Blog Post | Pixels and Grids

What is React Query?

React Query is a data-fetching and state management library for React. Instead of manually juggling useState, useEffect, and fetch calls (plus adding loading states, caching logic, and retries), React Query provides:

Automatic Caching: It stores fetched data so you don’t refetch unless necessary.

Background Updates: Data stays fresh without interrupting the UI.

Request Deduplication: Prevents multiple components from triggering duplicate API calls.

Error and Loading States out of the box: No boilerplate required.

Put simply, it manages server state so you can focus on building features, not reinventing the wheel.

Why We Use React Query at pxlsgrds

When building modern applications for our clients, we see recurring challenges:

How do we ensure fast performance even with slow APIs?

How do we keep data consistent across multiple components?

How do we scale apps quickly without rewriting core logic?

React Query solves these beautifully.

For example: We recently developed a Next.js app with Supabase and Prisma where multiple components were fetching user data. Instead of writing custom hooks for each case, React Query handled caching, refetching, and synchronization automatically — saving hours of development time and reducing bugs.

Core Features You’ll Love

useQuery for Fetching Data

import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query"; function UserProfile() { const { data, error, isLoading } = useQuery({ queryKey: ['user', 1], queryFn: () => fetch('/api/user/1').then(res => res.json()) }); if (isLoading) return

; if (error) return

Something went wrong!

; return

Hello, {data.name}

; }

useMutation for POST/PUT/DELETE Easily handle updates with instant feedback and rollback if something fails.

Built-in DevTools Debug your queries in real time with a visual panel.

Prefetching & Infinite Queries Ideal for apps with pagination or endless scrolling content.

React Query vs Redux

A common question: “Do I still need Redux?”

React Query doesn’t replace Redux entirely — they solve different problems.

Redux is great for client state (UI preferences, modals, local logic).

React Query shines for server state (data from APIs).

At pxlsgrds, we often use them together when apps need both global UI control and high-performance server data handling.

The Business Impact

For businesses, the benefits are tangible:

Faster development cycles → quicker time-to-market

Better app performance → happier users and higher retention

Lower maintenance costs → less boilerplate, fewer bugs

When clients partner with pxlsgrds, tools like React Query help us deliver robust, scalable solutions — whether you’re a startup testing an MVP or an enterprise scaling globally.

Final Thoughts

React Query is more than just a library — it’s a philosophy of treating server state as ephemeral, cacheable, and refreshable, rather than something you manually control.

At pxlsgrds, we’re excited by technologies that let us focus on building experiences rather than managing plumbing — and React Query fits perfectly into that vision.