How I Solved a UX Problem in My React App Using Redux Persist

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As a junior developer, I recently faced a really annoying UX issue on a React e-commerce platform I was working on. Every time users refreshed the page, their shopping cart and preferences disappeared completely. Imagine adding all your items, tweaking filters, and then poof — everything gone with a simple refresh.

This wasn’t just frustrating for users; it was hurting engagement and trust. So, I went on a mission to fix this. Here’s how I used Redux Persist to solve the problem — and why it’s probably the best way to persist Redux state in React apps.

What Was the Problem Exactly?

Our app used Redux to manage state, which is great — but Redux only keeps data in memory. That means if you refresh the browser:

  • The Redux store resets to the initial state.
  • Cart contents, user preferences, login info — all lost.
  • Users had to start over, which felt clunky and unreliable.

For an e-commerce platform, losing cart info on page reload is a killer for user experience.

Why Redux Persist? Why Not Just Use LocalStorage or Cookies?

I considered manually saving cart data to localStorage or cookies, but handling it manually gets messy fast:

  • You’d have to write a bunch of code to sync state updates with storage.
  • Risk bugs and out-of-sync data.
  • Rehydrating the Redux store on app load requires more boilerplate.

Redux Persist is a game changer because:

  • It automatically syncs your Redux store with persistent storage (default is localStorage).
  • On app reload, it rehydrates the Redux store so users pick up right where they left off.
  • It supports different storage engines if you want (e.g., sessionStorage).
  • The setup is super simple — no reinventing the wheel.
  • It’s battle-tested and widely adopted by the React community.

In short, it lets you focus on your app logic, while it takes care of state persistence cleanly and reliably.

How I Implemented Redux Persist: Step-by-Step

If you want to add Redux Persist to your React + Redux app, here’s how I did it — straightforward and beginner-friendly.

Step 1: Install Redux Persist

npm install redux-persist

Step 2: Update Your Redux Store

Modify your store configuration to wrap your root reducer with persistReducer:

import { configureStore } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';
import { persistStore, persistReducer } from 'redux-persist';
import storage from 'redux-persist/lib/storage'; // defaults to localStorage

import rootReducer from './reducers'; // Your root reducer file

const persistConfig = {
  key: 'root',
  storage,
};

const persistedReducer = persistReducer(persistConfig, rootReducer);

export const store = configureStore({
  reducer: persistedReducer,
});

export const persistor = persistStore(store);

Bonus: Persisting Only Specific Slices with Whitelisting

Sometimes, you don’t want to persist your entire Redux state — maybe only your cart and user preferences matter. Redux Persist allows you to whitelist only the reducers you want to save:

const persistConfig = {
  key: 'root',
  storage,
  whitelist: ['cart', 'preferences'],  // Only persist these slices
};

const persistedReducer = persistReducer(persistConfig, rootReducer);

This approach helps keep your persisted data minimal and relevant, improving performance and avoiding storage of sensitive or unnecessary information.

Step 3: Wrap Your App with PersistGate

In your entry file (usually index.js or App.js), wrap your app inside the <PersistGate> component:

import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import { Provider } from 'react-redux';
import { PersistGate } from 'redux-persist/integration/react';

import App from './App';
import { store, persistor } from './store';

ReactDOM.render(
  <Provider store={store}>
    <PersistGate loading={null} persistor={persistor}>
      <App />
    </PersistGate>
  </Provider>,
  document.getElementById('root')
);

PersistGate delays rendering your app UI until the persisted state has been retrieved and loaded, so you don’t get any weird flickers or empty states.

What Changed After Adding Redux Persist?

After integrating Redux Persist, the cart and user preferences stayed intact even after refreshing the page. Users no longer lost their selections or had to start over, which made the app feel more reliable and trustworthy. Overall, the user experience improved significantly — a big win for engagement and retention.

What I Learned from This Experience

This project taught me that even small improvements like persisting state can dramatically boost UX. Redux Persist is incredibly easy to set up and maintain, which saved me a lot of time and headaches. Most importantly, I realized that thinking from the user’s perspective is just as crucial as writing clean, scalable code.

Final Thoughts for Fellow Developers

If you’re using Redux in your React apps but haven’t tried persisting your state yet, I highly recommend giving Redux Persist a shot. It’s lightweight, well-supported, and saves you from writing lots of custom boilerplate — all while improving user experience with minimal effort.

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