List of React Best Practices 2026:

Component & Code Quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolute imports over relative (tsconfig paths)

Barrel exports (index.ts) for clean imports

Feature-based folder structure over Type-based

Colocate component, hook, test & style files

Meaningful component & variable naming

ESLint + Prettier + Husky setup

Strict TypeScript mode

Hooks Usage Rules ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Never call Hooks inside loops or conditions

Avoid overusing useEffect (use derived state instead)

useMemo & useCallback only when measurably needed

useRef for mutable values that shouldn't trigger re-render

State Rules ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Local state first, lift only when needed

URL as State (search params) for shareable UI state

Never store derived data in state

Server state & client state - always keep separate

JSX & Rendering Rules ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Never use array index as key prop

Avoid anonymous functions in JSX props

Avoid object/array literals directly in JSX props

Always handle loading, error & empty states

Security ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Avoid…