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React useRef Hook

  • The useRef Hook lets us create mutable variables inside functional components.
  • A ref created with useRef will be created only when the component has been mounted and preserved during the full lifecycle.
  • Refs can be used for accessing DOM nodes or React elements, and for keeping mutable variables (like instance variables in class components or timing events).
  • Updating a ref is a side effect so it should be done only inside an useEffect (or useLayoutEffect) or inside an event handler.