MMKV Storage Patterns

Quick Guide: Use createMMKV() for synchronous key-value storage (~30x faster than AsyncStorage). One singleton instance per concern (global app, per-user). Use typed hooks (useMMKVString, useMMKVObject) for reactive components. Enable encryption with encryptionKey for sensitive data. V4 is a Nitro Module requiring react-native-nitro-modules and React Native 0.75+.

---

<critical_requirements>

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST reuse a single MMKV instance per concern -- NEVER call createMMKV() on every render or in component bodies)

(You MUST use typed getters (getString, getNumber, getBoolean) -- NEVER parse the return value of the wrong getter)

(You MUST use remove() to delete keys -- delete() was renamed in v4 due to C++ keyword conflict)

(You MUST install react-native-nitro-modules alongside react-native-mmkv -- v4 is a Nitro Module)

</critical_requirements>

---

Auto-detection: MMKV, react-native-mmkv, createMMKV, useMMKVString, useMMKVNumber, useMMKVBoolean, useMMKVObject, useMMKVBuffer, useMMKVListener, useMMKVKeys, addOnValueChangedListener, encryptionKey, mmkv storage, key-value storage React Native

When to use:

• Persisting user preferences, auth tokens, or cached data synchronously
• Replacing AsyncStorage for faster reads/writes (~30x improvement)
• Encrypting sensitive data at rest with AES-128 or AES-256
• Sharing storage between iOS app and extensions via App Groups
• Building reactive UIs that re-render on storage changes (hooks)
• Isolating data per user or feature with multiple named instances

Key patterns covered:

• Instance creation with createMMKV() and configuration options
• Typed getters/setters and object serialization
• React hooks for reactive storage (useMMKVString, useMMKVObject, etc.)
• Value change listeners (addOnValueChangedListener, useMMKVListener)
• Multiple instances for data isolation (global vs per-user)
• Encryption at rest (AES-128/AES-256)
• Persistence middleware adapter (generic StateStorage interface)
• Migration from AsyncStorage

When NOT to use:

• Large binary files or media (use the filesystem)
• Relational or queryable data (use a local database)
• Data that must sync across devices (use a cloud-synced solution)
• Server state caching with invalidation (use your data fetching layer)

Detailed Resources:

• examples/core.md - Instance setup, typed access, hooks, listeners
• examples/advanced.md - Encryption, multiple instances, App Groups, multi-process, migration
• examples/persistence.md - State management persistence adapter, hydration handling
• reference.md - API reference, V3-to-V4 migration table, migration checklist

---

<philosophy>

Philosophy

MMKV is a synchronous, JSI-based key-value store built on top of Tencent's battle-tested C++ library. The key advantage over AsyncStorage is that reads and writes are synchronous -- no await, no Promises, no bridge serialization. This eliminates an entire class of race conditions and simplifies code.

Core principles:

1. Synchronous by design -- getString() returns immediately, no async wrappers needed
2. One instance per concern -- export a singleton; never create instances inside components
3. Typed access -- use the correct getter for the stored type; MMKV does not auto-convert
4. Encrypt sensitive data -- tokens, keys, PII should use encryptionKey option
5. Hooks for reactivity -- useMMKVString etc. trigger re-renders on changes, replacing manual subscriptions

Performance comparison with AsyncStorage:

Operation	AsyncStorage	MMKV	Speedup
Read 1 key	~5ms	~0.015ms	~300x
Write 1 key	~8ms	~0.018ms	~440x
Read 1000 keys	~200ms	~3ms	~65x

Benchmarks vary by device, but MMKV is consistently 30-100x faster for typical operations.

V4 architecture: MMKV v4 is a Nitro Module (not a TurboModule). This means it uses react-native-nitro-modules for the native bridge, requires React Native 0.75+, and the JS API uses createMMKV() instead of new MMKV().

