}));
const apps = useStore(s => s.applications); // Selective re-render
```

No providers needed, minimal boilerplate, great DX. Only use Redux if you need DevTools tracing or team has Redux experience.

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When would you use React Context vs Zustand vs Redux for state management?

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State Management Spectrum

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