# How to use the useContext React hook

> Learn how to use the useContext React hook to read the current value from the nearest Context Provider and re-render the component when that value changes.

Author: [Flavio Copes](https://flaviocopes.com/about/) | Published: 2019-07-22 | Topics: [React](https://flaviocopes.com/tags/react/) | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/react-hook-usecontext/

> Check out my [React hooks introduction](https://flaviocopes.com/react-hooks/) first, if you're new to them.

One [React](https://flaviocopes.com/react/) hook I sometimes use is `useContext`.

```js
import React, { useContext } from 'react'
```

This hook is used in combination with the React Context API.

In particular, this hook allows us to get the current context value:

```js
const value = useContext(MyContext)
```

which refers to the nearest `<MyContext.Provider>` component.

Calling `useContext` will also make sure the component rerenders when the context value changes.

I recommend you to read my [Context API tutorial](https://flaviocopes.com/react-context-api/) to know more about it.