React Select
A customisable dropdown select component for React apps.
- Stars
- 28k
- Forks
- 4.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 months ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
React Select is a component library for React that provides a select control, the dropdown where users pick one or more options from a list. It works out of the box and can be customised in its styling, data handling, and UI parts. Developers add it to their app when they need a richer select than a plain HTML select, such as searching, multiple choices, or option groups.
- Build a dropdown that lets users pick a flavour from a list of options
- Allow users to select several values with the isMulti prop
- Let users search through a long list of options with isSearchable
- Control the selected value and menu state from your own component state
Great for
- React developers who need a searchable or multi-select dropdown
- Teams building forms that need controlled or uncontrolled select state
- Projects that want to customise select styling with emotion
- Developers who need async or creatable options, which the docs cover
Not ideal for
- Projects not using React, since the component is built for React.js
- Developers needing an older React Select v1 or v2 setup without checking the upgrade guides, since v5 is a TypeScript rewrite
- Users who only need a simple native HTML select with no extra features
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js · React
Install from npm with yarn
yarn add react-select - 2
Run it
- Install the package with yarn add react-select
- Import Select from 'react-select' in your component
- Pass an options array of { value, label } objects to the component
- Render the component and check the dropdown opens with the listed options
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the controllable props like value and onChange to manage state yourself
- Customise appearance with the styles API documented at react-select.com/styles
- Use the built-in animated components documented on the home page
- Use the creatable and async guides for adding new options or loading options remotely
Downloads
Strengths
- Works out of the box with a small set of common props
- Styling and components can be customised through documented APIs
- Backed by Thinkmill and Atlassian with a large community and 28k+ stars
Trade-offs
- Customisation depends on understanding its props and component injection API, which takes time to learn
- The README is brief and points to the external docs site for most detail
- Major version upgrades have required migration guides
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| react-select (this) | 28k | Library | beginner | 4 months ago | React developers who need a searchable or multi-select dropdown |
| downshift | 12.3k | Library | intermediate | 4 months ago | React developers building a custom autocomplete or search-as-you-type input |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.