Building Reusable Components

Overview

Building reusable components is essential for maintaining a scalable frontend codebase. This guide covers component design patterns, composition strategies, and best practices.

Component Design Principles

Single Responsibility

Each component should do one thing well. If a component becomes too complex, break it into smaller pieces.

Props Interface

Design clear, typed interfaces for your component props. This makes components self-documenting and easier to use.

Composition Over Configuration

Prefer composing smaller components rather than creating large, configurable components with many props.

Creating a Basic Component

import { ReactNode } from 'react';

interface ButtonProps {
  children: ReactNode;
  variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary' | 'outline';
  size?: 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg';
  disabled?: boolean;
  onClick?: () => void;
}

export function Button({
  children,
  variant = 'primary',
  size = 'md',
  disabled = false,
  onClick
}: ButtonProps) {
  const baseStyles = 'rounded font-medium transition-colors focus:outline-none focus:ring-2';
  
  const variantStyles = {
    primary: 'bg-blue-600 text-white hover:bg-blue-700 focus:ring-blue-500',
    secondary: 'bg-gray-600 text-white hover:bg-gray-700 focus:ring-gray-500',
    outline: 'border-2 border-blue-600 text-blue-600 hover:bg-blue-50 focus:ring-blue-500'
  };
  
  const sizeStyles = {
    sm: 'px-3 py-1.5 text-sm',
    md: 'px-4 py-2 text-base',
    lg: 'px-6 py-3 text-lg'
  };
  
  return (
    <button
      className={`${baseStyles} ${variantStyles[variant]} ${sizeStyles[size]}`}
      disabled={disabled}
      onClick={onClick}
    >
      {children}
    </button>
  );
}

Use TypeScript interfaces to define props. This provides autocomplete and type safety when using components.

Compound Components Pattern

Compound components work together to form a complete UI element. This pattern provides flexibility while maintaining a clean API.

import { ReactNode, createContext, useContext } from 'react';

interface CardContextValue {
  variant: 'default' | 'elevated' | 'outlined';
}

const CardContext = createContext<CardContextValue>({ variant: 'default' });

interface CardProps {
  children: ReactNode;
  variant?: 'default' | 'elevated' | 'outlined';
  className?: string;
}

export function Card({ children, variant = 'default', className = '' }: CardProps) {
  const variantStyles = {
    default: 'bg-white border border-gray-200',
    elevated: 'bg-white shadow-lg',
    outlined: 'bg-transparent border-2 border-gray-300'
  };
  
  return (
    <CardContext.Provider value={{ variant }}>
      <div className={`rounded-lg ${variantStyles[variant]} ${className}`}>
        {children}
      </div>
    </CardContext.Provider>
  );
}

interface CardHeaderProps {
  children: ReactNode;
  className?: string;
}

Card.Header = function CardHeader({ children, className = '' }: CardHeaderProps) {
  return (
    <div className={`px-6 py-4 border-b border-gray-200 ${className}`}>
      {children}
    </div>
  );
};

interface CardBodyProps {
  children: ReactNode;
  className?: string;
}

Card.Body = function CardBody({ children, className = '' }: CardBodyProps) {
  return (
    <div className={`px-6 py-4 ${className}`}>
      {children}
    </div>
  );
};

interface CardFooterProps {
  children: ReactNode;
  className?: string;
}

Card.Footer = function CardFooter({ children, className = '' }: CardFooterProps) {
  return (
    <div className={`px-6 py-4 border-t border-gray-200 ${className}`}>
      {children}
    </div>
  );
};

Compound components provide a flexible API that’s easy to understand and use. Users can compose the parts they need without dealing with complex prop configurations.

Render Props Pattern

Render props allow you to share logic between components while giving consumers full control over rendering.

import { ReactNode, useEffect, useState } from 'react';

interface DataLoaderProps<T> {
  url: string;
  children: (data: {
    data: T | null;
    loading: boolean;
    error: Error | null;
    refetch: () => void;
  }) => ReactNode;
}

export function DataLoader<T>({ url, children }: DataLoaderProps<T>) {
  const [data, setData] = useState<T | null>(null);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
  const [error, setError] = useState<Error | null>(null);
  
  const fetchData = async () => {
    try {
      setLoading(true);
      setError(null);
      const response = await fetch(url);
      if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
      const result = await response.json();
      setData(result);
    } catch (err) {
      setError(err as Error);
    } finally {
      setLoading(false);
    }
  };
  
  useEffect(() => {
    fetchData();
  }, [url]);
  
  return <>{children({ data, loading, error, refetch: fetchData })}</>;
}

Custom Hooks for Reusable Logic

Extract component logic into custom hooks for maximum reusability.

