redux-observable

What is redux-observable?

redux-observable is a middleware for Redux that allows you to handle asynchronous actions using RxJS observables. It enables complex async flows in your Redux applications by leveraging the power of reactive programming.

What are redux-observable's main functionalities?

Handling Asynchronous Actions

This feature allows you to handle asynchronous actions such as API calls. The example demonstrates an epic that listens for 'FETCH_USER' actions, makes an AJAX request to fetch user data, and dispatches either a 'FETCH_USER_FULFILLED' or 'FETCH_USER_FAILED' action based on the result.

const fetchUserEpic = action$ => action$.pipe(
  ofType('FETCH_USER'),
  mergeMap(action =>
    ajax.getJSON(`/api/users/${action.payload}`).pipe(
      map(response => ({ type: 'FETCH_USER_FULFILLED', payload: response })),
      catchError(error => of({ type: 'FETCH_USER_FAILED', payload: error }))
    )
  )
);

Combining Multiple Epics

redux-observable allows you to combine multiple epics into a single root epic. This is useful for organizing your code and managing complex async flows. The example shows how to combine `fetchUserEpic` with another epic.

const rootEpic = combineEpics(
  fetchUserEpic,
  anotherEpic
);

Cancellation of Actions

redux-observable supports the cancellation of ongoing actions. The example demonstrates using `switchMap` to cancel any ongoing AJAX request if a new 'FETCH_USER' action is dispatched, ensuring only the latest request is processed.

const fetchUserEpic = action$ => action$.pipe(
  ofType('FETCH_USER'),
  switchMap(action =>
    ajax.getJSON(`/api/users/${action.payload}`).pipe(
      map(response => ({ type: 'FETCH_USER_FULFILLED', payload: response })),
      catchError(error => of({ type: 'FETCH_USER_FAILED', payload: error }))
    )
  )
);

Other packages similar to redux-observable

redux-saga

redux-saga is a middleware for Redux that uses generator functions to handle side effects. It is similar to redux-observable in that it helps manage complex async flows, but it uses a different approach based on ES6 generators rather than RxJS observables.

redux-thunk

redux-thunk is a middleware that allows you to write action creators that return a function instead of an action. It is simpler than redux-observable and redux-saga, making it a good choice for handling basic async actions without the need for complex flow control.

redux-promise-middleware

redux-promise-middleware is a middleware that allows you to dispatch promises as actions. It automatically dispatches pending, fulfilled, and rejected actions based on the promise's state. It is less powerful than redux-observable but can be useful for straightforward async operations.

README

RxJS-based middleware for Redux. Compose and cancel async actions to create side effects and more.

https://redux-observable.js.org

Note: this project is quite stable, but is currently in maintenance mode. Critical fixes will still be released, but for now no additional features or changes will be considered as the maintainer @jayphelps is not actively working on any apps that use redux-observable (or any UI apps at all, actually.) If you would like to become a maintainer, please reach out to @jayphelps.