In React 19, useImperativeHandle remains a powerful yet often misunderstood hook that enables fine-grained control over component instances when using refs. It allows you to customize the values exposed to parent components, making it particularly useful for handling imperative actions such as interacting with modals, managing focus, or controlling animations. With React 19’s performance improvements, understanding how to properly use useImperativeHandle can lead to cleaner, more efficient component design.

In this guide, we’ll explore when and how to use useImperativeHandle, best practices for integrating it with forwardRef, and real-world scenarios where it shines. If you're working with complex UI interactions or reusable components, mastering this hook will help you write more maintainable and flexible React applications.