Comparing
Hooks for managing, caching and syncing asynchronous and remote data in React
Python client for Redis — the in-memory data store for caching, pub/sub, and queues.
| Metric | react-query | redis |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem | npm | Python |
| Difficulty | Beginner ✓ | Intermediate |
| Weekly downloads | 1.6M | 8.5M↑ |
| Latest version | v3.39.3 | v5.0.8 |
| Recipes | 1 | 3↑ |
react-query only
Shared
redis only
Use React Query for any React app that fetches server data: REST APIs, GraphQL, or any async function. It replaces 95% of the useEffect+useState patterns for data fetching and adds caching, background refetching, and optimistic updates for free.
Caching API responses or DB queries, session storage, rate limiting counters, pub/sub messaging, leaderboards (sorted sets), task queues (BLPOP), distributed locks.
React Query is for server state (data that lives on a server). For UI state (modals, form values, local toggles), use useState or Zustand. If you're already using a full data layer like Apollo Client for GraphQL, React Query is redundant.
Primary persistent storage — Redis is RAM-first and can evict data. Complex relational queries. Large blobs (Redis excels at small, fast values).
react-query
redis