useToggle.ts

import { useState, useCallback } from 'react';

export function useToggle(initialValue = false) {
  const [value, setValue] = useState(initialValue);
  
  const toggle = useCallback(() => {
    setValue(v => !v);
  }, []);
  
  const setTrue = useCallback(() => {
    setValue(true);
  }, []);
  
  const setFalse = useCallback(() => {
    setValue(false);
  }, []);
  
  return { value, toggle, setTrue, setFalse };
}

Modal.tsx

import { ReactNode } from 'react';
import { useToggle } from './useToggle';

interface ModalProps {
  trigger: (open: () => void) => ReactNode;
  children: ReactNode;
  title: string;
}

export function Modal({ trigger, children, title }: ModalProps) {
  const { value: isOpen, setTrue: open, setFalse: close } = useToggle();
  
  if (!isOpen) return <>{trigger(open)}</>;
  
  return (
    <>
      {trigger(open)}
      <div className="fixed inset-0 bg-black bg-opacity-50 flex items-center justify-center">
        <div className="bg-white rounded-lg p-6 max-w-md w-full">
          <div className="flex justify-between items-center mb-4">
            <h2 className="text-xl font-bold">{title}</h2>
            <button onClick={close} className="text-gray-500 hover:text-gray-700">
              ✕
            </button>
          </div>
          {children}
        </div>
      </div>
    </>
  );
}

Avoid creating too many abstraction layers. Sometimes a simple component is better than a highly abstracted one. Balance reusability with simplicity.

Component Testing

Test components to ensure they work as expected and remain stable during refactoring.

Button.test.tsx

import { render, screen, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';
import { Button } from './Button';

describe('Button', () => {
  it('renders children correctly', () => {
    render(<Button>Click me</Button>);
    expect(screen.getByText('Click me')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });
  
  it('calls onClick when clicked', () => {
    const handleClick = jest.fn();
    render(<Button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</Button>);
    
    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('Click me'));
    expect(handleClick).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
  });
  
  it('does not call onClick when disabled', () => {
    const handleClick = jest.fn();
    render(<Button onClick={handleClick} disabled>Click me</Button>);
    
    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('Click me'));
    expect(handleClick).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
  });
  
  it('applies correct variant styles', () => {
    const { rerender } = render(<Button variant="primary">Button</Button>);
    const button = screen.getByText('Button');
    
    expect(button).toHaveClass('bg-blue-600');
    
    rerender(<Button variant="outline">Button</Button>);
    expect(button).toHaveClass('border-2');
  });
});

Best Practices

Performance
Accessibility
Maintainability

Use React.memo() for expensive components that receive the same props frequently
Memoize callbacks with useCallback when passing to child components
Use useMemo for expensive computations
Lazy load components that aren’t immediately needed

import { memo } from 'react';

export const ExpensiveComponent = memo(function ExpensiveComponent({ data }) {
  // Component implementation
});

Use semantic HTML elements
Add ARIA labels where needed
Ensure keyboard navigation works
Test with screen readers

<button
  aria-label="Close dialog"
  onClick={onClose}
  className="close-button"
>
  ✕
</button>

Keep components small and focused
Use consistent naming conventions
Document complex logic with comments
Extract magic numbers into constants

const MAX_ITEMS = 10;
const ANIMATION_DURATION = 300;

// Clear, self-documenting code

Next Steps

Explore Data Fetching patterns for loading data in components
Learn about Form Handling for building interactive forms
Check out Authentication for protecting components

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Development

Guides

Overview

Component Design Principles

Creating a Basic Component

Compound Components Pattern

Render Props Pattern

Custom Hooks for Reusable Logic

Component Testing

Best Practices

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Development

Guides

​Overview

​Component Design Principles

​Creating a Basic Component

​Compound Components Pattern

​Render Props Pattern

​Custom Hooks for Reusable Logic

​Component Testing

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Component Design Principles

Creating a Basic Component

Compound Components Pattern

Render Props Pattern

Custom Hooks for Reusable Logic

Component Testing

Best Practices

Next Steps