Recompose
A utility library of helper functions for building React function components and higher-order components.
- Stars
- 14.8k
- Forks
- 1.2k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 4.2 years ago
- Type
- Library
This repository is archived and no longer maintained.
What it is
Recompose is a set of helper functions for React, described by its author as a utility belt, similar to lodash for React. It lets developers add state, props handling, and rendering optimizations to function components by wrapping them in higher-order components. The project is archived and its author recommends React Hooks for new code, though existing Recompose code still works.
- Add local state to a function component with withState() or withReducer()
- Wrap components with pure() or onlyUpdateForKeys() to limit unnecessary re-renders
- Compose several helpers into one reusable enhancer with compose()
- Use individual helpers such as getDisplayName() or shallowEqual() in your own libraries
Great for
- Developers maintaining existing React codebases that already use Recompose helpers
- Teams migrating older class-based or HoC-heavy React code step by step
- Developers who want to read how higher-order component patterns work
Not ideal for
- New projects: the author says Hooks solve the same problems and recommends them instead, and the project is archived
- Anyone needing new features or ongoing fixes, since the README says active maintenance has been discontinued
- Developers unfamiliar with React, since it assumes knowledge of components and higher-order components
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js and npm · React (a peer dependency)
Install from npm
npm install recompose --save - 2
Run it
- Install the package with npm install recompose --save
- Import the helpers you need, for example: import { compose, withState } from 'recompose'
- Wrap a function component with a helper such as withState('counter', 'setCounter', 0)
- Read docs/API.md for the full list of helpers and their arguments
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Import individual modules such as recompose/getDisplayName to keep bundles small
- Use a bundler with tree shaking support, such as webpack 2 or Rollup, as the README suggests
- Use compose() to chain helpers into a single enhancer, which the README describes as the preferred style
- Consult docs/flow.md if you use Flow type checking
Downloads
Strengths
- Provides many small, composable helpers for common React patterns in one package
- Supports tree shaking through ES2015 modules, which can reduce bundle size
- Works with normal React class components as well as function components
Trade-offs
- Archived and no longer actively maintained, so new React features and fixes are not expected
- The author has recommended React Hooks instead for new work
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.