SolidJS — fine-grained reactivity, no VDOM

One rule governs everything else: the component function runs ONCE. Reactivity does not live in re-running the body — it lives in the reads. You read state by calling a getter (count()), and Solid re-runs only the exact DOM expression or effect that read it. There is no virtual DOM and no reconciliation; JSX compiles straight to DOM nodes. If you carry React habits here (destructuring props, expecting the body to re-run, deriving state in an effect), reactivity breaks silently — the code runs, it just stops updating.

Versions: stable is solid-js 1.9.x (1.9.11/1.9.13 line). Solid 2.0 is in beta on the next npm tag with a new reactive core (@solidjs/signals), createAsync, and automatic batching. Default to 1.9.x APIs unless the task says 2.0; flag the divergence where it matters.

When to use / when not

Situation	Skill
Solid signals/stores/effects/memos/resources, JSX-to-DOM, <For>/<Index>	this skill
React useState/hooks/re-render model (the body re-runs)	react
Next.js routing, server actions, RSC	nextjs
Svelte 5 $state/$derived runes (similar look, different compiler)	svelte
Vue/Nuxt ref/reactive/computed	vue-nuxt
Astro island architecture / what ships to the client (can host a Solid island)	astro
Plain TypeScript questions with no Solid surface	../typescript/SKILL.md
Deploying the built app (Vercel/SolidStart adapter)	../vercel/SKILL.md

The mental-model shift (read this first)

React re-runs the component body on every state change; Solid runs it once and re-runs only the tracked reads. So the value is the call, not the variable.

// Bad — React reflex: treats `count` as a value, body assumed to re-run.
function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = createSignal(0);
  console.log("body ran");        // prints ONCE, ever
  return <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>{count}</button>;
  //                                          ^ NaN: count is the getter fn, not a number
}

// Good — read by calling the getter; the JSX read is what re-runs.
function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = createSignal(0);
  return <button onClick={() => setCount((c) => c + 1)}>{count()}</button>;
  //                                                      ^ tracked read
}

Why: the body is setup that runs once. Only getter reads inside JSX, effects, or memos are tracked and re-executed. count is the accessor function; count() is its current value.

Signals — single reactive values

createSignal(initial) returns [getter, setter]. Read with getter(), write with setter(next) or setter(prev => next).

const [name, setName] = createSignal("Ada");
setName("Grace");          // replace
setName((n) => n + "!");   // update from previous

Derived state is just a function — no API needed:

const [first, setFirst] = createSignal("Ada");
const [last, setLast]  = createSignal("Lovelace");
const fullName = () => `${first()} ${last()}`;   // re-reads on access, always fresh

Reach for createMemo only when the computation is expensive or shared by many readers — it caches and re-runs only when its dependencies change:

const sorted = createMemo(() => [...items()].sort(byName));  // expensive: memoize

Rule: derive with a plain () => … by default; promote to createMemo for cost/sharing. Why: a memo adds a reactive node; a plain function is free and recomputes lazily on read.

Props — the destructuring trap

Props are a reactive proxy. Destructuring or assigning .x reads the value once at run-once time, freezing it.

// Bad — both snapshot a dead value; updates from the parent never arrive.
function Hi(props) { const { name } = props; return <p>{name}</p>; }
function Hi(props) { const name = props.name; return <p>{name}</p>; }

// Good — read inline, or wrap in an accessor to pass reactivity along.
function Hi(props) { return <p>{props.name}</p>; }
function Hi(props) { const name = () => props.name; return <p>{name()}</p>; }

To split or default props while keeping reactivity, use splitProps / mergeProps — never the spread/destructure idiom:

import { splitProps, mergeProps } from "solid-js";

function Button(props) {
  const merged = mergeProps({ variant: "primary" }, props);   // reactive defaults
  const [local, rest] = splitProps(merged, ["variant", "children"]);
  return <button class={local.variant} {...rest}>{local.children}</button>;
}

Why: splitProps/mergeProps return proxies that preserve getter tracking; { ...props } and const { x } = props collapse it to a one-time copy.

Stores — nested object / array state

createSignal is for one value. Use createStore for nested objects or arrays so updates are fine-grained per path (only the components reading the changed leaf re-run), with no cloning of the whole tree.

import { createStore, produce } from "solid-js/store";

const [state, setState] = createStore({ user: { name: "Ada" }, todos: [] });

setState("user", "name", "Grace");               // path update — only name readers re-run
setState("todos", (t) => [...t, { id: 1, done: false }]); // append
setState("todos", 0, "done", true);              // update one item field by index
setState(produce((s) => { s.todos[0].done = true; }));    // mutate-style, still fine-grained

// Bad — replacing the whole object kills path-level reactivity and re-renders everything.
setState({ user: { name: "Grace" }, todos: state.todos });

// Good — target the path that changed.
setState("user", "name", "Grace");

Why: stores diff at the path you touch; whole-object replacement is a single coarse change that defeats the entire point of a store.

