React Mastery Series – Day 24: React Forms – Controlled Components, Validation & React Hook Form

Welcome back to the React Mastery Series ! In the previous article, we learned how React applications communicate with backend services using Fetch API and Axios , along with best practices like service layers, interceptors, and error handling. Today, we'll explore one of the most common features you'll build as a React developer: Forms in React Whether it's: User Login Registration Profile Update Payment Details Contact Forms Search Filters Forms are everywhere. Learning how to build performant, scalable, and validated forms is an essential skill for every React developer. Understanding Forms in React A form is a collection of input elements used to collect user data. Example: Login Form Email,Password and Login Button React provides multiple ways to manage form data. The two most common approaches are: Controlled Components Uncontrolled Components Controlled Components In a controlled component, React controls the input value through state. Example: import { useState } from " react " ; function Login () { const [ email , setEmail ] = useState ( "" ); return ( < input type = "email" value = { email } onChange = { ( e ) => setEmail ( e . target . value ) } /> ); } Flow: User Types ↓ onChange ↓ React State ↓ Input Updates The input value always comes from React state. Why Controlled Components? Benefits: Easy validation Easy formatting Predictable state Better debugging Example: if ( email . length < 5 ) { // Show validation message } Since the value is stored in state, validation becomes straightforward. Uncontrolled Components In uncontrolled components, the DOM manages the input value. React accesses it using a ref. Example: import { useRef } from " react " ; function Login () { const emailRef = useRef < HTMLInputElement > ( null ); function handleSubmit () { console . log ( emailRef . current ?. value ); } return ( <> < input ref = { emailRef } /> < button onClick = { handleSubmit } > Login </ button > </> ); } Use uncontrolled components when you don't need Reac