How do you decide where to split React components and what props they should receive?

Design React component boundaries and props

Explains how to split components around ownership, reuse, readability, state, and API-like prop contracts.

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TL;DR

I would split components around responsibilities and state ownership. A container or page component can fetch data and coordinate workflow state, while smaller presentational components render specific pieces of UI from props. Props should be explicit and shaped around what the child needs, not the entire parent data object by default. If a child needs to change something, it receives a clear callback such as onSave or onSelect.

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Component boundaries, state ownership, prop design, composition, reuse, readability, and maintainability.

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Core answer
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Why this question matters
Component design is the frontend version of API design. Poor boundaries create tangled state, awkward props, and components that are hard to test or reuse.
I would split components around responsibilities and state ownership. A container or page component can fetch data and coordinate workflow state, while smaller presentational components render specific pieces of UI from props. Props should be explicit and shaped around what the child needs, not the entire parent data object by default. If a child needs to change something, it receives a clear callback such as onSave or onSelect.
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Stronger answer
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I would avoid over-splitting every few lines into tiny components when it makes the flow harder to read. Reuse is useful, but premature generic components often become hard to understand. Composition can be better than many boolean props. For example, passing children or slots can make a layout component flexible without teaching it every possible business case. TypeScript props help document required values, optional values, and callback contracts.

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Details

Passing whole domain objects everywhere by habit.
Adding many boolean props instead of using composition.
Splitting components so aggressively that the feature is hard to follow.
Letting child components secretly own parent workflow state.

How do you decide where to split React components and what props they should receive?

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How do you decide where to split React components and what props they should receive?

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