What are the differences between "props" and "state" with React?

Props... Properties... State... State... At first, it's always a bit... strange! To avoid any doubts, let's take a look at the differences between props and state in React.
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Updated on August 14, 2026
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1 min read
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Have you always wondered about the difference between a class-based component and a functional component in React? This recap article is made for you!

 

Props (properties / JSX attributes)

Props allow us to pass functions/methods and values to components. We primarily use them to pass information.

JAVASCRIPT
<MySubComponent firstName='Eva' lastName='Dupont' />

 

State

The state allows us to manage data so that we can use it later in our project. It's like giving a brain to our component: it can then modify the state.

In the rest of the training, we will see that we can also have multiple states—you'll see, it's truly very useful!

JAVASCRIPT
state = {
    users: {
        userA: {
            firstName: 'Eva',
            lastName: 'Dupont'
        }
    }
}

 

State and Props?

Thus, we can manage data with state, and send this data to our components through props.

JAVASCRIPT
state = {
    users: {
        userA: {
            firstName: 'Eva',
            lastName: 'Dupont'
        }
    }
}

<MySubComponent
    firstName={this.state.users[0].firstName}
    lastName={this.state.users[0].lastName} />
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