Using `useCallback` Correctly in a Simple Next.js 13 Component

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use the useCallback hook correctly in a simple Next.js 13 component with a button. The useCallback hook is essential for optimizing the performance of your React applications, as it helps you avoid unnecessary re-renders by memoizing your callback functions.

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of React and React Hooks
Familiarity with Next.js
Node.js and npm installed on your machine

Setting up a Next.js 13 project

First, let’s set up a new Next.js 13 project by running the following command:

npx create-next-app my-next-app
cd my-next-app

Creating the `Counter` component

Now, let’s create a simple Counter component that will demonstrate the use of useCallback. Inside the components folder, create a new file named Counter.js.

Paste the following code into the Counter.js file:

import { useState, useCallback } from 'react';

const Counter = () => {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const increment = useCallback(() => {
    setCount((prevCount) => prevCount + 1);
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>Count: {count}</h2>
      <button onClick={increment}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Counter;

In this component, we have:

Imported the useState and useCallback hooks from React.
Created a state variable count with an initial value of 0.
Defined an increment function using the useCallback hook that increments the count state by 1.
Returned a JSX markup with a header displaying the count value and a button that triggers the increment function.

The useCallback hook takes two arguments:

The callback function you want to memoize.
An array of dependencies.

In our case, we pass an empty array [] as the dependencies since our increment function does not rely on any external variables. This means the increment function will be memoized and not recreated during re-renders, thus avoiding unnecessary re-renders of the component.

Using the `Counter` component in the main page

Finally, let’s use the Counter component in our main page. Open the pages/index.js file and modify its content as follows:

import Head from 'next/head';
import Counter from '../components/Counter';

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>Next.js 13 useCallback Example</title>
      </Head>
      <main>
        <h1>Next.js 13 useCallback Example</h1>
        <Counter />
      </main>
    </div>
  );
}

Now, start the development server with:

npm run dev

Navigate to http://localhost:3000 in your browser, and you’ll see the Counter component in action.

That’s it! You’ve successfully created a simple Next.js 13 component using the useCallback hook to optimize its performance.

Using useCallback Correctly in a Simple Next.js 13 Component