Futuristic routing visualization with TypeScript code and a British shorthair cat

TanStack Router: Revolutionizing React Routing with Type-Safe Magic

The Gray Cat
The Gray Cat

TanStack Router is revolutionizing the way React developers approach routing in their applications. With its emphasis on type safety, performance, and developer experience, this innovative library is quickly becoming a go-to solution for modern React projects. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the key features of TanStack Router, its installation process, and how it compares to traditional routing libraries.

Features

TanStack Router boasts an impressive array of features that set it apart from other routing solutions:

  • 100% inferred TypeScript support
  • Built-in caching and data fetching
  • First-class search params API
  • Nested layouts and routes
  • Automatic code-splitting
  • Preloading and parallel data fetching
  • File-based routing support

Installation

Getting started with TanStack Router is straightforward. You can set up a new project using the official scaffolding tool or add it to an existing React application.

To create a new project:

npm create @tanstack/router@latest

To add TanStack Router to an existing project:

npm install @tanstack/react-router
npm install --save-dev @tanstack/router-vite-plugin

After installation, you’ll need to configure your build tool. For Vite, update your vite.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react";
import { TanStackRouterVite } from "@tanstack/router-vite-plugin";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [react(), TanStackRouterVite()],
});

Basic Usage

Creating a Router Instance

The first step in using TanStack Router is to create a router instance. This connects the router to your React application.

// src/App.tsx
import { RouterProvider, createRouter } from "@tanstack/react-router";
import { routeTree } from "./routeTree.gen";

const router = createRouter({ routeTree });

declare module "@tanstack/react-router" {
  interface Register {
    router: typeof router;
  }
}

function App() {
  return <RouterProvider router={router} />;
}

export default App;

Defining Routes

TanStack Router supports both file-based and code-based routing. Here’s an example of a root route using code-based routing:

// src/routes/__root.tsx
import { createRootRoute, Link, Outlet } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createRootRoute({
  component: () => (
    <>
      <nav>
        <Link to="/">Home</Link>
        <Link to="/about">About</Link>
      </nav>
      <Outlet />
    </>
  ),
});

Creating Child Routes

Child routes can be defined in separate files:

// src/routes/index.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createFileRoute("/")({
  component: () => <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>,
});

// src/routes/about.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createFileRoute("/about")({
  component: () => <h1>About Us</h1>,
});

Advanced Usage

Data Fetching with Loaders

TanStack Router provides a powerful loader API for data fetching:

import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createFileRoute("/users/$userId")({
  loader: async ({ params }) => {
    const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${params.userId}`);
    return response.json();
  },
  component: ({ useLoader }) => {
    const user = useLoader();
    return <div>User: {user.name}</div>;
  },
});

Search Params

The library offers a robust API for handling search parameters:

import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createFileRoute("/search")({
  validateSearch: (search) => ({
    query: search.query ?? "",
    page: Number(search.page ?? 1),
  }),
  component: ({ useSearch }) => {
    const { query, page } = useSearch();
    return (
      <div>
        Searching for "{query}" on page {page}
      </div>
    );
  },
});

Nested Layouts

TanStack Router makes it easy to create nested layouts:

// src/routes/__root.tsx
import { createRootRoute, Outlet } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createRootRoute({
  component: () => (
    <div>
      <header>My App</header>
      <Outlet />
      <footer>© 2024</footer>
    </div>
  ),
});

// src/routes/dashboard.tsx
import { createFileRoute, Outlet } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createFileRoute("/dashboard")({
  component: () => (
    <div>
      <nav>Dashboard Nav</nav>
      <Outlet />
    </div>
  ),
});

// src/routes/dashboard/index.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";

export const Route = createFileRoute("/dashboard/")({
  component: () => <h1>Dashboard Home</h1>,
});

Conclusion

TanStack Router represents a significant leap forward in React routing technology. Its focus on type safety, performance, and developer experience makes it an attractive option for both new and existing React projects. By providing built-in solutions for common routing challenges and integrating seamlessly with TypeScript, TanStack Router empowers developers to create more robust and maintainable applications.

As the library continues to evolve and gain adoption, it’s poised to become a standard tool in the React ecosystem. Whether you’re building a small personal project or a large-scale enterprise application, TanStack Router offers the flexibility and power to meet your routing needs while enhancing your development workflow.

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