</philosophy>

---

<patterns>

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Instance Creation and Singleton Export

Create one instance per storage concern at module scope. Never inside a component or hook body.

import { createMMKV } from "react-native-mmkv";

// Global app storage -- reuse this everywhere
export const storage = createMMKV();

// Named instance for user-specific data
export const createUserStorage = (userId: string) =>
  createMMKV({ id: `user-${userId}` });

Why good: Module-level creation runs once, all consumers share the same native instance, no wasted allocations

// BAD: Creating instance inside component
function Settings() {
  const storage = createMMKV(); // New native instance every render
  // ...
}

Why bad: Creates a new native MMKV instance on every render, wastes memory, defeats instance caching

See examples/core.md for full configuration options (path, encryption, readOnly, compareBeforeSet).

---

Pattern 2: Typed Getters and Setters

MMKV stores values by type. Always use the matching getter for what was stored.

// Set typed values
storage.set("user.name", "Alice");
storage.set("user.age", 28);
storage.set("onboarded", true);

// Get with correct typed getter
const name = storage.getString("user.name"); // string | undefined
const age = storage.getNumber("user.age"); // number | undefined
const done = storage.getBoolean("onboarded"); // boolean | undefined

Why good: Each getter returns the correct type or undefined if key is missing -- no parsing, no type confusion

Gotcha: Calling getString on a key that was stored with set(key, number) returns undefined, not a stringified number. MMKV does not auto-convert between types.

See examples/core.md for object serialization with JSON.stringify/JSON.parse and ArrayBuffer storage.

---

Pattern 3: React Hooks for Reactive Storage

Hooks provide useState-like API backed by MMKV. Components re-render when the stored value changes.

import {
  useMMKVString,
  useMMKVBoolean,
  useMMKVObject,
} from "react-native-mmkv";
import type { User } from "../types";

function ProfileScreen() {
  const [name, setName] = useMMKVString("user.name");
  const [darkMode, setDarkMode] = useMMKVBoolean("settings.darkMode");
  const [user, setUser] = useMMKVObject<User>("user.profile");

  // Set undefined to delete the key
  const clearProfile = () => setUser(undefined);
}

Why good: Reactive re-renders on change, type-safe generics for objects, setting undefined removes the key

Custom instance: Pass instance as second argument: useMMKVString("key", userStorage)

See examples/core.md for all hook variants including useMMKVBuffer and useMMKVKeys.

---

Pattern 4: Value Change Listeners

Listen to storage changes outside React components (background tasks, services, cross-instance sync).

const listener = storage.addOnValueChangedListener((changedKey) => {
  const newValue = storage.getString(changedKey);
  console.log(`${changedKey} changed to: ${newValue}`);
});

// Cleanup when no longer needed
listener.remove();

Why good: Works outside React tree, receives the changed key (read new value yourself), cleanup via .remove()

For React components, prefer useMMKVListener hook -- it handles cleanup automatically.

See examples/core.md for useMMKVListener hook usage.

---

Pattern 5: Multiple Instances for Data Isolation

Use separate named instances to isolate data by concern. Common pattern: one global instance, one per logged-in user.

const APP_STORAGE_ID = "app-global";

export const appStorage = createMMKV({ id: APP_STORAGE_ID });

export const createUserStorage = (userId: string) =>
  createMMKV({ id: `user-${userId}` });

// On logout: delete user-specific storage entirely
import { deleteMMKV } from "react-native-mmkv";
const handleLogout = (userId: string) => {
  deleteMMKV(`user-${userId}`);
};

Why good: User data is fully isolated from app data, deleteMMKV removes the entire instance on logout

See examples/advanced.md for existsMMKV checks and instance lifecycle management.

---

Pattern 6: Encryption

Enable AES encryption for sensitive data. Encryption applies to the entire instance -- you cannot encrypt individual keys.

// Instance with AES-256 encryption
const secureStorage = createMMKV({
  id: "secure",
  encryptionKey: "your-encryption-key",
  encryptionType: "AES-256",
});

// Encrypt/decrypt existing instance at runtime
storage.encrypt("new-password", "AES-256");
storage.decrypt(); // Remove encryption

When to use: Auth tokens, API keys, PII, anything that should not be readable if device is compromised

See examples/advanced.md for key rotation patterns and encryption type comparison.

