Stores with React Context: Memory Leak Issue or Redux DevTools Bug?

[frin88]

Hello there,
I'm using Zustand in a React project written in typescript.

I use zustand/middleware and Redux DevTools chrome extension to inspect the stores.

I have a parent component that renders a list of items. For each item, I create on the a store provider using react contex by following this pattern from docs

  {items.map(item => (
    <StoreProvider item={item}>
      <ItemComponent />
    </StoreProvider>
  ))}
<Parent>

When the component is unmounted the ReduxDevTools inspector still show all previously created stores.
I've also implemented a quick logic in the parent to keep track of the created stores and destroy them on unmount:

something like

// Cleanup function in ParentComponent
useEffect(() => {
  return () => {
    storesTracker.forEach(store => {
      store.destroy();
    });
  };
}, []);

So, my question is twofold: Are these ghost stores a sign of memory leaks or just a glitch/bug in Redux DevTools? And do I really need to worry about destroying stores, or is it more of a nice-to-have cleanup?
Am I missing something?

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[dbritto-dev]

@frin88 as I know it's a known issue with devtools middleware but may I'm wrong

@dai-shi do you have any thoughts?

[dai-shi]

@frin88 If you don't use Redux DevTools and still find memory leaks, that sounds bad. Otherwise, it should be fine.

[frin88]

@dai-shi thanks for the response! Just two quick follow-up questions:

1. So, if I've got this right, I can safely skip the step of destroying stores, correct?
2. Also, aside from Redux DevTools, are there any other tools you'd recommend for inspecting stores?

[dai-shi]

Yes, stores are garbage collectable. I would recommend to make sure all listeners are unsubscribed.
I'm not sure if we have stable devtools other than redux one.

zustand/docs/integrations/third-party-libraries.md

Line 37 in 9d24d11

- [zukeeper](https://github.com/oslabs-beta/Zukeeper) - Native devtools with state and action tracking, diffing, tree display, and time travel

seems like an experimental one.
I think it's open space for anyone to jump in and develop Zustand-specific devtools.
FYI, Jotai has one: https://github.com/jotaijs/jotai-devtools