The Paradigm Shift in Front-End Rendering: From State-Based to Signal-Based Approaches

Traditional state management like React hooks triggers renders at the point where state is created, while signal-based approaches like Preact Signals or Solid.js trigger renders only where state is consumed.

This shift from 'render where you create state' to 'render where you use state' has profound implications for performance, code organization, and mental models.

When we think about state management in front-end frameworks, we often focus on the API—hooks, observables, or signals. However, there's a deeper paradigm shift at play: where rendering happens.