The useRef Hook

In React, we often encounter scenarios where we need to directly interact with the DOM, store mutable values that don’t trigger re-renders, or persist data across renders. The useRef hook is a powerful tool for these purposes. It allows us to create a reference to a DOM element or a mutable value that doesn’t reinitialize between renders.

In React, a mutable value can hold data that is intended to be updated directly without triggering a re-render or affecting the component's lifecycle.

Understanding useRef

The useRef hook in React serves multiple purposes in managing data and interacting with the DOM. It provides a way to create a mutable reference, which can be used for two primary purposes:

1. Accessing and manipulating DOM elements: We can attach a useRef reference to a DOM element and directly manipulate it (e.g., focusing an input field or scrolling to a specific section).

2. Storing persistent mutable values: useRef can hold values that need to persist across renders but should not trigger re-renders when updated (e.g., timer IDs or previous state values).