How to handle memory leaks?

Memory leaks in React applications can lead to sluggish performance and, in severe cases, can even crash an application. Identifying and addressing these leaks is crucial for maintaining a responsive and stable application. Here’s how to manage memory leaks in React:

1. Component Cleanup: Often, memory leaks occur when a component sets up some global event listeners or subscriptions and doesn’t clean them up when the component is unmounted. Using the `componentWillUnmount` lifecycle method in class components or the `useEffect` hook’s cleanup function in functional components is essential to remove any listeners or subscriptions.

2. Avoiding SetState on Unmounted Components: Calling `setState` on a component that has been unmounted can introduce memory leaks. Always ensure that any asynchronous operations, like API calls, that update the state are canceled or ignored if the component is unmounted before they complete.

3. Monitoring External Libraries: Some third-party libraries might not be optimized for memory usage in a React application. Regularly profiling your app using browser development tools can help detect memory growth over time, pointing to potential leaks.

4. Closures: Be cautious with closures, especially in callbacks. Sometimes, they might inadvertently hold references to large objects or out-of-scope variables, preventing them from being garbage collected.

5. Detaching Event Listeners: Always ensure that global event listeners or DOM events attached using native methods (like `addEventListener`) are detached when no longer needed.

6. Profiling with Development Tools: Use React DevTools and browser profiling tools to track and identify components or areas in your application that consume an increasing amount of memory over time. 

7. Limiting Use of References: Overusing or misusing React `refs` can hold onto DOM elements and lead to memory leaks. Only use refs when necessary, and ensure they’re cleared appropriately.

Preventing memory leaks in React revolves around careful management of resources, especially during component mounting and unmounting, and regularly monitoring the application’s memory usage. Being proactive in adopting best practices can save a lot of debugging time and enhance the user experience.