React Query in Small Apps

Small apps still have real data problems. Weather fails. APIs rate-limit. A user switches tabs and comes back later. The app has to decide what is fresh, what can be reused, and what deserves a retry.

React Query gives that decision a home.

Cache as Product Behavior

Caching is not only an optimization. It is a product decision. A status widget might need to refetch every minute, while a location label can stay stable for an hour.

Those choices make the interface feel intentional.

const query = queryOptions({
  queryKey: ["home", "status"],
  staleTime: 60 * 1000,
});

When data fetching is explicit, loading and empty states become easier to design too.