Leverage CSS Variables or React Context – Pros and Cons

Using CSS Variables Instead of React Context

When writing React applications, it can be beneficial to use CSS variables instead of React context. This approach allows developers to manage a single application-wide set of variables that can be quickly accessed and easily updated. It also removes the need for redundant code since all variables are stored in one place.

To begin using CSS variables in your React application, first define the variables in a separate style sheet:

:root {
  --primary-color: #07c;
  --secondary-color: #333;
  --text-color: #000;
}

With the variables defined, they can then be referenced in your React components like so:

const Component = () => (

);

CSS variables can also be used with state. If you want to update the value of a variable, simply call setState within your component and update the property:

const [textColor, setTextColor] = useState('#000'); 

// ...

return (

);

Using CSS variables helps to simplify applications by centrally storing all of the application-level variables and providing easy access to them. Instead of searching through multiple files or folders to find what you're looking for, you can simply reference the variable from the document root.