SvelteRunes

$state

The $state rune allows you to create reactive state, which means that your UI reacts when it changes.

<script>
	let count = $state(0);
</script>

<button onclick={() => count++}>
	clicks: {count}
</button>

Unlike other frameworks you may have encountered, there is no API for interacting with state — count is just a number, rather than an object or a function, and you can update it like you would update any other variable.

Deep state

If $state is used with an array or a simple object, the result is a deeply reactive state proxy. Proxies allow Svelte to run code when you read or write properties, including via methods like array.push(...), triggering granular updates.

State is proxified recursively until Svelte finds something other than an array or simple object. In a case like this...

let let todos: {
    done: boolean;
    text: string;
}[]todos = function $state<{
    done: boolean;
    text: string;
}[]>(initial: {
    done: boolean;
    text: string;
}[]): {
    done: boolean;
    text: string;
}[] (+1 overload)
namespace $stateDeclares reactive state.
Example:
let count = $state(0);
https://svelte-5-preview.vercel.app/docs/runes#$state
@paraminitial The initial value$state([
	{
		done: booleandone: false,
		text: stringtext: 'add more todos'
	}
]);

...modifying an individual todo’s property will trigger updates to anything in your UI that depends on that specific property:

module todostodos[0].done = !module todostodos[0].done;

If you push a new object to the array, it will also be proxified:

todos.push({
	done: booleandone: false,
	text: stringtext: 'eat lunch'
});

When you update properties of proxies, the original object is not mutated.

Classes

You can also use $state in class fields (whether public or private):

class class TodoTodo {
	Todo.done: booleandone = function $state<false>(initial: false): false (+1 overload)
namespace $stateDeclares reactive state.
Example:
let count = $state(0);
https://svelte-5-preview.vercel.app/docs/runes#$state
@paraminitial The initial value$state(false);
	Todo.text: unknowntext = function $state<unknown>(): unknown (+1 overload)
namespace $stateDeclares reactive state.
Example:
let count = $state(0);
https://svelte-5-preview.vercel.app/docs/runes#$state
@paraminitial The initial value$state();

	constructor(text) {
		this.Todo.text: unknowntext = text: anytext;
	}

	Todo.reset(): voidreset() {
		this.Todo.text: unknowntext = '';
		this.Todo.done: booleandone = false;
	}
}

The compiler transforms done and text into get/set methods on the class prototype referencing private fields.

$state.raw

In cases where you don’t want objects and arrays to be deeply reactive you can use $state.raw.

State declared with $state.raw cannot be mutated; it can only be reassigned. In other words, rather than assigning to a property of an object, or using an array method like push, replace the object or array altogether if you’d like to update it:

let let person: {
    name: string;
    age: number;
}person = namespace $state
function $state<T>(initial: T): T (+1 overload)Declares reactive state.
Example:
let count = $state(0);
https://svelte-5-preview.vercel.app/docs/runes#$state
@paraminitial The initial value$state.function $state.raw<{
    name: string;
    age: number;
}>(initial: {
    name: string;
    age: number;
}): {
    name: string;
    age: number;
} (+1 overload)Declares state that is not made deeply reactive — instead of mutating it,
you must reassign it.
Example:
&#x3C;script>
  let items = $state.raw([0]);

  const addItem = () => {
	items = [...items, items.length];
  };
&#x3C;/script>

&#x3C;button on:click={addItem}>
  {items.join(', ')}
&#x3C;/button>
https://svelte-5-preview.vercel.app/docs/runes#$state-raw
@paraminitial The initial valueraw({
	name: stringname: 'Heraclitus',
	age: numberage: 49
});

// this will have no effect (and will throw an error in dev)
let person: {
    name: string;
    age: number;
}person.age: numberage += 1;

// this will work, because we're creating a new person
let person: {
    name: string;
    age: number;
}person = {
	name: stringname: 'Heraclitus',
	age: numberage: 50
};

This can improve performance with large arrays and objects that you weren’t planning to mutate anyway, since it avoids the cost of making them reactive. Note that raw state can contain reactive state (for example, a raw array of reactive objects).

$state.snapshot

To take a static snapshot of a deeply reactive $state proxy, use $state.snapshot:

<script>
	let counter = $state({ count: 0 });

	function onclick() {
		// Will log `{ count: ... }` rather than `Proxy { ... }`
		console.log($state.snapshot(counter));
	}
</script>

This is handy when you want to pass some state to an external library or API that doesn’t expect a proxy, such as structuredClone.

Edit this page on GitHub

previous next

What are runes? $derived