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React Native Academy · Lección

El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias

Comprenda cuándo se ejecuta useEffect, contrólelo mediante un array de dependencias y limpie suscripciones o temporizadores devolviendo una función de limpieza.

El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias es una lección gratuita de React Native Academy en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 1 de 4. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de React Native Academy, y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.

Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.

What is useEffect?

useEffect lets function components perform side effects: fetching data, setting up subscriptions, manipulating the DOM, starting timers, or calling native APIs. Side effects cannot be run directly in the render function because renders must be pure. useEffect runs after the component renders to the screen.

import { useEffect } from 'react';

function App() {
  useEffect(() => {
    console.log('Component rendered');
    // Side effects go here
  });
}

The Dependency Array

The second argument to useEffect is the dependency array. React uses it to decide when to re-run the effect. If the dependency array is omitted, the effect runs after every render. If it is empty ([]), the effect runs once after the initial render. If it contains values, the effect re-runs whenever any of those values change.

// Runs after every render
useEffect(() => { ... });

// Runs once on mount
useEffect(() => { ... }, []);

// Runs on mount and whenever userId changes
useEffect(() => { ... }, [userId]);

Fetching Data on Mount

The most common useEffect pattern is fetching data when a component first mounts. Pass an empty dependency array to ensure the fetch runs exactly once. Store the result in state and render it in the JSX. React calls the effect after the initial paint, so the component renders once with empty/loading state before the data arrives.

function PostsScreen() {
  const [posts, setPosts] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {
    fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts')
      .then((res) => res.json())
      .then((data) => setPosts(data));
  }, []); // empty array = run once on mount

  return <FlatList data={posts} ... />;
}

Reactive Dependencies

When you want the effect to re-run whenever a value changes (like a search query or a user ID), list that value in the dependency array. React compares each dependency with its previous value after every render, and if any have changed, it re-runs the effect. This creates a reactive data flow: UI event → state update → effect re-runs.

function UserProfile({ userId }) {
  const [user, setUser] = useState(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    fetch('/api/users/' + userId)
      .then((res) => res.json())
      .then((data) => setUser(data));
  }, [userId]); // re-fetch whenever userId changes

  if (!user) return <ActivityIndicator />;
  return <Text>{user.name}</Text>;
}

The Cleanup Function

Return a function from your effect to perform cleanup. React calls this cleanup function before re-running the effect (on dependency changes) and when the component unmounts. Use it to cancel subscriptions, clear timers, or abort fetch requests to prevent memory leaks and state updates on unmounted components.

useEffect(() => {
  const timer = setInterval(() => {
    setTime(Date.now());
  }, 1000);

  return () => clearInterval(timer); // cleanup on unmount or re-run
}, []);

Cancelling Fetch Requests with AbortController

When a component unmounts before a fetch completes, React will warn about updating state on an unmounted component. Use the AbortController to cancel the in-flight fetch in the cleanup function. Catching the abort error (which is an AbortError) prevents it from being logged as an unexpected error.

useEffect(() => {
  const controller = new AbortController();

  fetch('/api/data', { signal: controller.signal })
    .then((res) => res.json())
    .then((data) => setData(data))
    .catch((err) => {
      if (err.name !== 'AbortError') setError(err);
    });

  return () => controller.abort();
}, []);

Running Code Only on Unmount

To run code only when the component unmounts (like unsubscribing from an event listener), return a cleanup function from a useEffect with an empty dependency array. React calls the cleanup only when the component leaves the tree, never on subsequent renders.

useEffect(() => {
  const subscription = eventEmitter.addListener('change', handler);

  return () => {
    subscription.remove(); // only on unmount
  };
}, []); // empty array = mount-only effect

Multiple useEffect Calls

You can and should use multiple useEffect calls in one component — one for each independent side effect. React runs them in the order they appear after every render. Keeping effects separated by concern makes the code easier to read and avoids complex dependency arrays that mix unrelated logic.

// Effect 1: fetch user data
useEffect(() => {
  fetchUser(userId).then(setUser);
}, [userId]);

// Effect 2: analytics page view
useEffect(() => {
  analytics.logScreenView('Profile');
}, []);

// Effect 3: sync title to header
useEffect(() => {
  navigation.setOptions({ title: user?.name ?? 'Profile' });
}, [user, navigation]);

Dependency Pitfalls: Missing Dependencies

A common bug is omitting a dependency from the array. The effect captures a stale value of the missing dependency and runs with outdated data. Always include every value from the component scope that is read inside the effect. ESLint's react-hooks/exhaustive-deps rule catches these automatically.

// Bug: fetchUser uses userId but it is not in deps
// If userId changes, the effect still runs with the old userId
useEffect(() => {
  fetchUser(userId).then(setUser);
}, []); // Missing userId!

// Correct:
useEffect(() => {
  fetchUser(userId).then(setUser);
}, [userId]);

Avoiding Infinite Loops

If your effect updates state that is also listed as a dependency, you get an infinite loop: render → effect → state update → render → effect → .... Guard against this with a condition inside the effect, or restructure so the effect does not trigger the state update that caused it to run.

// Infinite loop: effect updates 'count' which is in deps
useEffect(() => {
  setCount(count + 1); // triggers re-render → effect runs again
}, [count]);

// Fix: use functional updater — no need to list count as dep
useEffect(() => {
  setCount((c) => c + 1);
}, []); // only runs once

Comparing Effects to Lifecycle Methods

useEffect replaces all three classic class component lifecycle methods: componentDidMount (empty deps array), componentDidUpdate (with deps), and componentWillUnmount (cleanup function). One hook handles all three phases, keeping related logic together rather than spread across three separate methods.

useEffect(() => {
  // componentDidMount equivalent — fetch initial data
  fetchData();

  return () => {
    // componentWillUnmount equivalent — cancel subscriptions
    cancelSubscription();
  };
}, []); // runs once on mount, cleanup on unmount

Quick Check

Test your understanding of the useEffect hook and dependency arrays from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

In this lesson you learned: useEffect runs side effects after render, the dependency array controls when the effect re-runs — empty means once on mount, and return a cleanup function to cancel subscriptions, timers, and fetch requests on unmount. Next up we make GET requests with Axios inside useEffect.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿La lección «El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias» es gratis?

Sí — el texto completo de «El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de React Native Academy, actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.

¿Qué aprenderé en «El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias»?

Comprenda cuándo se ejecuta useEffect, contrólelo mediante un array de dependencias y limpie suscripciones o temporizadores devolviendo una función de limpieza. Practicas React Native Academy con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.

¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar React Native Academy?

No se requiere experiencia previa. React Native Academy en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 1 de 4.

¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias»?

La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.

¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de React Native Academy?

Sí. Cada lección de React Native Academy incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.

Todas las lecciones de este curso

  1. El hook useEffect y los arrays de dependencias
  2. Realización de solicitudes GET con Axios
  3. Gestión de los estados de carga y error
  4. POST, PUT y DELETE con Axios
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