Undo Redux? How Boris Cherny’s Undux Redefined State Management

Undux Overview

Undux is a minimalist state‑management library created to avoid Redux boilerplate. Its core principles are type safety and no boilerplate.

Comparison with Redux

In Redux updating a value typically requires defining an action type, an action creator, a reducer case, and dispatching the action. Undux replaces that workflow with a direct get/set call:

// only simple get and set
store.set('count')(store.get('count') + 1)

Store creation

import { createConnectedStore } from 'undux'

export default createConnectedStore({
  counter: 0,
  todoList: []
})

Component usage (hooks)

function MyComponent() {
  const store = useStore()
  return (
    <>
      <div>Current count: {store.get('counter')}</div>
      <button onClick={() => store.set('counter')(store.get('counter') + 1)}>
        +1
      </button>
    </>
  )
}

Type safety

Undux is written in TypeScript; a typo such as store.get('counte') triggers a compile‑time error, preventing a string from being assigned to the numeric counter field.

Adoption at Facebook

After joining Facebook, the author gave dozens of internal talks; Undux quickly became one of the most used state‑management tools inside the company until later features like Recoil, the Context API, and React Hooks reduced its relevance.

Why the repository is archived

The GitHub repository https://github.com/bcherny/undux is archived; the last commit was three years ago. Contributing factors:

React Hooks simplify state reuse.

Libraries such as Zustand and Jotai adopt a similar minimalist philosophy with larger ecosystems.

Redux Toolkit removes most boilerplate from Redux.

Undux served as a transitional solution demonstrating that state management need not be complex.

Practical guidance

Because the library is unmaintained and the ecosystem has moved on, it is not recommended for new projects in 2026.

Reference: GitHub – bcherny/undux