What is the difference between state and props in React?

In React, state and props are both used to store and manage data within a component, but they have different purposes and characteristics.

props (short for properties) are used to pass data from a parent component to a child component. Props are read-only, meaning that a child component cannot change the value of props passed to it. Props are also considered to be immutable, which means they should not be changed after they are passed.

state is used to store and manage data within a component that can change over time. A component's state can be changed by the component itself, and this change will trigger a re-render of the component. State is considered to be private to the component and should not be accessed or modified by any other component.

Here's a simple example to illustrate the difference:

import React from 'react'; const MyComponent = (props) => { const [name, setName] = React.useState("John"); return ( <div> <p>Name: {props.name}</p> <p>My name is: {name}</p> </div> ); } export default MyComponent;

In this example, the component accepts a name prop and a name state. The name prop is passed from a parent component to the child component, while the name state is managed within the child component. The prop name can be passed to the component and it can't be modified by the component. The state name can be modified by the component using setName function and re-render the component.

It's important to note that props are used to pass data down the component tree from parent to child, while state is used to manage data within a single component. It's recommended to use props when the data needed by a component is passed down from a parent component, and use state when the data is managed and updated within the component.