Split a Component Without Fear: 4 Key Signs

Is your component starting to look like a monstrous, unreadable mess?

You’re not alone. We’ve all written a component that starts small… and ends up with hundreds of lines, multiple effects, several useState hooks, and JSX that’s impossible to follow. But don’t worry: splitting a component doesn’t have to be scary.

In this post, I’ll share 4 clear signs that it’s time to refactor.

1. The JSX is longer than your scroll#

If you need to scroll just to see the closing of your return, you probably have too many visual responsibilities bundled together. Splitting visual parts into components helps:

• Improve readability
• Reuse UI parts
• Avoid errors from deep nesting

Example: split a table, a card, or a complex list into its own component.

2. You have more than 3 states (useState) or effects (useEffect)#

When you start to have multiple hooks and mixed logic, it’s time to ask: do all these states really belong in the same component?

Splitting logic into custom hooks or subcomponents makes your code more predictable.

const [search, setSearch] = useState('')
const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false)
const [results, setResults] = useState([])

useEffect(() => {
  // search logic
}, [search])

Could you move this into a useSearch hook? Probably yes.

3. You have if, ternaries, or conditional returns everywhere#

When you see structures like:

if (!user) return <Loader />
if (error) return <ErrorScreen />

Or JSX with too many nested ternaries:

{
  isAdmin ? <AdminPanel /> : isUser ? <UserPanel /> : <GuestView />
}

It’s a sign you need to delegate render logic to smaller components. You’ll read it better, test it better, and extend it without fear.

4. You need comments to understand the component#

If you find yourself writing:

// Renders the header
// Handles the logout button
// Lists the users

It’s because your component is doing too much. If the code needs constant explanation, the best approach is to break it into more specific, well-named parts.

Example:

<Header />
<UserList />
<LogoutButton />

That’s self-explanatory.

Bonus: How to split without breaking everything#

• Step 1: Identify a clear functional or visual section
• Step 2: Copy it into a new file (e.g., Card.jsx)
• Step 3: Replace the code in the original component with <Card />
• Step 4: Pass only the props it needs, not the entire state

Splitting components isn’t a weakness — it’s a skill.

The smaller and more focused a component is, the easier it is to maintain, test, and scale. If something feels too big to move… it’s probably because you should have split it earlier!

Did you like this guide? Save it as a quick reference for your next refactor session. And if your next component starts to grow, don’t wait for the infinite scroll! 😉