React Router
A routing library for React apps that maps URLs to screens and data.
- Stars
- 56.6k
- Forks
- 11k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
React Router handles navigation in React apps: it decides which page or component to show based on the URL, and can load data for that page. It can be used as a full framework with its own project setup, or as a smaller library that you wire into your own architecture. The README describes it as a multi-strategy router, with modes named Framework, Data, and Declarative.
- Map URL paths to React components so different pages render for different addresses
- Use the Framework mode to create a full project with the create-react-router package
- Add the core react-router package to an existing React app for declarative routing
Great for
- React developers building single-page or multi-page web apps
- Teams that want a choice between a full framework and a lighter routing library
- Developers who want file-system based routes via the @react-router/fs-routes package
- Projects that deploy to Node.js, Express, Cloudflare, or Architect, since the README lists adapters for each
Not ideal for
- People who are not writing React code, since it is a React-specific library
- Beginners with no React experience, who should learn React basics first
- Projects that need a different frontend framework such as Vue or Svelte
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js · npm or another JavaScript package manager
Create a new framework project
npx create-react-router@latest - 2
Run it
- Run the create command to generate a project
- Follow the Getting Started docs at reactrouter.com/start/modes to choose a mode
- Start the dev server as described in the generated project's instructions
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the mode guide at reactrouter.com/start/modes to pick Framework, Data, or Declarative
- Use @react-router/fs-routes if you want routes defined by file structure
- Pick a deployment adapter such as @react-router/node, @react-router/express, or @react-router/cloudflare that matches your hosting
- Check the changelog on GitHub when upgrading between major versions
Downloads
Strengths
- Widely used, with 56,629 stars and an MIT license
- Offers several modes so you can adopt as much or as little as you need
- Actively maintained, with a recent push and published npm releases
Trade-offs
- The README is truncated and gives few details on specific APIs, so the full scope is unclear from it alone
- Major versions change significantly, and the README links to separate upgrade guides for v5, v6, and v7
- Choosing between Framework, Data, and Declarative modes adds up-front decisions for new users
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| react-router (this) | 56.6k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | React developers building single-page or multi-page web apps |
| router | 15.3k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | React developers who want type-checked routes and URL parameters |
| next.js | 143k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers already comfortable with React who want a full framework around it |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.