Effects & lifecycle — side effects only

createEffect runs after render and re-runs when any signal it reads changes. It is for side effects (DOM, logging, subscriptions, network) — not for computing state.

createEffect(() => {
  document.title = `Count: ${count()}`;   // side effect, tracks count()
});

onMount(() => {                            // runs once after first render
  const id = setInterval(tick, 1000);
  onCleanup(() => clearInterval(id));      // before re-run AND on disposal
});

batch(() => { setA(1); setB(2); });        // one update pass instead of two (1.x; auto in 2.0)
const snapshot = untrack(() => raw());     // read without subscribing

The signature anti-pattern — deriving state by writing a signal inside an effect — causes an infinite loop and is the most common "Solid is broken" report:

// Bad — effect reads total(), writes total → re-triggers itself forever.
const [total, setTotal] = createSignal(0);
createEffect(() => setTotal(price() * qty()));

// Good — derive, don't store.
const total = createMemo(() => price() * qty());   // or: const total = () => price() * qty();

Why: an effect that writes one of its own dependencies is a feedback loop. Derived values are reads, not writes.

Control flow — use Solid's primitives, not raw JS

Early return, bare &&, and .map() defeat tracking or leak falsy values. Use the components, which Solid can track and dispose precisely.

<Show when={user()} fallback={<Login />}>{(u) => <Profile user={u()} />}</Show>
<Switch fallback={<NotFound />}>
  <Match when={state() === "loading"}><Spinner /></Match>
  <Match when={state() === "ready"}><Data /></Match>
</Switch>
<Dynamic component={tagFor(kind())} {...props} />

<For> vs <Index> is a real decision:

Your list is…	Use	Why
Keyed objects that reorder/insert/remove	<For each={items()}>{(item) => …}</For>	keys by reference; DOM nodes move, not rebuild
Fixed-position rows, primitives, or inputs bound to the index	<Index each={items()}>{(item) => … item() …}</Index>	keys by position; item is an accessor (item())

// Bad — <For> with index-bound inputs: nodes move on reorder, inputs desync.
<For each={fields()}>{(f, i) => <input value={f.value} onInput={(e) => setField(i(), e)} />}</For>

// Good — <Index> when the position is the identity.
<Index each={fields()}>{(f, i) => <input value={f().value} onInput={(e) => setField(i, e)} />}</Index>

Why: <For> tracks which value lives where (great for keyed data); <Index> tracks what's at slot N (great for fixed slots). Picking wrong rebuilds or desyncs nodes.

Async — resources + Suspense

In 1.x use createResource; in 2.0 the standard primitive is createAsync. Both surface loading/error through <Suspense> and <ErrorBoundary>.

// 1.x
const [user] = createResource(userId, (id) => fetchUser(id));   // refetches when userId() changes

<ErrorBoundary fallback={(err) => <p>Failed: {err.message}</p>}>
  <Suspense fallback={<Spinner />}>
    <p>{user()?.name}</p>
  </Suspense>
</ErrorBoundary>

The 1.9→2.0 async migration (createAsync, automatic batching, @solidjs/signals) lives in references/reactivity-deep-dive.md.

Project setup

npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template solid-ts   # Vite + vite-plugin-solid + TS
cd my-app && npm install && npm run dev

Routing with @solidjs/router:

import { Router, Route, A } from "@solidjs/router";

function App() {
  return (
    <Router>
      <Route path="/" component={Home} />
      <Route path="/users/:id" component={UserPage} />
    </Router>
  );
}
// inside UserPage: const params = useParams(); params.id  (reactive)
// nav links use <A href="…"> (not raw <a>) for client-side routing

For SSR, file-based routing, and server functions ("use server", query/action), reach for SolidStart (1.x stable; 2.0.0-alpha tracks Solid 2.0). The full router + SolidStart map is in references/router-and-start.md. Deploying the build → ../vercel/SKILL.md.

Anti-patterns

Anti-pattern	Why it breaks	Do instead
const { x } = props / const x = props.x	snapshots a non-reactive value at run-once	read props.x inline or const x = () => props.x
Reading count instead of count()	passes the accessor function, not the value	call it: count()
Expecting the component body to re-run	it runs once; only tracked reads re-run	move reactive work into JSX / effect / memo
Deriving state via createEffect that sets a signal	feedback loop / stale order	createMemo or a plain () => …
<For> for index-bound inputs	nodes move on reorder, inputs desync	<Index> (keyed by position, item())
setStore(wholeNewObject)	one coarse change defeats fine-grained paths	setStore("path", …, value) / produce
Early return null / cond && <X/> for conditionals	leaks falsy values, escapes tracking	<Show when={…} fallback={…}> / <Switch>
{...props} to forward reactively	spread copies once, drops getters	splitProps / mergeProps

Verify

If the project emits Solid components/JSX/config, run the gate:

bash scripts/verify.sh

It detects the package runner from the lockfile, then runs tsc --noEmit → ESLint → Vitest → vite build. Missing tools are SKIPPED (yellow), not failed; it exits non-zero only on a real failure.

References

• references/reactivity-deep-dive.md — ownership & disposal, createRoot/getOwner/runWithOwner, on() explicit deps, createComputed/createRenderEffect, createSelector, store reconcile/produce, and the 1.9→2.0 migration.
• references/router-and-start.md — full @solidjs/router surface (params, data loading, navigation, nested layouts) and a concise SolidStart 1.x map.