What is the purpose of `getDerivedStateFromProps()` lifecycle method?

The new static getDerivedStateFromProps() lifecycle method is invoked after a component is instantiated as well as before it is re-rendered. It can return an object to update state, or null to indicate that the new props do not require any state updates.

class MyComponent extends React.Component {
  static getDerivedStateFromProps(props, state) {
    // ...
  }
}

This lifecycle method along with componentDidUpdate() covers all the use cases of componentWillReceiveProps().