storegetState

Store.getState is a function available on a Redux store that returns the current state tree of the application. It is part of the core store API, alongside dispatch, subscribe, and replaceReducer. The value returned by getState is the latest state produced by the reducers after processing the most recent action; it reflects the entire state object as structured by the reducer composition.

Usage and behavior: You typically create a store using createStore or configureStore, and then call store.getState() to read the current state. The call is synchronous and should be treated as a read-only operation. The returned state should be treated as immutable; components and code should avoid mutating it directly. To read nested values, you usually access properties or use selector functions rather than mutating the state.

When to use it: getState is useful inside non-UI code such as middleware, thunks, or initialization logic where you need to inspect the current state in order to decide next steps. In React applications, reading state for rendering is normally done through bindings like mapStateToProps, useSelector, or similar mechanisms that subscribe to changes.

Limitations and considerations: getState does not trigger re-renders or notifications. If you need to respond to state changes, you should subscribe via store.subscribe or rely on React-Redux bindings. Since the state is the single source of truth, any derived data should be computed with selectors rather than duplicating state with copies.

See also: Redux, store, dispatch, subscribe, configureStore, getState.