ReactJS Flux Concept

Flux is an architectural pattern used in ReactJS. ReactJS is a library for building user interfaces, and it doesn’t include any built-in data management mechanisms. Flux is designed to solve the problem of managing data flow in ReactJS applications.

Syntax

The Flux architecture consists of several components:

• Actions: Actions are objects that represent the occurred events in an application. They send data from your application to stores.

• Dispatcher: Dispatcher is a central hub that receives actions and sends them to the appropriate store.

• Stores: Stores are responsible for managing application state and handling actions. They send updates to views when new data is available.

• Views: Views are React components that render the UI based on the application state.

Example

import { Dispatcher } from 'flux';

const AppDispatcher = new Dispatcher();

AppDispatcher.register((action) => {
  switch (action.actionType) {
    case 'DO_SOMETHING':
      // Do something
      break;
    default:
      // Do nothing
  }
});

Output

The output of the above example is the AppDispatcher instance with a registered handler to handle actions.

Explanation

Flux is a process that emphasizes unidirectional data flow and a centralized dispatcher to manage all data connections. Instead of having multiple components update the application state through various events, Flux has a single dispatcher that controls all state changes through its actions and stores.

When a user interacts with the view, the view creates an action that is dispatched by the dispatcher. The dispatcher then sends the action to the appropriate store, which updates the state and re-renders the view. This unidirectional flow ensures that state management is predictable and that changes to the application state can be traced easily.

Use

Flux is useful when building large-scale applications that require complex data management. It simplifies the data flow by preventing multiple components from accessing and updating the same state.

Important Points

• Flux architecture enforces a unidirectional data flow.
• Flux has four main components i.e. Actions, Dispatcher, Stores, and Views.
• Views dispatch actions to the Dispatcher, which in turn sends them to the stores.
• Stores update their data according to the received actions and emit a change event to notify the views to re-render.
• Flux makes application data flow predictable and easy to understand.

Summary

Flux is a popular architectural pattern that is widely used in ReactJS. It offers a simple but effective way to manage application state and data flow. With Flux, you can build applications that are reliable, predictable, and easy to maintain.