Frequently Asked Questions
General
Does Anchor replace React?
No. It acts as an Enhancement Layer. It gives React a stable Logic Layer (which runs once) while preserving React's powerful rendering engine for the Presentation Layer.
Why do I need Anchor if React already has hooks?
Hooks suffer from the Re-render Cascade because they mix logic and view in the same function. Anchor separates them, preventing performance issues and "stale closures" by design.
Doesn't mutating state directly break React?
It would if you did it directly. But Anchor uses the Gateway Pattern. Your state is a Gateway that intercepts changes and triggers updates only for the affected View (Presentation Layer), ensuring React stays happy.
Performance
Doesn't adding a layer on top of React introduce overhead?
Technically, yes, but it results in Net Performance Gains. The minimal cost of Anchor's runtime is vastly outweighed by the savings from stopping React's Re-render Cascades. You trade a tiny library footprint for massive CPU savings by ensuring only the exact DOM nodes that change are updated.
How does Fine-Grained Reactivity work?
It bypasses React's "Re-render Everything" model. Dependencies are tracked at the property level, so updating state.value only re-runs the specific View displaying it, leaving the rest of the component untouched.
When does it bypass React entirely?
Only when using Direct DOM Binding (nodeRef) for high-frequency updates like animations.
Business & Impact
Is it hard to learn?
No. Because Anchor uses standard JavaScript patterns (objects, functions) instead of complex hooks (useEffect, useMemo), new developers can be onboarded in days, not weeks.
Does Anchor reduce development costs?
Yes. By eliminating useEffect dependency arrays, useMemo, and useCallback, teams spend less time debugging complex hooks and more time building features.
How does it affect AI coding?
Anchor is AI-First. Its boilerplate-free syntax significantly reduces token consumption and context window usage compared to standard React/Redux patterns.
Is maintenance cheaper?
Yes. The separation of Stable Logic and Reactive View reduces technical debt by eliminating the "Re-render Cascade" that often makes legacy React codebases fragile.
Comparison
How is this different from Redux/Zustand?
Redux and Zustand store state outside components but still trigger Component Re-renders on change. Anchor triggers updates only for the specific View (Presentation Layer), keeping the Logic Layer stable.
Is this like MobX?
Similar mental model (mutable proxies), but simpler execution. MobX wraps the entire component in an observer (HOC). Anchor splits the component into Logic and View, so only the View part is observed.
Is this like SolidJS?
Yes. Both share the "Run Once" philosophy and Fine-Grained Reactivity. Anchor essentially brings SolidJS's performance model into the React ecosystem, allowing you to use it alongside standard React components.
Component Architecture
Why is the Component Logic stable?
Because it runs exactly once during initialization. Unlike React's "Re-render" model, Anchor treats the component function as a Constructor, ensuring your functions and side effects are stable forever.
Why do I need both Templates and Snippets?
Can I use React Hooks inside setup?
You can, but you shouldn't. Using useState or useReducer would trigger the component to re-render, breaking Anchor's Stable Logic model. The goal is to run the component logic once and never re-render it.
State Management
Is mutable state safe?
Yes. Anchor uses Immutable State (Read-Only Gateway) and Write Contracts to enforce safe, unidirectional data flow for shared state.
Does it track nested properties?
Yes. Mutable State is deep by default.
Can I validate my state?
Yes. Anchor supports Schema-Driven State. You can define a schema to strictly enforce Data Integrity, preventing invalid data from ever entering your state at runtime.
Reactivity System
How do Props work?
Props are Reactive Proxies. Unlike React's immutable snapshots, they update in-place. Note: Destructuring them breaks reactivity because it extracts the current value once.
Do I need dependency arrays?
No. Effects track dependencies automatically based on what you actually read during execution.
How do I stop tracking?
Use untrack() to read data without subscribing to it.
What if I need a copy of the state?
Use snapshot() to create a non-reactive clone.
DOM & Ecosystem
How do I do two-way binding?
Use the bind() helper to pass a writeable reference to a child component.
When should I use nodeRef?
Only for high-frequency updates (like animations) where you need to bypass the Virtual DOM entirely. For standard updates, normal JSX binding is sufficient.
Does it work with Server Components?
Yes. Anchor logic runs once on the server to generate HTML, making it Universal by default.