Event Delegation Pattern in React

Overview

Event delegation is a pattern where instead of attaching event handlers to individual child elements, you attach a single handler to a parent container. This eliminates the need to pass event handlers through props of all nested components.

When to use this skill

• Use when you render large lists or grids with many interactive elements.
• Use when you want to avoid prop drilling through deeply nested components.
• Use when content is dynamic (added or removed at runtime) and you need handlers to work without reattaching.
• Use when multiple similar elements share common behavior (for example: edit/delete/share actions per item).
• Use when you need a single point of control for consistent logging, analytics, or access control.
• Use when you want to reduce the number of event listeners for performance-sensitive UIs.

Core Principle

Instead of passing handlers through multiple levels of component props, attach a single event listener to a parent container and use event.target to identify which child element triggered the event.