The answer
Use a cleanup flag in useEffect or an abort signal to ignore outdated responses. If a user triggers multiple fetches, the earlier one might resolve last and overwrite fresh data with stale data.
How to Handle Loading and Error States When Fetching APIs in React
How do I avoid race conditions in React fetches?
More FAQs in How to Handle Loading and Error States When Fetching APIs in React
Three main states: loading, error, and success. Track them with separate state variables so the UI can respond to each appropriately, plus an empty state for successful fetches that return no data.
Track a loading flag set to true before the fetch and false after. While loading is true, show a spinner, skeleton, or placeholder so the user knows something is happening and the screen is not blank.
Wrap the fetch in try/catch, set an error state on failure, and render an error message with a retry option. Never leave the user staring at a blank screen after a failure.
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