Introduction to SoulState

The Zero-Overhead State of Mind.

SoulState is a minimalist, high-performance state management library for modern web applications. It is designed from the ground up to be:

• Fast: Automatic batching, selector-based subscriptions, and O(1) subscriber management ensure your app stays fast, no matter the scale.
• Scalable: Built for complex applications, with first-class support for middleware and async operations.
• Developer-Friendly: A simple, intuitive API that gets out of your way and lets you focus on building.
• Tiny: A minimal footprint to keep your bundles small.

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Core Philosophy

SoulState believes that components should only re-render when the exact data they need changes. By using selectors for data access, you get surgical precision in your updates, leading to optimal performance by default.

Key Features

• Selector-driven useStore hook: Subscribe to the exact state you need.
• Automatic batching with microtasks: Multiple updates, one render.
• Middleware support: Extend the store with logging, persistence, and more.
• useSyncExternalStore: Full React 18+ concurrent features compatibility.
• Minimal API: createStore, get, set, subscribe. That's it.

Comparison to Other Libraries

Library	Architecture	Key Characteristic	Use Case
SoulState	Flux-like (single store)	Selector-based subscriptions, automatic batching	Optimal for apps where render performance is critical.
Zustand	Flux-like (single store)	Very similar to SoulState; SoulState aims for deeper performance optimizations.	General-purpose state management; a great alternative.
Redux Toolkit	Flux (single store)	Boilerplate-heavy, explicit actions/reducers	Large-scale applications requiring strict, auditable update patterns.
Jotai / Valtio	Atomic / Proxy-based	Automatic dependency tracking	Simpler state models where individual pieces of state are managed.
Signals	Fine-grained reactivity	Tracks dependencies within functions	Ideal for environments where rendering isn't tied to a component tree (e.g., Solid.js).