---

Pattern 7: Persistence Middleware Adapter

Bridge MMKV with state management persistence middleware by implementing a StateStorage-compatible interface.

import { createMMKV } from "react-native-mmkv";

const storage = createMMKV();

// Implement the StateStorage interface your persist middleware expects
interface StateStorage {
  setItem: (name: string, value: string) => void;
  getItem: (name: string) => string | null;
  removeItem: (name: string) => void;
}

export const mmkvStateStorage: StateStorage = {
  setItem: (name, value) => storage.set(name, value),
  getItem: (name) => storage.getString(name) ?? null,
  removeItem: (name) => storage.remove(name),
};

Why good: Synchronous adapter eliminates async overhead, drop-in replacement for AsyncStorage adapters, works with any persist middleware that accepts StateStorage

See examples/persistence.md for complete persistence middleware setup with hydration handling.

</patterns>

---

<decision_framework>

Decision Framework

What kind of data are you storing?
|
+-> Key-value pairs (strings, numbers, booleans, small objects)?
|   +-> Sensitive data (tokens, keys, PII)?
|   |   +-> YES -> MMKV with encryptionKey
|   |   +-> NO  -> MMKV without encryption
|   +-> Need reactive UI updates?
|   |   +-> YES -> Use MMKV hooks (useMMKVString, etc.)
|   |   +-> NO  -> Use direct get/set API
|   +-> Multiple users or data domains?
|       +-> YES -> Multiple named instances
|       +-> NO  -> Single default instance
|
+-> Large files or binary media?
|   +-> Use the filesystem (not MMKV)
|
+-> Relational data with queries?
|   +-> Use a local database (not MMKV)
|
+-> Server-cached data with invalidation?
    +-> Use your data fetching layer (not MMKV)

When to Use Each API Style

Scenario	API
Read/write in services or utils	Direct: storage.getString()
Reactive component state	Hook: useMMKVString()
Cross-component sync	Hook or addOnValueChangedListener
Background task or service	Direct + listener
State management persistence	StateStorage adapter

</decision_framework>

---

<red_flags>

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Calling createMMKV() inside a component body -- creates new native instance every render, use module-scope singleton
• Using storage.delete() -- renamed to storage.remove() in v4, delete is a C++ reserved keyword
• Mixing typed getters -- getString on a number key returns undefined, not a string. Use the matching getter.
• Missing react-native-nitro-modules peer dependency -- v4 crashes at runtime without it
• Using v4 on React Native < 0.75 -- Nitro Modules require RN 0.75+

Medium Priority Issues:

• Storing large objects (>1MB) in MMKV -- designed for small key-value pairs, not large blobs
• Not calling listener.remove() -- native listeners leak if not cleaned up
• Using default instance for sensitive data without encryption -- device compromise exposes data
• Forgetting encryptionType: "AES-256" when AES-256 is needed -- default is AES-128

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• MMKV encryption applies to the entire instance, not individual keys -- use a separate encrypted instance for sensitive data
• useMMKVObject<T> uses JSON.stringify/JSON.parse internally -- objects with Date, Map, Set lose their types
• Setting a hook value to undefined deletes the key from storage -- intentional API, not a bug
• Remote JS debugging (Chrome DevTools) does not work with MMKV -- JSI requires on-device execution. Use Flipper or React DevTools
• compareBeforeSet option prevents writing if value is unchanged -- useful for reducing disk I/O in high-frequency updates
• iOS App Groups require AppGroupIdentifier in Info.plist (was AppGroup in v3) and mode: "multi-process"
• MMKV provides automatic test mocks -- createMMKV() works in test runners without native compilation
• getAllKeys() returns all keys as an array -- there is no prefix filtering, implement it yourself if needed
• storage.size returns bytes used -- call storage.trim() to reclaim space from deleted keys

</red_flags>

---

<critical_reminders>

CRITICAL REMINDERS

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md

(You MUST reuse a single MMKV instance per concern -- NEVER call createMMKV() on every render or in component bodies)

(You MUST use typed getters (getString, getNumber, getBoolean) -- NEVER parse the return value of the wrong getter)

(You MUST use remove() to delete keys -- delete() was renamed in v4 due to C++ keyword conflict)

(You MUST install react-native-nitro-modules alongside react-native-mmkv -- v4 is a Nitro Module)

Failure to follow these rules will cause memory leaks, runtime crashes, or silent data loss.

</critical_reminders>