How to Update from Mutations in React Query to Avoid Extra Network Requests?

Are you tired of dealing with unnecessary network requests in your React application? Do you want to optimize your app’s performance and provide a seamless user experience? If so, you’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll dive into the world of React Query and explore how to update from mutations to avoid extra network requests.

What are Mutations in React Query?

Mutations are a powerful feature in React Query that allow you to perform updates to your data on the server-side. They’re essentially a way to send a request to your server to update or create new data. Mutations are used in conjunction with Queries, which fetch data from the server.

However, when you perform a mutation, React Query will automatically re-run any queries that depend on the updated data. This can lead to extra network requests, which can be slow and inefficient. But fear not, dear reader! We’re about to learn how to update from mutations in React Query to avoid these extra network requests.

Why Do We Need to Update from Mutations?

When you perform a mutation, you’re updating data on the server-side. This means that your client-side data is now stale, and you need to update it to reflect the changes. If you don’t update your client-side data, you’ll end up with inconsistent data, which can lead to all sorts of problems.

Updating from mutations ensures that your client-side data is always up-to-date and consistent with the server-side data. This provides a better user experience, reduces errors, and makes your app more reliable.

The Problem: Extra Network Requests

So, why do we need to avoid extra network requests? Well, network requests can be slow and expensive. They can also lead to:

• Slow page loads
• Poor user experience
• Increased latency
• Higher server costs
• Inconsistent data

By updating from mutations, we can avoid these extra network requests and provide a faster, more efficient, and more reliable user experience.

The Solution: Update from Mutations

So, how do we update from mutations in React Query? There are several ways to do this, but we’ll focus on the most common approach: using the `update` function.

The `update` function is a built-in feature in React Query that allows you to update the cache with new data. When you perform a mutation, you can use the `update` function to update the cache with the new data, avoiding the need for an extra network request.

import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from 'react-query';

const { mutate } = useMutation('updateUser', async (data) => {
  // Perform the mutation
  const response = await fetch('/api/users', {
    method: 'PATCH',
    body: JSON.stringify(data),
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
  });

  // Get the updated user data
  const updatedUserData = await response.json();

  // Update the cache using the update function
  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
  queryClient.update('getUser', async () => {
    return updatedUserData;
  });
});

In the above example, we’re using the `useMutation` hook to perform a mutation to update a user. Once the mutation is complete, we use the `update` function to update the cache with the new user data. This ensures that the next time we fetch the user data, we’ll get the updated data from the cache, without making an extra network request.

Other Ways to Update from Mutations

While the `update` function is the most common way to update from mutations, there are other approaches you can take:

Using the `invalidate` Function

The `invalidate` function is another built-in feature in React Query that allows you to invalidate a query cache. When you invalidate a query cache, React Query will re-fetch the data from the server the next time the query is run.

import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from 'react-query';

const { mutate } = useMutation('updateUser', async (data) => {
  // Perform the mutation
  const response = await fetch('/api/users', {
    method: 'PATCH',
    body: JSON.stringify(data),
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
  });

  // Invalidate the cache using the invalidate function
  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
  queryClient.invalidate('getUser');
});

In the above example, we’re using the `invalidate` function to invalidate the `getUser` query cache. This ensures that the next time we fetch the user data, React Query will re-fetch the data from the server, rather than returning the stale data from the cache.

Using the `setQueryData` Function

The `setQueryData` function is another way to update the cache with new data. It’s similar to the `update` function, but it allows you to update the cache with new data for a specific query.

import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from 'react-query';

const { mutate } = useMutation('updateUser', async (data) => {
  // Perform the mutation
  const response = await fetch('/api/users', {
    method: 'PATCH',
    body: JSON.stringify(data),
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
  });

  // Get the updated user data
  const updatedUserData = await response.json();

  // Update the cache using the setQueryData function
  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
  queryClient.setQueryData('getUser', updatedUserData);
});

In the above example, we’re using the `setQueryData` function to update the cache with the new user data for the `getUser` query.

Best Practices for Updating from Mutations

Now that we’ve covered the different ways to update from mutations, let’s talk about some best practices to keep in mind:

1. Use the `update` function whenever possible: The `update` function is the most efficient way to update the cache with new data. It’s also the most flexible, as it allows you to update the cache with new data for a specific query or multiple queries.

2. Invalidate the cache when necessary: If you need to re-fetch the data from the server, use the `invalidate` function to invalidate the query cache. This ensures that React Query will re-fetch the data from the server, rather than returning the stale data from the cache.

3. Use the `setQueryData` function sparingly: The `setQueryData` function is useful when you need to update the cache with new data for a specific query. However, it’s less flexible than the `update` function, and can lead to inconsistencies if not used carefully.

4. Avoid updating the cache unnecessarily: Only update the cache when necessary. Updating the cache unnecessarily can lead to extra network requests and slow down your app.

5. Test your updates thoroughly: Make sure to test your updates thoroughly to ensure that they’re working correctly and efficiently. Use tools like React Query’s built-in debugging tools or third-party libraries like React DevTools to help you debug your app.

Conclusion

In conclusion, updating from mutations in React Query is a powerful way to optimize your app’s performance and provide a seamless user experience. By using the `update` function, `invalidate` function, or `setQueryData` function, you can ensure that your client-side data is always up-to-date and consistent with the server-side data.

Remember to follow best practices, such as using the `update` function whenever possible, invalidating the cache when necessary, and testing your updates thoroughly. By doing so, you’ll be able to provide a faster, more efficient, and more reliable user experience for your users.

So, what are you waiting for? Start optimizing your React app today and provide a better user experience for your users!

Method	Description
update function	Updates the cache with new data for a specific query or multiple queries.
invalidate function	Invalidates a query cache, causing React Query to re-fetch the data from the server.
setQueryData function	Updates the cache with new data for a specific query.

By following the instructions in this article, you should be able to update from mutations in React Query and avoid extra network requests. Happy coding!

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