Uncaught Error: Too many re-renders. React limits the number of renders to prevent an infinite loop.

The error message “Too many re-renders” means your components are rendering in a loop, it is something that React has guard against for performance issues. This often happens when a state update causes the rendering of the component’s view which in turn causes another state update among other things. Effectively, what you have done is creating a loop of rendering that has no beginning and has no end.

Why Does This Error Occur?

Here are some common reasons why this error might occur:

State Updates in the Render Method: If you update the state directly from within a component, (or any function executed during rendering), React will cause the component to render infinitely.
Improper useEffect Dependencies: If you are using useEffect to update state and if your dependency array is empty or set up wrongly, it cause re-renders.
Event Handlers Setting State: In some cases the event handler may inadvertently set a state change which leads to re-rendering.
Event Handlers Setting State: In some cases the event handler may inadvertently set a state change which leads to re-rendering.

How to Solve the Issue

Let’s explore a few solutions through examples.

Example 1: State Update in the Render Method

Problematic Code:

function MyComponent() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
  
  // This will cause an infinite loop
  setCount(count + 1);

  return <div>{count}</div>;
}

Solution: Move the state update to an event handler or a useEffect hook

import React, { useState } from 'react';

function MyComponent() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  const handleClick = () => {
    setCount(prevCount => prevCount + 1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <p>{count}</p>
      <button onClick={handleClick}>Increment</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Example 2: Incorrect useEffect Dependencies

Problematic Code:

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

function MyComponent() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    setCount(count + 1); // This will trigger re-renders
  }, []); // Empty dependency array

  return <div>{count}</div>;
}

Solution: Use dependencies correctly to prevent unnecessary updates.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

function MyComponent() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    const timer = setInterval(() => {
      setCount(prevCount => prevCount + 1);
    }, 1000);

    return () => clearInterval(timer); // Clean up the interval
  }, []); // Only run once on mount

  return <div>{count}</div>;
}