In React, controlled and uncontrolled components refer to different approaches for managing the state of form elements (such as input fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons) within a React application.
In a controlled component, the form element's value is controlled by React state. When the user interacts with the input field, the value is stored in the component's state and is updated through a change handler function.
In an uncontrolled component, the form element maintains its own state. React does not control the input value. Instead, you can use a ref to access the input field's value when needed.
Use controlled components when you want to handle form data through React state and need to perform actions based on the form state changes.
Use uncontrolled components when you want to integrate React with third-party libraries or need to work with non-React code.
Uncontrolled components can be simpler to set up, especially for simple forms where you don't need to perform complex validation or modification of form data before submission.