React Interview Questions

If you mean React Context instead of Redux, the main difference is:

React Context

Redux

Built into React

Separate library

Simple shared state

Complex application state

Less setup

More structure

Good for theme, locale, user/session UI state

Good for large, frequently changing shared state

No built-in middleware/devtools

Redux Toolkit has middleware, DevTools, RTK Query

Can cause broader re-renders if poorly structured

More optimized state subscriptions

React Context example

"use client";

import { createContext, useContext, useState } from "react";

type AuthContextType = {
  user: string | null;
  login: (name: string) => void;
  logout: () => void;
};

const AuthContext = createContext<AuthContextType | null>(null);

export function AuthProvider({
  children,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode;
}) {
  const [user, setUser] = useState<string | null>(null);

  const login = (name: string) => setUser(name);
  const logout = () => setUser(null);

  return (
    <AuthContext.Provider value={{ user, login, logout }}>
      {children}
    </AuthContext.Provider>
  );
}

export function useAuth() {
  const context = useContext(AuthContext);

  if (!context) {
    throw new Error("useAuth must be used within AuthProvider");
  }

  return context;
}

Then:

const { user, login, logout } = useAuth();

For a Next.js 16 application

I'd generally use:

• React Context → small/global client state

• useState / useReducer → component or feature state

• URL/search params → filter, pagination, sorting state

• Server Components → server-side data

• Redux Toolkit / RTK Query → only when application complexity genuinely justifies it

So if an interviewer asks "Can Redux be replaced with Context?", a good answer is:

Yes, for simpler state-management requirements. React Context provides dependency injection for shared state, but it isn't a complete replacement for Redux's architecture, middleware, debugging capabilities, and optimized subscription model. For simple global state, Context is often sufficient; for complex, highly shared state, Redux Toolkit can be a better choice.