useHooks
A set of ready-made React hooks for common UI and browser tasks, built to be safe on the server.
- Stars
- 11.5k
- Forks
- 588
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- MDX
- Last update
- 1.5 years ago
- Type
- Library
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
useHooks is an npm package of reusable React hooks, small functions that add common behavior to React components, such as tracking window size, debouncing input, or storing values in local storage. It is published by the ui.dev team and is described as server-safe, meaning its hooks are meant to work when React renders on a server. Developers use it to avoid writing these common pieces from scratch.
- Track window size or scroll position with useWindowSize or useWindowScroll
- Debounce or throttle user input with useDebounce or useThrottle
- Save and read values in browser storage with useLocalStorage or useSessionStorage
- Detect clicks outside a element with useClickAway or visibility changes with useVisibilityChange
- Lock page scrolling while a modal is open with useLockBodyScroll
Great for
- React developers who want ready-made hooks for common browser tasks
- Teams building apps with React v18.0.0 or newer
- Developers who want to learn from a documented set of hook implementations
- Projects that need server-safe hooks for server-rendered React
Not ideal for
- Developers not using React, since every hook is written for React
- Projects on React versions older than v18.0.0, which the README says is the compatibility floor
- Teams that need the experimental hooks in production, since they are installed from a separate experimental tag and may change
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js and npm · React v18.0.0 or newer
Install the standard hooks
npm i @uidotdev/usehooksInstall the experimental hooks (pre-release React)
npm i @uidotdev/usehooks@experimental react@experimental react-dom@experimental - 2
Run it
- Install the package with npm i @uidotdev/usehooks
- Import a hook, for example useWindowSize, from @uidotdev/usehooks
- Call the hook inside a React function component
- Check the hook's page on usehooks.com for its exact arguments and return values
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Browse the per-hook pages on usehooks.com for usage examples and options
- Use useLocalStorage or useSessionStorage to persist simple UI state between visits
- Combine useDebounce with search inputs to limit how often requests fire
- Read the source of hooks you use to understand how they work
Downloads
Strengths
- Covers many common browser and UI needs in one package
- Documented hook by hook on the project website
- Explicitly designed to be server-safe and is MIT licensed
Trade-offs
- The README is short and does not explain each hook's API, so details are on the linked per-hook pages
- Experimental hooks require installing pre-release versions of React, which adds risk
- Maintenance activity is not fully clear from the README alone; the last push date is May 2025
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| usehooks (this) | 11.5k | Library | beginner | 1.5 years ago | React developers who want ready-made hooks for common browser tasks |
| swr | 32.5k | Library | intermediate | 20 days ago | React developers who fetch data from APIs in components |
| NotionNext | 11.9k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Writers who already keep their posts in Notion and want a website without moving content |
| zustand | 58.9k | Library | beginner | 15 days ago | React developers who want simpler shared state than Redux |
| react-hook-form | 44.9k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | React developers building forms with several fields |
| table | 28.5k | Library | intermediate | 15 days ago | Developers building custom data tables in React, Vue, Solid, Svelte or another supported framework |
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.