The answer
Call useState with an initial value. It returns the current state and a setter function. Call the setter with a new value to update state and trigger a re-render. Name the pair like count and setCount by convention.
How to Use useState to Update Your React UI
How do I use useState in React?
More FAQs in How to Use useState to Update Your React UI
Because state updates are asynchronous and batched. Reading the variable right after calling the setter shows the old value. React applies updates later and re-renders once, which improves performance.
Never mutate the object directly. Create a new object with the changes using the spread operator, like setUser({ ...user, name: 'New' }). React detects the new reference and re-renders.
When the new state depends on the previous state. Pass a function like setCount(prev => prev + 1) so you get the correct previous value, especially when multiple updates are batched together.
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