---
title: Keep List Items Lightweight
impact: HIGH
impactDescription: reduces render time for visible items during scroll
tags: lists, performance, virtualization, hooks
---

## Keep List Items Lightweight

List items should be as inexpensive as possible to render. Minimize hooks, avoid
queries, and limit React Context access. Virtualized lists render many items
during scroll—expensive items cause jank.

**Incorrect (heavy list item):**

```tsx
function ProductRow({ id }: { id: string }) {
  // Bad: query inside list item
  const { data: product } = useQuery(['product', id], () => fetchProduct(id))
  // Bad: multiple context accesses
  const theme = useContext(ThemeContext)
  const user = useContext(UserContext)
  const cart = useContext(CartContext)
  // Bad: expensive computation
  const recommendations = useMemo(
    () => computeRecommendations(product),
    [product]
  )

  return <View>{/* ... */}</View>
}
```

**Correct (lightweight list item):**

```tsx
function ProductRow({ name, price, imageUrl }: Props) {
  // Good: receives only primitives, minimal hooks
  return (
    <View>
      <Image source={{ uri: imageUrl }} />
      <Text>{name}</Text>
      <Text>{price}</Text>
    </View>
  )
}
```

**Move data fetching to parent:**

```tsx
// Parent fetches all data once
function ProductList() {
  const { data: products } = useQuery(['products'], fetchProducts)

  return (
    <LegendList
      data={products}
      renderItem={({ item }) => (
        <ProductRow name={item.name} price={item.price} imageUrl={item.image} />
      )}
    />
  )
}
```

**For shared values, use Zustand selectors instead of Context:**

```tsx
// Incorrect: Context causes re-render when any cart value changes
function ProductRow({ id, name }: Props) {
  const { items } = useContext(CartContext)
  const inCart = items.includes(id)
  // ...
}

// Correct: Zustand selector only re-renders when this specific value changes
function ProductRow({ id, name }: Props) {
  // use Set.has (created once at the root) instead of Array.includes()
  const inCart = useCartStore((s) => s.items.has(id))
  // ...
}
```

**Guidelines for list items:**

- No queries or data fetching
- No expensive computations (move to parent or memoize at parent level)
- Prefer Zustand selectors over React Context
- Minimize useState/useEffect hooks
- Pass pre-computed values as props

The goal: list items should be simple rendering functions that take props and
return JSX.