Using useRef is essential for accessing DOM elements directly, storing mutable values, and integrating with third-party libraries in React applications. As the creator of CoreUI, a widely used open-source UI library, I’ve implemented useRef in countless React components for focus management, scroll positioning, and integrating with non-React libraries in enterprise applications. From my expertise, the most effective approach is to use useRef for DOM references and persistent value storage. This method provides direct DOM access without causing re-renders, making it perfect for imperative operations and performance-critical scenarios.